Nate Easley, Tracey Lovett & Ed Dwight among 2016 Honorees

Many people confuse community involvement with community leadership. While community involvement is admirable, community leadership takes involvement to another level. It requires vision, decision-making, and the ability to inspire others. It is what moves communities forward.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. exemplified community leadership and made it the cornerstone of his civil rights ministry. In the spirit of Dr. King, the Community College of Denver (CCD) honored Denver community leaders Tracey Lovett, Dr. Nate Easley, and sculptor Ed Dwight at its annual CCD MLK Scholars ceremony. The event took place on January 19th at 10am at St. Cajetan's Cathedral on the Auraria campus.

During the ceremony, CCD also proudly presented the 2016 Wellington Webb MLK Scholars, which recognizes CCD students who are also civic leaders in their own right. This two-part scholarship incentivizes academic success by distributing half of the scholarship in the fall, and the other half upon completion of a successful spring semester.

Additionally, the second annual Dr. Nita Mosby Henry Scholarship was awarded, which focuses on students in health or education that are also inspiring service to the community.

ABOUT THE HONOREES

Community Leader Tracey Lovett

As a community leader in Denver, Tracey Lovett has helped many Daniels Scholars since 2000. She also oversees the Boundless Opportunity Scholarship program for non-traditional students, which has provided scholarship support to many CCD students over the past several years. Lovett is also an active member with Shorter Community A.M.E Church, serving on the board of the Women’s Missionary Society, University Prep, and also conducts educational workshops all over the city.

Lovett holds a bachelor’s degree in technical journalism and a master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Colorado State University.

CCD Champion Nate Easley, Ph.D.

Nate Easley, Ph.D., is executive director of the Denver Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is to inspire and empower Denver Public School (DPS) students to achieve their post-secondary education goals with the tools, knowledge and financial resources essential for success.

Dr. Easley has served as president and secretary of the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education, and has also worked as vice president for National and International Programs for the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, DC.

He also serves on Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s Education Leadership Council, is a current member of CCD's Advisory Council, as well as the National College Access Network Board, Colorado Latinos for Education Reform, and DPS's Roots Charter School Board. He is also an immediate past member of the National Advisory Council for Texas Guaranteed, Inc., the third largest student loan guarantee organization in the United States.

With more than 25 years of experience working at the state, national and international levels, Dr. Easley has extensive experience helping disadvantaged students realize their dream of a college education and securing grant funding to sustain student programs, particularly first-generation, low-income and students of color.

Nationally Renowned Sculptor Ed Dwight

Living legend and sculptor Ed Dwight has been a catalyst for change his entire life.

A man whose resume reads: former Air Force test pilot, America’s first African American astronaut candidate, IBM computer systems engineer, aviation consultant, restaurateur and real estate developer; he can best be described as a true renaissance man.

For more than 30 years, however, Dwight has focused his direction on fine art sculptures, large-scale memorials and public art projects. He has worked on more than 100 public art commissions, including the inaugural sculpture scene of President Barack Obama, and Denver’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. monument in City Park.

Each of this year's honorees has lead the Denver community forward and inspired others with their vision, passion and sustained commitment.

If you have questions or need more information please contact Jessica Lanfranco Caballero at 303.556.3605. Admission is free.

About CCD

With more than 10,000 students, Community College of Denver (CCD) is the third-largest community college in Colorado and a leading point of entry to higher education for the city and county of Denver. CCD provides a cost-effective, high-quality college education to nontraditional students, along with access and opportunity, workforce development, training resources for local organizations and community partnerships. CCD is a federally funded Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS) and is one of 13 community colleges in the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). Learn more at www.CCD.edu.