Josie Ward Heath (born September 5, 1937) is an American politician, community activist and educator who currently serves as a member of the Colorado State Land Board. She studied at East Oregon State College and graduated in 1959 with a degree in education, followed by a Master of Science in 1960 from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. She married Rollie Heath, and they lived in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

for 4 years while her husband worked for the military. Upon return to the U.S. the family moved to Boulder, where Josie began her involvement in community organizations and politics. Along the way, Heath has held numerous positions, including: President of the Boulder County Women’s Resource Center (1974), Vice-President of Boulder County United Way (1975), and Director of Women’s Resource Center at Red Rocks Campus of Community College of Denver (1975-1979). From 1976-1979 she was a presidential appointee for the U.S Circuit Court judicial selection committee, and in 1979 President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

appointed her as Denver regional director for ACTION (a federal agency for volunteer service), 2004 - delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Heath ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1990 as a Democratic candidate. She had previously served as Chair of the Board of County Commissioners for Boulder County. Heath served as a U.S. Circuit Judge Nominating Commission member for the 10th District. She is a founder of the Boulder County Clean Air Consortium. She was most recently President of the Community Foundation of Boulder County; she retired in January 2017 after 21 years at the Foundation. Heath was inducted into the

Colorado Women's Hall of Fame The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the ...

in 2000.Colorado Women's Hall of Fame, Josie Heath
/ref> Heath is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Josie 1937 births Colorado Democrats County commissioners in Colorado Eastern Oregon University alumni Living people University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Women in Colorado politics 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women American Unitarian Universalists 20th-century Colorado politicians