B.J. Nikkel, HD 49 (Loveland)

B.J. Nikkel was appointed by a vacancy committee and was sworn into the Colorado General Assembly on January 13, 2009.  Before that, she worked as Senior Development Director for the National Guard Association of Colorado.  She worked for nearly four years as District Director for Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave and managed her five congressional offices in Colorado.    Rep. Nikkel was also on staff for the Congresswoman’s first congressional campaign.

Rep. B.J. Nikkel currently serves in Leadership in the House of Representatives as House Majority Whip.  She is also on the House Judiciary Committee, Legislative Council and on the Congressional Redistricting Committee.  In addition, she serves on the Board of the newly formed Colorado Channel Authority which oversees the televised proceedings of the House and Senate in the Colorado Legislature.  Rep. Nikkel was also appointed in April 2010 to serve on the Select Joint Committee on Child Welfare, which was tasked with investigating the deaths of thirty-five Colorado children who died while in the custody of the Colorado Child Protective Services.

Rep. Nikkel has been called a “rising star” for the Republican Party since taking office.  She succeeded in passing relevant legislation as prime sponsor during her first term of office (2009-2010), despite not being in the majority party in power.   She is well known in the legislature for her ability to communicate well and for working across the aisle when possible.

She was dubbed “Miss Transparency” for enacting legislation which put the state’s “checkbook” online – a huge victory for Colorado taxpayers.  The Colorado Taxpayer Transparency Act (HB 09-1288) allows taxpayers to view the state’s expenditures and revenues.  It will help keep government accountable and save the state money by providing the ability to identify potential waste, fraud and abuse.  She continues to work with the Office of Internet Technology to improve the Transparency Online Project (TOP) website which can be found at: http://tops.state.co.us/.  In addition, Rep. Nikkel passed HB 11-1002 to put Colorado Department of Transportation’s expenditure and revenue data online in a separate website to be linked to TOPs.

Rep. Nikkel has also proven to be a supporter of small business and in 2009, received a 100% rating from the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance.  NCLA is a group of business leaders who help identify legislation that is important to the Northern Colorado business community, including the Chambers of Commerce.  Rep. Nikkel believes in allowing free markets to work.  She does not believe government should displace private enterprise, especially in health care mandates by the federal government.  She passed HB 11-1095 which helps protect businesses in Colorado from the growing problem of corporate identity theft by password protecting the Secretary of State’s online business filing system.

Rep. Nikkel has worked tirelessly to advocate against government regulation and mandates that strangle business and drive up costs for everyone. She believes in personal responsibility and individual freedoms and does not believe Coloradans need “nanny government” constantly telling us what to do and how to do it.

As a fiscal conservative, Rep. Nikkel believes in the concept of limited government and has defended the Taxpayer Bill of Rights because she believes it allows for a reasonable growth of government but still gives taxpayers a voice in allowing them to choose whether they wish to be taxed.

Rep. Nikkel moved to Colorado to work for Hewlett Packard in Colorado Springs so she could pursue her love for the outdoors, particularly downhill skiing and backpacking. She met and married her husband, Phil, a senior engineer who now works in the Integrated Circuit Business Division for Avago Technologies in Fort Collins.   They live in rural Larimer County near Loveland.

Phil and Rep. Nikkel have raised two sons.  Jonathan is a University of Colorado graduate and is an aerospace engineer working in Tucson, Arizona.  Christopher is a graduate of Colorado State University, where he majored in Environmental Horticulture and now works as Second Assistant to the Superintendant at The Raven Golf Course in Silverthorne, Colorado.   B.J. has a Cheetoh cat named Anastasia.

As a classical flutist, B.J. has played with various chamber ensembles and groups including her woodwind ensemble called Esprit.  She has also played with the Colorado Theatre Orchestra, Loveland Chamber Orchestra, Loveland Choral Society and Loveland Concert Band.  She co-founded and sang with the Loveland-based chamber music ensemble, The Rocky Mountain Chamber Singers, and the Fort Collins based chamber ensemble, Laudamus.  B.J. plays concert flute, piccolo, piano, and a variety of Celtic whistles, American Indian flutes and harmonicas, and enjoys playing with the worship band at her church in Longmont, LifeBridge Christian Church.

In her spare time, B.J. enjoys sailing, hiking, backpacking, skiing, snowshoeing, tennis, gardening, baking, and sketching with pastels.

Office: 200 East Colfax Ave. Rm 212, Denver, CO 80203
Phone: 303-866-2907
E-mail: rep.nikkel@gmail.com
Web: www.bjnikkel.com