Keynote Speakers

Fall 2023 Keynote Speakers

Morning Ceremony Speaker – Bobby LeFebre ’04

Bobby LeFebre is an award-winning writer, performer, and cultural worker fusing a non-traditional multi-hyphenated professional identity to imagine new realities, empower communities, advance arts and culture, and serve as an agent of provocation, transformation, equity, and social change. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Huffington Post, The Guardian, American Theater Magazine, NPR, and Poets.Org.

In 2004, LeFebre co-founded a now transitioned award-winning nonprofit organization, Cafe Cultura, which was dedicated to utilizing poetry as a tool for youth literacy and educational and cultural development. Café Cultura uplifted and amplified marginalized voices—specifically Latinx and indigenous voices—across the Denver Metro area. LeFebre is a two-time TEDx speaker and has performed at hundreds of cultural events, social actions, detention centers, conferences, and colleges and universities across the United States and abroad.

Holding a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Metropolitan University of Denver and a master’s degree in Art, Literature and Culture from the University of Denver, LeFebre is a Fellow of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Leadership Institute, the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Advocacy Institute, and the Intercultural Leadership Institute. LeFebre has received the Cesar Chavez Peace and Justice Community Award, the MSU Distinguished Alumni Award, the Chicano Studies Award for Commitment to Education, the Denver Statement Maker award, the DCIS Global Leadership award, and has been highlighted as one of Colorado’s Top Creatives by Westword Magazine. LeFebre was named a National Catalyst for Change Fellow in 2020, and was tasked with exploring Radical Imagination for Racial Justice through art. In 2021, LeFebre was named an Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate Fellow.

LeFebre’s cultural work includes arts advocacy, and he was appointed by the Mayor of Denver to serve as a Commissioner for the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs. For two of the six years of service on the Commission on Cultural affairs, LeFebre served as Co-Chair. LeFebre has served as a Board Member for the Clyfford Still Museum, the Latino Cultural Arts Center, a President’s Cabinet Member for the

Metropolitan State University of Denver, an advisor for the Mayor of Denver’s Institute of Equity and Reconciliation, a founding Member of Interfest Denver, a Denver Public Library Sustainability Task Force Member, and the lead Consultant on Denver Arts and Venues’ update to the city’s Cultural Plan.

LeFebre wrote the award-winning play, Northside, which was applauded as one of the most successful local theater productions in Colorado’s history. Premiering at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, the production intimately addressed the conflict of gentrification in Denver. The production sold out an unprecedented 30 shows, with over ten-thousand people attending. LeFebre stated “Northside” served as “an unapologetic celebration of cultural preservation and permanence and a eulogy to things lost.” He called it “an urban-colloquial story of power and privilege, unflinching love, and the innate human need to belong somewhere.” The production led to LeFebre being named Colorado Theatre Person of the year.

In 2019, Governor Jared Polis named LeFebre Colorado’s 8th Poet Laureate, making him the youngest and first ever person of color to be appointed to the prestigious position in the program’s 100-year history.

 

Afternoon Ceremony Speaker– Kathy Sabine 

Kathy Sabine is the Chief Meteorologist at 9NEWS in Denver, Colorado. She is in her 31st year with 9NEWS and am now back to the nightside working on 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10 PM newscasts. She was also named this year’s best weather award by the Colorado Broadcasters Association (CBA). Kathy has seven Heartland Emmy Awards for best meteorologist and has six CBA awards and two AP awards, one for news writing.

Kathy has worked in television since she graduated from Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, California. Along with her forecasting work Kathy has spent time anchoring the news, reporting, producing and writing. She has also spent time behind the scenes in production as a chyron operator, camera operator, audio technician, floor director and tape operator.

Kathy developed a love of the outdoors and nature in her hometown of Truckee, a small mountain town in northern California near Lake Tahoe. She learned to ski when she was two and her family was very involved in the ski industry when she was a child. Kathy was also very involved with horses and rodeo.

Kathy began college studying to be a veterinarian. She started work on her first degree in Veterinary Science at Cal Poly later switching her major to Journalism. Kathy’s work on her second degree in Meteorology began years later at Metropolitan State College in Denver as well as classes at Mississippi State University. After obtaining her first degree, Kathy began her television career at the NBC affiliate in San Luis Obispo then went on to work for ABC in Santa Barbara, Fox in Salinas/Monterey and ABC in San Jose California. Kathy has filled in on the Today Show in New York for Al Roker during the week and Chief Meteorologist Janice Huff from WNBC in New York on the weekend edition around three dozen times over the years.

Kathy is married with two sons and a daughter. When she is not at 9NEWS you can find her enjoying the beautiful Colorado outdoors riding her horses, running, skiing or hiking. Kathy also donates time to local charities and animal shelters. She enjoys visiting school classrooms sharing her knowledge of weather and the environment with children .. hopefully inspiring girls to pursue a career in math and science. Kathy is proud to be a foundation board member for Teen With A Dream, a youth cancer organization. She is involved with the National Western Stock Show, Colorado Horse Council and local 4H and FFA organizations.