720-802-0720
Colorado Speaker Series
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2025-2026 Speakers
Vice President Kamala D. Harris
49th Vice President of the United States (2021–2025)
On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris was sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States— the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected to this position.
As Vice President, she brought people together to advance opportunity, deliver for families, and protect fundamental freedoms. She led the fight for the freedom of women to make decisions about their own bodies, the freedom to live safe from gun violence, the freedom to vote, and the freedom to drink clean water and breathe clean air. She took particular focus on job creation through the investment in our nation’s small business and community banks. She also presided over the vote to confirm the first Black woman, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, to the Supreme Court...(See Full Bio)
Secretary Pete Buttigieg
U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2021–2025)
Pete Buttigieg served from 2021 to 2025 as U.S. Secretary of Transportation. During his tenure, he worked to launch over sixty thousand infrastructure projects across the country, improve transportation safety and technology, expand airline passenger protections, and resolve pandemic-related supply chain disruptions.
Previously, Buttigieg served two terms as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, where he was elected at the age of 29 and led the city to its strongest period of economic and population growth in decades. He also served for seven years as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve...(See Full Bio)
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Adam Kinzinger
U.S. Congressman from Illinois (2011–2023), Member of the January 6th Committee (2021–2023), CNN Senior Political Commentator, and Author of Renegade
For Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, service to country has been the guiding principle of his life and career — first as a member of the armed forces, and later as a lawmaker in the halls of Congress. When the strength of the nation was tested on January 6th, 2021 and in the months following, Kinzinger took his sworn oath further, boldly demonstrating an exceedingly rare loyalty to country over party.
As one of only two Republicans on the January 6th Committee, Rep. Kinzinger stood against his own party in pursuit of democracy and justice...(See Full Bio).
Dereck & Beverly Joubert
African Wildlife Conservationists, Award-winning Filmmakers and National Geographic Explorers-at-Large
Dereck and Beverly Joubert are award-winning filmmakers, National Geographic Explorers-at-Large and wildlife conservationists, who have been filming, researching and exploring Africa for over 40 years. Their mission is the conservation and understanding of large predators and other key wildlife species that determine the course of all conservation in Africa. The Jouberts are founders of Rhinos Without Borders, an initiative that has moved 87 rhinos from high poaching areas to safety. They also co-founded the Big Cats Initiative with National Geographic, which currently funds 150 projects in 28 countries. This program has now transitioned to the Great Plains Big Cats Initiative, under the Jouberts’ leadership and Great Plains Foundation management.
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The Jouberts have made over 40 films for National Geographic, published 14 books, half a dozen scientific papers...(See Full Bio).
Dr. Amber Straughn
NASA Astrophysicist, Associate Director of NASA’s Astrophysics Science Division, Deputy Project Scientist for James Webb Space Telescope Science Communications, & Expert in Galaxy Formation
Dr. Amber Straughn is an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and is a member of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) science team. She also serves as the associate director of the Astrophysics Science Division.
Straughn is interested in how galaxies change over time. Specifically, how important are galaxy interactions in the overall picture of how galaxies grow? How do supermassive black holes, star formation, and gas inflows and outflows affect galaxy evolution over cosmic time? These questions are central to NASA’s long-term goal to discover how the universe works while exploring how it began and evolved...(See Full Bio).​
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Father Greg Boyle
Founder and Director of Homeboy Industries, the world's largest gang-intervention and rehabilitation program, American Jesuit Priest, Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient
Father Gregory Boyle a Jesuit priest is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang- intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world.
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Born and raised in Los Angeles and Jesuit priest, from 1986 to 1992 Fr. Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights. Dolores Mission was the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles that also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city.
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Fr. Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence on his community during the so-called “decade of death” that began in the late 1980s and peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992...(See Full Bio)
Platon
World-Renowned, Award-Winning Photographer and Founder, The People's Portfolio
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...(See Full Bio)