The Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region will honor two civil rights champions at the upcoming 2017 Civil Rights Awards Reception on February 8, 2017 at the Denver Art Museum. The honorees are Steven Chavez and Vicki Cowart and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

Steven Chavez:  Steven Chavez served as Director of the Colorado Civil Rights Division (CCRD) for seven years, retiring in October 2014. During that time, he helped enforce Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations. He oversaw a number of high-profile enforcement actions including a multi-million dollar settlement for female immigrant hotel workers in the Vail Valley who had been sexually harassed and assaulted by a hotel supervisor.  Under his leadership, the CCRD also issued the first decision in Colorado (Craig and Mullins v. Masterpiece Cakeshop) to protect the rights of same-sex couples to purchase goods in places of public accommodations. He has also served on the Colorado Pay Equity Commission and Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs.

Vicki Cowart and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains:  Vicki Cowart became President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) in 1993. During her tenure, the organization has empowered hundreds of activists through strategic advocacy that has included defeating three “personhood” ballot measures that would have put in law one religious view of when life begins and prohibit abortions in all circumstances. In 2015, Cowart courageously led the staff and community of PPRM through political smear campaigns and an attack on the health center in Colorado Springs in November of 2015 when a gunman injured several people and killed three. In addition to its advocacy work, PPRM provides health care to more than 125,000 women, men and teens through its 29 health centers in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and southern Nevada.

This year, for the first time, ADL will also recognize the outstanding work of participants in its Summer Associate Research Program (SARP). Participants are law students working as summer associates at area law firms providing critical research on civil rights issues of importance to ADL. As part of this recognition, ADL will honor the two winners of this year’s first ever SARP Memo Competition. We are pleased to announce that this year’s winners are Erica Cook (University of Denver Sturm College of Law, class of 2018) and Conor Crawford (University of Virginia School of Law, class of 2017).  Ms. Cook was a 2016 summer associate at Baker Hostetler, and Mr. Crawford was a summer associate at Ballard Spahr.

For tickets and other information about the 2017 Civil Rights Awards, including sponsorship and tribute opportunities, please visit our website at www.adl.org/civilrights2017 or call 720-799-9678.

Event sponsors as of January 31, 2017 include:

ADL Advocate

The Curtiss-Lusher Family

ADL Patron

ADL Benefactor

Dentons US LLP

Sharon Faison-Cohen and Murray Cohen

Pamela Hirschman

Kaiser Permanente

Bar sponsorship generously provided by

Feldman Mortuary

ADL Supporter

BakerHostetler

Iris Building Group, Inc.

Jason and Sara Cooper

JEWISHcolorado

Sacha Millstone

Otten Johnson Robinson Neff + Ragonetti PC

Shalom Park