DENVER – The Colorado/Wyoming Credit Union Leagues have hired the chief lobbyist for Qwest Communications, the Denver telecom firm, to take over its top governmental affairs job. He is Peter Kirchhof, an assistant vice president for Colorado External Affairs at Qwest, and who's also been that company's top lobbyist as well as for predecessor companies over the last two decades. Kirchhof was to begin his duties "in a month," said the League. He succeeds John Sheehy, a longtime voice for CUs in the state capitols in Denver and Cheyenne and in Washington, who retired in September 2003. Kirchhof, a member of Bellco CU, is a former GOP candidate for the state legislature in 2000 and is the current chairman of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. "As a credit union member, I know the value of owning my own financial institution, and I look forward to helping Colorado and Wyoming credit unions strengthen their relationship with policy makers at both the state and national level." Kirchhof has worked in both regulatory and government affairs for Mountain Bell, U. S West and Qwest. He is a native of Colorado, with a BA in political science from Western State College in Gunnison and was appointed to that college's Board of Trustees by Gov. Bill Owens. He was named `Man of the Year' in 2001 by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, for his contributions to the business community. In another management change, the Leagues also announced they have named Terri Johnson as manager of communications and public policy, a new position. For the past decade, Johnson has worked in a variety of roles, most recently as deputy finance director for U.S. Senate candidate Tom Strickland, a Democrat running against the GOP incumbent Wayne Allard. Johnson has also served as a Strickland scheduler and fundraiser. "Terri brings strong communication skills, fundraising abilities, and government affairs experience to Colorado and Wyoming credit unions," said John Dill, president/CEO of the Leagues. "We look forward to having her as part of our team in broadening the image and visibility of member-owned credit unions." Johnson was lead liaison to the United Kingdom for the 1997 Denver Summit of Eight, served as assistant secretary for the Denver Democratic Party, and also worked for Chris Paulson, a Denver GOP attorney. She is a committee member for Hogan & Hartson's 10 Acts of Giving Back, a group that has been instrumental in raising school supply funds for elementary students and has helped out on the volunteer side. Johnson is finishing a B.A. in communications from Regis University. [email protected]