For Councilman Christopher Herndon, his public service career started long before the Denver City Council. Herndon graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering. After graduation, he served nearly seven years in the U.S. Army, including deployments to Kosovo and Iraq. He was honorably discharged in 2005 with the rank of captain. After transitioning to civilian life, Herndon looked for every opportunity to serve his community again, including an eventual City Council run. Herndon was elected to represent District 11 in 2011, and then District 8 after a redistricting in 2015. During this time, Herndon has served two terms as City Council president from 2014 to 2016, advocated for business creation throughout the city, spearheaded the city's redistricting process and more.