In 2018, Megan Ring became the first woman Colorado State Public Defender, appointed by the Public Defender Commission as the 7th Colorado State Public Defender.  Megan has served as a Colorado defender since 1996, representing clients in misdemeanor, juvenile, and felony cases, including cases involving multiple homicides and other complex crimes, primarily in the 20th Judicial District.  She has also supervised and trained interns, county, juvenile and district court attorneys. She was selected to serve as the head of the Boulder Office in September 2012 and has committed her entire legal career to the representation of indigent clients and the Colorado public defender system.

Megan received her Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. She worked on Wall Street for several years and became licensed as a CPA in New York.

Finding the Wall Street work unfulfilling, Megan decided to make a change and moved across the country to San Diego. While working different jobs, she became certified to teach group fitness classes and she continues to teach classes to this day. Eventually, she decided to go to law school and moved to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado School of Law. After a summer internship at the Golden regional office, Megan knew that she was committed to the representation of indigent clients and was hired as a defender upon graduation.

Honored by the Colorado Women’s Bar Association in 2021 in their recognition of “Women who Lead:  Women who raised the Bar leading through Crisis”, Megan continues to dedicate herself to the service of the indigent criminally accused and the team of defenders who serve them.