Denver, CO -- One Colorado, the state’s leading advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Coloradans announces the 2020 Ally Awards will be held as a virtual evening of interactive programming and entertainment on Saturday, September 26th from 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM. The Ally Awards is One Colorado's largest annual fundraising gala and is an opportunity for LGBTQ Coloradans to honor the commitment of allies who have been a voice for LGBTQ equality. Last year’s awardees were UCHealth Integrated Transgender Program, former Colorado Attorney General, Cynthia Coffman, and former Speaker of the State House, Crisanta Duran. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to transgender activist and Lockheed Martin engineer, Christine Bland.Those interested in attending can register ($50 suggested donation) here: https://onecolorado.salsalabs.org/oc2020allyawards‍

2020 Ally Award Recipients

‍Katherine Archuleta

Dr. Nita Mosby Tyler

The Colorado Lawyers Committee

‍Katherine Archuleta is the former director of the US Office of Personnel Management under President Barack Obama. She is the first Latina to lead the agency and has dedicated herself to being a champion of a diverse, engaged, and inclusive federal workforce. As the director of the Office of Personel and Management, she oversaw the federal government’s civilian workforce and the implementation of all regulations outlined in the Affordable Care Act, including Section 1557 which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in health programs or activities. Under her leadership, the Obama administration issued a bulletin preventing federal employees' health insurers from excluding transgender-inclusive health care, such as hormone therapy and other transition-related care for transgender and non-binary federal employees.

‍Dr. Nita Mosby Tyler is the Chief Catalyst and Founder of The Equity Project, LLC – an organization designed to support organizations and communities in building diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies. She is the former Senior Vice President and Chief Inclusion Officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado – the first African American woman to hold that position in the organization's 100+ year history. Dr. Mosby Tyler, a consultant accredited by the Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence, is nationally recognized for her equity work with non-profit, community, government, and for-profit organizations. Dr. Mosby Tyler has served as the Diversity Chairperson for the Human Rights Campaign at both local and national levels. She is a former board member of the One Colorado Education Fund, has served on the National Diversity Council and Colorado Black Women for Political Action, among many others.Founded in 1978, the

‍Colorado Lawyers Committee (CLC) is a nonpartisan consortium of around 80 Colorado law firms dedicated to creating and increasing opportunities for children, the poor and other disadvantaged communities through advocacy, negotiation and litigation. In 1993, the CLC founded the Hate Violence Task Force, created to educate the community about the prevalence of crimes based on race, ethnicity, gender, religious practice, and sexual orientation — one of the first task forces of its kind. The CLC was a critical voice supporting one of the lawsuits (McDaniel-Miccio v. Colorado) which successfully challenged Colorado’s constitutional ban on gay marriage in 2014. The CLC continues to work with school districts to assure their compliance with HB11-1254, which requires schools to adopt policies to prohibit bullying on the basis of a student’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. As of late 2019, all 64 school districts are in compliance with the state’s anti-bullying protections.