Taft alumni have elected Jeffrey M. Walsh '93 to serve their alma mater as the newest member of the school’s Board of Trustees. 

Taft had a profound effect on Walsh’s life. Before arriving on campus in 1989, he saw himself only as an athlete, excelling in football, hockey, and lacrosse. But Taft—through, he notes, its remarkable teachers—gave him a love of learning that continues to this day. Taft also served as a model for a standard of excellence in academics, athletics, work ethic, and service that Walsh has pursued throughout his life.

After Taft, Walsh graduated magna cum laude from Williams College, where he also played varsity football. He went on to graduate cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School.

Since law school, he has lived the Taft motto, devoting his career to public service. For the first decade of his law practice, Walsh acted as court-appointed counsel for indigent criminal defendants facing trial on charges ranging from simple assault to first degree murder. He then spent four years as a corporate trial attorney representing Fortune 500 companies in labor and employment litigation. During this stint at a corporate firm, Walsh realized that his true calling is public service and social justice. In 2013, he opened his own law practice, specializing in appeals on criminal matters and reinvestigating cases for prison inmates with potentially valid claims of actual innocence. He won prison releases for two different clients wrongfully convicted in murder cases. Walsh recently made a career change, becoming Special Counsel to Colorado's Commission on Judicial Discipline. He is charged with investigating and prosecuting judges on allegations of ethical misconduct.

As a community volunteer, Walsh spent four years as a board member (one as board chair) with the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), KIPP Colorado Schools. It is the nation's preeminent network of public charter schools serving at-risk youth in high-poverty neighborhoods. He was also appointed to serve for several years on Denver's Citizen Oversight Board, which, after several high-profile police brutality cases, was tasked with oversight of the Internal Affairs Bureaus of the Denver Police and Sheriff's Departments.

Walsh lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with his wife, Nicole, and their three children. He spends his free time hiking, biking, skiing, and snowmobiling in the farthest reaches of the backcountry. He is the vice president of the Steamboat Springs Youth Hockey Association, and he is the head coach for his son's 11U AA Mountain Select hockey team.