Vance is a Colorado native. His father was Caucasian and his mother is African American. They met and began dating in Los Angeles, California in 1955. Vance's parents were not only first-generation college graduates, they were also first-generation graduate students. Vance's father had a PhD and his mother has a master's degree with enough credits to earn a PhD.

 

Whereas, Vance's maternal grandmother's family welcomed Vance's Mom, his paternal grandmother did not want her son marrying an African American woman. But when she met her, she changed her perception and fell in love with Vance's mother also.

 

Vance's parents waited to get married, because California had Anti-Miscegenation Laws prohibiting interracial marriage, until the California Supreme Court overturned this legislation in 1959. Vance's parents were not able to purchase a home in the nicer (white) communities in Los Angeles because the real estate agents would not take an interracial couple to these neighborhoods.

 

In 1966, Vance's parents moved to Greeley, Colorado, when Vance's father received a job offer as a professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Northern Colorado  and Vance's mother, a schoolteacher, was hired by the School of Education at the University.

 

Vance's parents built a house in the country and Vance was born in 1968. He grew up in Greeley and  was usually the only black kid in his class . Vance was raised by his parents to judge a person by their character and not by the color of their skin. His parents also instilled a strong work ethic and an appreciation of people from all different backgrounds. Vance went to Colorado State University and received a bachelor's degree in political science. He then graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law. Vance put himself through college and law school, often working two different jobs to pay for expenses.

 

Vance clerked for a state district court judge for one year in Fort Collins, Colorado. After completing his clerkship he was hired by the Denver City Attorney's Office as a prosecutor. While working as a prosecutor, he tried over 300 trials, 30 of which were jury trials. Vance spent 5 years in the Denver City Attorney's Office before going into private practice with one of Denver's most prestigious law firms. Once again, Vance was usually the only black person in the board room or in the courtroom who was not in custody.

 

Currently, Vance is a partner and Chair of the Employment and Labor Department at the Denver Office of Armstrong Teasdale, LLP. He has more than 20 years of experience defending and counseling management in dealing with employment discrimination and employment relation s matters throughout the U.S. He has also lectured and written extensively on labor and employment matters, including but not limited to how the Legalization of Marijuana Impacts Employers. KUSA 9News interviewed him for the story "How Your Facebook Status Could Get You in Trouble at Work." Additionally, he has been interviewed by Newsweek, The Denver Post, and The Denver Business Journal on the impact of medical and recreational marijuana in the workplace.