Terry Fox

Biography

Resilience is my super power. As the daughter of a single mother who was a migrant farm-worker, change was the only constant in my life. Teachers were the only professionals in my life. Naturally, I was inspired to become a math teacher. But when I asked my high school math teacher what I needed to do to follow in his footsteps, he re-directed me towards engineering. Scholarships and part-time work allowed me to make my way to and through the Colorado School of Mines, where I graduated with a Chemical Engineering degree. While working as an environmental engineer for a chemical company, I interacted with my employer’s in-house lawyer. She advised the engineers concerning compliance with state and federal environmental laws. I saw that her knowledge gave her influence and I was curious to read the statutes and regulations she relied upon. I borrowed them from her and read them in the evenings after work. My curiosity revealed to me that law was not rocket science and that being a lawyer was possible. Seeing that I could be what I saw in that female lawyer, I soon enrolled in law school to become an environmental lawyer. After a state supreme court clerkship, I went to work for Holland & Hart as an environmental lawyer. As much as I loved (and still love) environmental law, there were so many other areas of law that I was anxious to explore, and I had the opportunity to do so over the next twelve years at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office and then at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. My time in public service prepared me well for the meaningful work I’ve performed for the last ten years as a judge on the Colorado Court of Appeals.