Midland University has announced alumnus Rico Munn, superintendent of the fifth-largest school district in Colorado, will be the honorary speaker at the 2018 Commencement Ceremony for Undergraduate Programs on Saturday, May 12.

“We are thrilled that Rico Munn will be our commencement speaker this year,” President Jody Horner said. “His leadership experience and community involvement embody Midland’s mission and vision, and we are excited about the opportunity for our graduates to hear his message.”

A 1993 graduate, Munn earned a bachelor of arts in Secondary Education and was named Student Teacher of the Year. While at Midland he was a three-time qualifier for the National Collegiate Debate Championships and a semi-finalist for the PKD National Debate Championships. He also was honored with the 1999 Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Munn received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. For more than a decade he practiced commercial litigation with a national law firm. As a litigator, he dealt with finance, construction, education, refugee populations, and crisis management.

Since 2013, Munn has served as superintendent of Aurora Public Schools, leading a district with nearly 42,000 students. It is one of the numerous ways he has served the educational needs of Colorado students. He currently is the chair of the Colorado State University System’s Board of Governors. He served on the Colorado State Board of Education from 2003-2007 and was the executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education from 2009-2011.

Munn also served his state as executive director of the Department of Regulatory Agencies from 2007-2009 after being appointed to the position by Colorado’s governor.

Active in the non-profit community, Munn served on the Denver Foundation board and founded the Denver Urban Debate League. Currently, he sits on the board of Early Milestones Colorado, an early childhood education organization.

On May 12, Munn returns to the Midland campus to speak to the Class of 2018 at the 10 a.m. ceremony inside the Wikert Event Center. Additional details about the ceremony and other associated events can be found at MidlandU.edu/commencement.