The University of Colorado Board of Regent seat for El Paso County’s District 5 will appear on the ballot for the upcoming Nov. 5 election.  

Running for the seat is Democrat and recent UCCS graduate Michael “Axel” Brown and Republican incumbent Ken Montera. 

Democratic candidate Axel Brown 

Axel Brown. Photo courtesy of his campaign website. 

Brown served as the UCCS SGA president for two years, the only person to hold the position for more than one year, according to his campaign website. Brown also has experience working with the Board of Regents as he previously served as the chair of the Inter-Campus Student Forum, an organization that communicates between the four CU campuses. He graduated from UCCS in spring of 2024 with his master’s in social work and currently works as a case manager for the Salvation Army. 

In addition to being a UCCS alumni, Brown is an honorably discharged veteran and father. “Those three things are important to me, and while those three things are important to me, representing my community now becomes that fourth thing,” he said. 

If he were to be elected to the regent position, Brown hopes to increase regent presence on campus. During the aftermath of the shooting that occurred on campus in February, Brown said three regents came to campus.  “I appreciated that from them, but I don’t feel like they should only be on campus when tragedy strikes or during a Board of Regents meeting,” he said. 

Brown feels that there is more regent representation at the Boulder campus than there is at UCCS. Brown said that regents are often in attendance at events at Boulder, especially sporting events, and he would like to see a more equal presence from regents across all four CU campuses. 

“I just think there could be better representation down at our university, not just from the person that is sitting in the [congressional district 5] seat right now, but from the Board of Regents as a whole,” Brown said. If elected regent, Brown plans to maintain an active and accessible presence on campus at UCCS. 

Another priority Brown has is fixed tuition. CU Boulder offers fixed tuition for undergraduates, meaning that whatever tuition costs when a student is enrolled is what they will be guaranteed for four years. If elected regent, Brown wants to look into implementing fixed tuition at all CU campuses. 

Brown also hopes to expand funding for Clyde’s Cupboard, UCCS’ non-need-based food pantry. Instead of tapping into student fees, he thinks the board could allocate temporary funds such as the president initiative funds to expand it.  

Brown plans to be a presence and resource for the UCCS campus regardless of what happens. “I would love to serve the community as the new board of regent of the fifth congressional district, but, if not, I’ll still always be around,” he said. 

Republican candidate Ken Montera 

Ken Montera. Photo courtesy of University of Colorado. 

Montera was appointed to the Board of Regent seat for District 5 in 2021 by Governor Jared Polis after the previous regent resigned and was elected for the remainder of the term in 2023. He was also unanimously elected vice chair of the board for two consecutive years, a feat he said he is very proud of. 

Montera graduated from CU Boulder in 1979 and has over 30 years of corporate experience working as a senior executive for companies like PepsiCo and Johnson & Johnson.  

In his time as a Regent, Montera has supported the implementation of an aerospace engineering program at UCCS and the building of the Anschutz Engineering Center. 

Montera feels the current board is very high functioning and strong in its ability to work across party lines. He cited the unanimous selection of Todd Saliman as CU President as an example of this.  

“How do we establish a level of thinking that supersedes political? It’s really about how do we make sure our students are getting the best education they can and that our staff and our faculty are supported in delivering that education to our students,” Montera said. 

If he were to be reelected, Montera hopes to make the campus more diverse, adding that the regents, presidents and chancellors have been visiting rural and urban places in Colorado to get the word about the CU campuses out. 

One group Montera hopes to focus on is Hispanic families. While Montera said the cohort of high school graduates across Colorado is going to decline over the next three to five years, the population of Hispanic graduates will be one of the largest growing populations in that cohort.  

“If we aren’t able to help them see that we have some place for them and that we can help them achieve what their goals are, I think we really miss an opportunity to continue to keep our campuses healthy and growing and establishing enrollment objectives,” he said. Montera feels UCCS is a prime campus to cater to the needs of these families because of its size and cost. 

To cater to this community, Montera hopes to continue and expand outreach efforts. The board has established a group that is responsible for reaching underrepresented communities, and during the most recent outreach trip, Spanish interpreters were provided to bridge communication barriers.  

Montera also wants to make sure these communities know about the MOSAIC centers that are present on every CU campus, adding that it’s important students feel they can connect with people like them. 

While Montera understands where Brown’s feelings of being underrepresented as a campus come from, he assured that UCCS is his top priority. “I’m the guy on the ground here in Colorado Springs, and UCCS is the beginning of every conversation I have,” he said. 

Above all, Montera hopes to prioritize supporting getting students to college. “The only reason I’m a regent is because I was that kid in Pueblo whose parents didn’t go to college, and I had a high school guidance counselor who went to CU, and he helped bridge the gap that I had financially,” Montera said. “What I want to make sure I can do is hopefully do that for a number of students in a larger way because I think the worst thing that happens is when a young person has a dream, and somebody doesn’t help them see the path to achieve that dream.” 

El Pomar Plaza. Photo by Lillian Davis.