Dan Prenzlow, director of Colorado’s Division of Parks and Wildlife since 2019, has retired following an investigation into a racially offensive remark he directed at a CPW employee during an April conference.

The Department of Natural Resources in a statement indicated the probe — initiated after Prenzlow while speaking at a conference allegedly highlighted a Black employee as being “in the back of the bus” — is complete, but declined to comment on its findings.

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“As this is a personnel matter DNR is restricted in the information we can divulge to ensure confidentiality and rights of all parties,” the agency said.

Prenzlow’s retirement was first reported by the Colorado Sun.

Prenzlow joined the Division of Wildlife in 1986 as a District Wildlife Manager for the Castle Rock area. He was promoted to Area Wildlife Manager in 1992 based in Meeker, where he served until 2005 when he became Southeast Regional Manager based in Colorado Springs. Prenzlow’s father had been an assistant director.

The incident in question came during the CPW Partners in Outdoors Conference.

Held in Vail on April 19 with an estimated 600 attendees, the event was coordinated by CPW employee Alease “Aloe” Lee, who is Black. Lee told Colorado Politics last April that Prenzlow, in attempting to thank her for her work, said “…there she is! In the back of the bus, Aloe!”

Prenzlow was placed on administrative leave several days later.

On April 22, Lee sent a letter to Gov. Jared Polis, who appointed Prenzlow as director, that called on him to fire Prenzlow.

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“I am traumatized, exhausted, disappointed, and extremely uncomfortable after this horrific experience,” she said in the letter. “Prenzlow’s actions are unacceptable because these incidents are completely preventable … I need you to stand behind and boldly defend antiracism efforts just as much, or even more so, than the bold racists that attacked me and continue to attack people that look like me behind systems and closed doors.”

Lee wrote that Prenzlow later said he wasn’t aware of the context of his words and that he didn’t mean any harm.

“I have never known the phrase ‘back of the bus’ to not cause harm to Black people,” Lee wrote.

The following morning, she added, Prenzlow gave a “vague, unfelt apology, while quoting Maya Angelou and saying he is still learning.”

Heather Dugan, the assistant director for law enforcement and public safety, was named acting director last April.

Polis has never publicly commented on the incident.

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