Don Ament was appointed to the post of Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture by Governor Bill Owens in January of 1999. Born in Denver, Colo., in 1942, Ament graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in engineering. He was elected to the Senate in 1990 and re-elected in 1994, where he chaired the Agriculture Committee. He was elected to the House in 1986 and re-elected in 1988. He has been honored by the Colorado Farm Bureau; the Farmer's Union; the Colorado Young Farmer's Educational Association; Soil Conservation Service; the Cattle Feeders Association; and other agricultural groups, and some environmental groups as well.