Mayor John Hickenlooper has announced that
Awilda R. Marquez is joining the administration as its new Director of Excise and Licenses.
“Awilda has held senior legal positions in both the public and private sectors, and the insight that experience brings in terms of balancing public and private interests gives her
exceptional experience and judgment for this role,” said Hickenlooper. “In addition, her
focus on solving problems and her consensus-building working style will certainly be an asset.”
The Director of the Department of Excise and Licenses oversees a department comprised of approximately 22 full time staff members who are responsible for issuing over 100 different classes of Denver business licenses. She is responsible for overseeing the City’s licensing authority that administers the
Colorado Liquor and Beer Codes and the City of Denver’s Cabaret Code. The Director ensures compliance with requirements mandated by provisions of the City’s alarm ordinance.
The Director also implements policies and procedures to assure that license applicants qualify for specific types of licenses. These policies and procedures include steps related to analyzing information on license applications, conducting criminal background investigations, hosting public hearings when appropriate, and taking administrative action against license holders who violate licensing provisions or who fail to remain in compliance with license requirements.
About Awilda MarquezMs. Marquez most recently served as an
attorney with Hall & Evans, L.L.C. in Denver in its public entity division, where she defended state agencies and counties and their employees, and non-profit professional organizations. She also handled cases involving employment and administrative law, and general tort actions.
Prior to this most recent role, Ms. Marquez spent 15 years in public service. She was a Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General of Hawaii and the First Assistant Attorney General (Tort Division) for the Colorado Attorney General. In the Clinton Administration in Washington, D.C., she was the Assistant Secretary for International Trade in the U.S. Department of Commerce, Chief Counsel of the Economic Development Administration, and White House Liaison at the U.S. Department of State. Earlier, she was a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Foreign Service, stationed in the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Ms. Marquez graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree in International Politics from Georgetown University, and she graduated with honors and as an Editor of the Law Review of the University of Maryland School of Law.
Prepared by
Sarah E. Moss, Communications Specialist
Denver Mayor's Office