Ken Montera graduated from East in 1975.  A third generation Coloradan and the first in his family to attend a major university, Ken received the Presidents’ Leadership Class scholarship allowing him to attend CU Boulder.  Graduating from CU’s Leeds School of Business in 1979, his education and time at CU built the foundation that launched a very successful corporate career.  

University of Colorado Regent Ken Montera was appointed by Governor Jared Polis in December of 2021. He spent over 30 years as a senior executive in four Fortune 200 companies leading strategy, multi-billion-dollar budgets and direct responsibility for over 40,000 associates. Ken graduated from CU’s Leeds school of business in 1979.

Following graduation from CU, Ken was tasked with increasing levels of responsibility in various corporations including Johnson & Johnson, Baxter Healthcare, PepsiCo and Limited Brands.  At Limited Brands, Ken was Chief Stores Officer and Executive Vice President of Retail Operations where he oversaw sales, marketing, education, strategy, and brand delivery at approximately 5,000 retail locations.  While there, the organization achieved record sales and profit growth, and received the ICSC award for best service experience among large corporations.  Ken’s ability to establish and lead collaborative cultures, foster diverse and high performing teams resulted in consistent high performance throughout his 30 plus year career at the C suite and Executive Committee levels. 

After living in ten different cities and having responsibilities for operations in the US and Canada, Ken retired in 2014 and moved back to Colorado.  Since retiring, he has been active in his community serving as Vice Chairman of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra, serving on the board of the Salvation Army, and a number of other startup businesses.  He consults for the retail/manufacturing/supply chain industry on brand strategy, leadership, and new product development.  Ken has three children and is the proud grandfather of his first grandson, Henry.  Ken lives in Colorado Springs with his fiancé Theresa.