Colorado State Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet announced her resignation on Tuesday as she prepares to take a position with a nonprofit.
Michaelson Jenet serves Senate District 21 as Senate President Pro Tempore and previously served House District 32. During her tenure as a legislator, Michaelson Jenet created the “I Matter” program to improve mental health support for Colorado children and advocated for free lunch programs for students. She also advocated for including Holocaust studies in public schools.
Dafna Michaelson Jenet
“I always aspire to serve with joy, humility, and guided by the will of my constituents,” Michaelson Jenet said in a release on Tuesday. “I am so thankful to the people of Senate District 21 for their trust, to my colleagues in the House and Senate for their partnership on legislation both big and small, and to my family for their perseverance and grace at every step of this journey.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera both issued statements lauding her accomplishments and thanking her for her service to the people of Colorado.
“Senator Michaelson Jenet has been a consistent champion for making health care more accessible, especially behavioral health care,” said Primavera.”Her legislative career also delivered results in school nutrition, education, expanding veterans’ access to higher education, and strengthening protections and support for survivors of sexual assault.”
“Dafna has been an incredible leader for the Coloradans she represents, both in the State House and State Senate, and has championed the issues that matter most to her constituents. From leading the way on mental health – especially for youth – through the creation of iMatter, school-based mental health screenings, inpatient and residential behavioral health services, and more, to her advocacy for comprehensive reproductive health care, and support for healthy school meals for Colorado’s students to her leadership on education and work against antisemitism,” said Polis.
Michaelson Jenet will be taking a position as the Director of the David and Laura Merage Foundation for Confronting Antisemitism. Polis said he’s looking forward to fighting anti-semitism alongside her in her new capacity.
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