Stephanie Donner, Gov. Hickenlooper’s chief legal counsel, will join Galvanize as its legal counsel in July 2015.
, the Denver-based educational office complex, said Tuesday it has hired Stephanie Donner, who joined Gov. John Hickenlooper’s team as chief legal counsel . She will lead Galvanize’s legal efforts beginning in July.
“I wasn’t looking to leave the Governor’s cabinet, but Galvanize approached me and needed to move quickly based on the company’s rapid growth. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I have been with the Governor for 4 years and I will miss the Governor and his outstanding team,” Donner said.
Before becoming Hickenlooper’s chief counsel, Donner worked for the governor in other legal positions, including advising the flood recovery effort that brought millions of dollars to recovering residents. She previously worked at Morrison & Foerster and represented public companies in securities fraud class actions, shareholder derivative lawsuits and special investigations.
Donner will handle Galvanize’s legal needs related to future mergers and acquisitions, new campus development and company growth.
Galvanize, which started in 2011 with a in Denver’s Golden Triangle, has since added locations in Boulder, San Francisco and Seattle. It recently opened a second spot in Denver and plans to expand to Fort Collins.
The company also delved into training and education programs and offers advanced courses for software, data science and other technology topics.
In a statement, Hickenlooper said Donner joining Galvanize made perfect sense.
“The reason that Colorado has been cited as such a hotbed for tech startup activity by the likes of Forbes Magazine and the Kauffman Foundation, among many others, is because of companies like Galvanize, which educates and fosters innovative entrepreneurs,” Hickenlooper said.
