July 2019 – Ideas Worth Sharing – Jeremy Duhon

Featuring Jeremy Duhon
Founder & Curator, TEDxMileHigh

Jeremy A. Duhon is a man of ideas, and more so, he’s about sharing ideas for the good of the community.  As Founder & Curator of TEDxMileHigh, he brings together several hundred community members at several events each year to hear and exchange ideas in arts, business, education, policy, technology & other arenas.  

Jeremy’s background is focused in business and financial investment. He is a CFA and Partner, Portfolio Manager and Analyst at Denver Investments. Jeremy joined Denver Investments in 2004 and is part of the international team. He serves as Portfolio Manager at Westcore Trust - Westcore International Small-Cap Fund and Clearwater Investment Trust - Clearwater International Fund. Since joining Denver Investments in 2004, Jeremy has travelled extensively around the globe providing significant services to clients worldwide. 

But Jeremy’s path to business started in the sciences. He studied neuroscience at Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he earned a B.A. degree.  But as he concluded his undergraduate education, he realized that he loved the social sciences. Instead of going to medical school, he focused on learning about investing.  

This shift in interests opened up career opportunities in the financial world and in community service.  Before joining Denver Investments, he served as a Senior Investment Fellow of El Pomar Foundation from 2002 to 2004. That firm provided him experience in funding charitable nonprofits and governmental entities. Jeremy was also active in community service programs including El Pomar Youth in Community Service Program, and Young Nonprofits Professionals Network – Denver Chapter.  

Bringing his entrepreneurial sense and commitment service, Jeremy tapped into the creativity and innovation of Denver. In 2009, TED Talks launched TEDx, a community based TED-like event that engages community presenters.  Jeremy became a TEDx licensee and, a year later, launched the first TEDxMileHigh event in Denver. TEDxMileHigh presents many events throughout the year – from general TEDx talks to special events focus on topics and issues areas such as children and women.   

Jeremy serves as a strong advocate for Denver through TEDxMileHigh and other. He was recognized for his efforts in 2010 when ColoradoBiz magazine named him one of the state’s “Top 25 Influential Young Professionals.” He continues to engage and create opportunities to inspire and share ideas

June 2019 – From Africa Missions to Global Advocacy – Wess Stafford

Featuring Wess Stafford, President Emeritus, Compassion International

Dr. Wess Stafford often says, "Everything I really need to know to lead a multinational organization I learned from the poor, growing up in an African village." Indeed, as President Emeritus of Compassion International, one of the leading children’s organizations in the world, Dr. Stafford draws from his unique experiences in Africa and his distinct preparation from the mission field to global advocacy for children in poverty. 

As the son of missionaries to Africa, Dr. Stafford was raised in a village in the Ivory Coast. He grew up with wise and loving African “extended family.” He experienced many of the same difficulties of life in the village as his African family – poverty, deprivation, hunger. As a young boy, he was heartbroken as he watched African friends die from poverty and diseases, and was troubled that he had been vaccinated but they had not.  When he arrived in the U.S. at age 15, he felt convicted to connect the abundance of resources in the U.S. with the abundance of love and need in Africa. 

Dr. Stafford’s life experiences uniquely prepared him for his future role at Compassion International. In addition to his missions experiences, he earned undergraduate degrees from Moody Bible Institute and Biola University, a Master's degree from Wheaton College, as well as a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He also is a veteran, having served four years in the U.S. Army as a linguist in military intelligence.

Dr. Stafford was drawn to the ministry of Compassion International by the way they were serving the poor through sponsorship of children. He joined the staff in 1977 and worked with the ministry since then, both overseas and at headquarters,  and served as President for 20 years.  Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and now as President Emeritus, he travels widely to share his life experiences and the impact that Compassion International has made on several million children around the world. 

No one could have imagined that a poor missionary child in Africa would one day become one of the world’s most recognized international advocates for children in poverty.  But Wess Stafford had a calling and a destiny to make a remarkable impact for the least of these.