The Colorado Law community marked the passing of our dear friend and dedicated community servant, Stephanie D. Lynch. Lynch was born in St. Paul, MN, and married her husband Jeffrey in Eldorado Springs, CO in June of 1984.
In the course of her life and career, Lynch contributed in numerous and meaningful ways to the community. When her younger son was diagnosed with autism in 1996, Lynch found her life’s passion and made a life-long commitment to children and parents with special education needs. She fought zealously for their rights and concerns. Her legacy of community service included volunteer positions on a number of committees for the Boulder Valley School District, including the Special Education Advisory Committee, the Budget Advisory Committee, the District Accountability Committee, and the Boulder County Spokespeople Organization. In addition, she volunteered regularly in her own children’s classrooms.
Her commitment to service didn’t stop with the school system; Lynch also pursued policy matters with the City of Boulder’s Children’s Services and Early Care and Education programs. With her characteristic resolve, Lynch ultimately took her involvement in education policy to the state level, serving as a committee co-chair for the Colorado Special Education Advisory Committee. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Parenting Place in Boulder.
Lynch graduated summa cum laude in 2004 from the University of Denver with a degree in communication. To maximize her impact on educational policy, she continued her education and earned her JD from the University of Colorado Law School in 2007. During her time at Colorado Law, Lynch was a member of the University of Colorado Law Review, both on the Board of Editors and as the Resource Editor. She was also active in the Black Law Students Association.
While many people consider law school to be a full-time occupation, Lynch maximized her educational experience by being involved in a variety of extracurricular activities. She completed an externship for the Truancy Reduction Project at the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, worked as a research assistant for Professor Laura Spitz, and held a law clerk position for a firm specializing in labor and contract law. In addition, Lynch was a Guardian ad Litem student attorney in the Juvenile Law Clinic at Colorado Law and served as an intern at the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Civil Rights. She was admitted to the Colorado Bar in October of 2007. Subsequently, Lynch worked at the Colorado Department of Education as a senior consultant from 2007 to 2010.
Lynch’s commitment to fighting for the rights of others is an example to all in the Colorado Law community, and her legacy of dedicated service will continue for many years to come.