Jack Kleinheksel, Honored to Keep Serving

Jack Kleinheksel

Shortly after his graduation from Washburn Law School in 1971, Jack began his career of service  when he took a position on the legal staff of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver, a position he held for twenty-five years.  Within seven years, he had become chief counsel and instituted significant changes in procedures.

Certainly, this was a career in government service, but Jack was looking beyond that for ways to make a difference.  So, he retired early in 1998 to devote more time to volunteering with causes important to him.  Several of these had their origins in his boyhood activities.  As a child, he spent much of his time at the YMCA and he was active in Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. (Right, Jack in 1960)

As an adult, Jack served three terms on the Board of Trustees of the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver.  He’s mentored about eighty boys on their way to the Eagle Scout rank and has been recognized by the National Eagle Scout Association as a Distinguished Eagle Scout.  This award recognizes Eagle Scouts who, at least twenty-five years after receiving the Eagle Scout rank, have reached the highest national level of success in their field and demonstrated a strong record of volunteer  leadership in their community.

Jack’s legal background was the basis for governor’s appointments to serve as a public member on two state-wide regulatory boards:

• Colorado Board of Licensed Professional Counselor Examiners
• Colorado Board of Nursing, the state’s oldest, that regulates over 100,000 nurses of all disciplines.  This appointment required Senate confirmation.

“I am a great fan of reinvesting in my community,” Jack says.  “I was very fortunate to have this opportunity, and I felt I needed to reinvest.”