An attorney, public servant, and political veteran, Groff was elected as a Democrat to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2000, then re-elected in 2002.

In May 2009, he was selected by President Barack Obama to head the faith- based-initiatives center for the U.S. Department of Education.

[6] Born in Chicago, Illinois, Groff earned a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in political science[7] from the University of Redlands in 1985 and a J.D.

[13] Groff formally assumed the role of Senate President in January 2008, at the start of the legislative session.

[16] After Senator Ken Salazar was tapped by President-Elect Barack Obama to be United States Secretary of the Interior, a number of names came up as a possible replacements for Salazar to be appointed by Governor Bill Ritter, and Groff was among the names.