The first cabinet selection is Republican state Sen. Cleave Simpson, a fourth-generation farmer and rancher from Alamosa, who will serve as agriculture commissioner. Simpson has represented the San Luis Valley in the state Senate since 2021 and became minority leader in 2025. He also serves as general manager of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, giving the incoming administration experience on one of Colorado's most consequential issues for agriculture: water.

Simpson would succeed Kate Greenberg, who has served as agriculture commissioner since 2019 and was the first woman to hold the position. He has two years remaining in his Senate term and would need to resign from the seat if he takes the commissioner job. A vacancy committee would select his replacement. Of the four appointments announced so far, only Simpson's nomination requires confirmation by the state Senate when it convenes in January. The other three are executive appointments.

Weiser tapped Jeni James Arndt, a former Democratic state representative and former mayor of Fort Collins, to serve as director of rural advancement. Arndt served as Fort Collins mayor from 2021 to 2026 and spent seven years in the Colorado House. The position is intended to give rural communities a direct point of contact in the governor's administration, following through on a campaign promise to give "rural Colorado a cabinet-level go-to resource." The role was established under then-Gov. John Hickenlooper but discontinued under Gov. Jared Polis. Weiser has said he plans to ask lawmakers to make it a permanent statutory position.

Scott Steinbrecher, currently serving as deputy attorney general overseeing natural resources and environmental issues, will serve as Weiser's senior director of water policy. Steinbrecher has worked in the Colorado Attorney General's Office for nearly two decades. Weiser appointed Steinbrecher to deputy attorney general of natural resources in 2023. His work has included advising on water law and representing the state in interstate water negotiations and disputes. The position is a new one for Weiser's administration, although then-Gov. John Hickenlooper had a similar role focused on statewide water policy.

Weiser also selected former state Sen. Dominick Moreno to lead the Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting. Moreno, a Democrat who represented Adams County, served 10 years in the Colorado Legislature, including six years in the Senate. He chaired the Joint Budget Committee in 2019 and 2021 and served as Senate majority leader in 2022 and 2023. For the past three years, Moreno has worked as deputy chief operating officer for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. He will succeed Mark Ferrandino, who is leaving the Polis administration to become deputy state treasurer under Treasurer-elect Jeff Bridges.

The appointments offer an early glimpse of the experience and expertise Weiser wants guiding his administration as the campaign signs come down and the work of governing begins.