720-802-0720
Colorado Speaker Series
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2026-2027 Speakers: Evening Two
Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau
23rd Prime Minister of Canada (2015–2025)
Justin Trudeau’s tenure as Canada's 23rd Prime Minister coincided with a period of unprecedented global challenge and change.
After leading the third-place Liberal Party of Canada to a historic majority government in 2015, Trudeau set about delivering an ambitious agenda that included appointing Canada’s first gender-balanced cabinet, lifting more than 435,000 children out of poverty through the Canada Child Benefit, launching a national $10-a-day childcare program, advancing Indigenous Reconciliation, and taking robust action to fight climate change, including through policies that attracted investment in clean economic growth and jobs...(See Full Bio)
Jack Smith
Former Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice, International War Crimes Prosecutor, and Veteran Federal Investigator
Jack Smith has served as a local, national, and international prosecutor for nearly 30 years.
Mr. Smith most recently served as Special Counsel at the United States Department of Justice, wherein he was charged to investigate whether any person or entity unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021; and the possible unlawful possession of highly classified documents, as well as possible acts of obstruction of justice in the Southern District of Florida....(See Full Bio)
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Prime Minister Sanna Marin
46th Prime Minister & Head of Government of Finland (2019-2023)
Sanna Marin is the Former Prime Minister of Finland (2019-2023) and the former leader of the Finnish Social Democratic Party. Appointed at the age of 34, Marin served as the youngest Prime Minister of the world when taking office in 2019. She also made history as the longest-serving woman prime minister of Finland, leading a coalition government entirely headed by women.
During Sanna Marin’s term, she led Finland through the COVID-19 pandemic, and her government implemented many progressive reforms addressing climate change, social justice and equality, including world's most ambitious climate laws aiming for carbon neutrality by 2035 and progressive family leave reform. She helped the country navigate neighboring Russia’s devastating full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Finland’s rapid joining of NATO – the swiftest entry for any country in the alliance’s history...(See Full Bio).
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Emmy Award–Winning Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN; Neurosurgeon, Bestselling Author, and Leading Voice on Public Health and Medicine
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is the multiple Emmy® Award-winning chief medical correspondent for CNN and host of the CNN podcast Chasing Life. Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon, plays an integral role in CNN’s reporting on health and medical news for all of CNN’s shows domestically and internationally, and regularly contributes to CNN Digital.
Since 2001, Gupta has covered some of the most important health stories in the United States and around the world. On March 9, 2020, Gupta penned an op-ed announcing the network would refer to the novel coronavirus outbreak as a “pandemic,” ahead of the WHO and the CDC. Throughout 2020 into 2021, Gupta reaffirmed his role as a trusted guide to viewers worldwide on navigating between facts and fiction surrounding Covid-19 and the pandemic.
A few months after joining CNN, Gupta reported from New York following the 9/11 terror attacks...(See Full Bio).
Stacey Abrams is a political leader, business owner and bestselling author. A tax attorney by training, she served as Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives and was the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia in 2018 and 2022. She has launched multiple nonprofit organizations devoted to democracy protection, national and local voter engagement, tackling social issues, and building a more equitable future in the South.
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Abrams co-founded and served as Senior Vice President of NOWaccount Corp., a financial services firm. She also co-founded Nourish, Inc., a beverage company with a focus on infants and toddlers, as well as other entrepreneurial ventures. She co-founded Insomnia Consulting to specialize in development, investment and consulting for complex infrastructure...(See Full Bio)​
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Stacey Abrams
Political Leader, Lawyer, & Bestselling Author; former Georgia House Minority Leader
Captain Scott Kelly’s epic Year In Space solidified his status as one of the greatest pioneers in history. Now, in his acclaimed speech appearances, he brings audiences to the edge of their seats with transcendent insights that inspire and challenge them to dream big, test the status quo, and “choose to do the hard things.”
One of a select group of Americans who embody a defining moment in the nation’s history, he captivated the world and seized the imagination of millions during his record-breaking voyage—proving that the sky is not the limit when it comes to the potential of the human spirit.
On his trip, Scott, together with his identical twin brother Mark on Earth, paved the way for the future of space travel and exploration as the subjects of an unprecedented NASA study on how space affects the human body...(See Full Bio)
Captain Scott Kelly
History-Making U.S. Astronaut & Retired U.S. Navy Captain
Platon is one of the world’s most renowned portrait photographers, having photographed more world leaders than anyone else in history, including six American presidents.
Shooting portraits for a range of international publications including Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, and The Sunday Times Magazine, Platon developed a special relationship with TIME magazine, producing over 25 covers for them. In 2007, he photographed Russian Premier Vladimir Putin for TIME magazine's “Person of the Year” cover. This image was awarded 1st prize at the World Press Photo Contest. Most recently, Platon photographed Donald Trump in 2024 for TIME’s “Person of the Year” cover...(See Full Bio)