You're invited to join our Passionate Contribution: Leveraging Interests and Values to Better Communities virtual event on Sunday, August 9, from 1 - 2 p.m. MT.

Boettcher Scholars are known for achieving not just for themselves, but also to make a difference in their various communities. Our Scholars and Alumni make their marks in countless ways, be it through human rights work, pro bono professional services, supporting political campaigns or raising guide dogs for the blind and running for office. Join a group of committed Scholar Alumni for a facilitated discussion, surrounding service passions and contributions throughout their professional lives,

How to join?

To join, please sign up for a free account at the Matchbox Virtual Media website listed below to gain access to the session(s) you wish to attend. You will click the green “Launch Virtual Conference” button which will take you to the event lobby. From there, navigate to the correct date and time of your session(s). Here’s the website: https://events.matchboxvirtual.com/Account/Login

If you are having issues getting in, please watch this quick, 5-minute registration tutorial video that will show you how to navigate the site. If you need further assistance, please email Scholarships@boettcherfoundation.org with the subject line, “WANT TO JOIN SCHOLARS WEEKEND SESSION” and let us know which session you are trying to join. 

Speaker Biographies

Jaala Hemingway is a Scholar from 2000 and is the Director of IT with Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. They graduated from West High School/Center for International Studies and went on to DU, where they earned a BA and MA in International Studies. Though a transition from International Studies to IT may not seem logical, the experience thinking about cross-cultural communication was invaluable in facilitating useful IT help to, and developing IT strategy with, people who aren’t interested in IT generally. In their spare time, Jaala enjoys cooking, hiking, juggling, biking, photography, dancing, volunteering, learning languages, and goofing around with kids/family. Their volunteer work has included board service, escorting Nobel Peace Laureates at events, office admin, youth work, non-profit event support, and IT consulting. They live in Denver with their partner of 14 years and their pets. 

Kenzo Kawanabe is a partner at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP—one of Colorado’s oldest and largest law firms—and is a commercial litigator who has significant trial experience in high-stakes cases, representing clients in a variety of matters relating to contract disputes, business torts, products liability and intellectual property. He is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Kenzo served on his firm’s executive committee, teaches at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and served as the first-ever general counsel for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He dedicates significant time to pro bono work, and serves as Pro Bono Partner for his firm. Kenzo is a fourth-generation Coloradan from the San Luis Valley and an alumnus of the foundation’s Boettcher Scholarship program. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and his Juris Doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to joining Davis Graham & Stubbs, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Mary J. Mullarkey, Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. Kenzo and his family are avid travelers and keep a map in the kids’ playroom so that they can plan and track their adventures together. 

JulieMarie Shepherd Macklin is the Academic Director with the Presidents Leadership Class at the University of Colorado, Boulder. JulieMarie teaches a variety of leadership development, research, and political science classes. Shepherd Macklin received her Ph.D. in political science from CU Boulder. Beyond studying political science, JulieMarie has been active, volunteering and working in Colorado legislative and policy processes. Her civic leadership began in middle school as founding member and chair of the Aurora Youth Commission. An undergrad internship at the Colorado State Capitol sparked JulieMarie’s interest in state and local politics. In 2009, Shepherd Macklin was elected to the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education and she served as board president from 2012-2015. Currently, JulieMarie serves on the APS Bond Oversight Committee and the Aurora Budget Advisory Committee. JulieMarie and her husband Michael live in Aurora with their dogs. When she’s not teaching, you’ll find JulieMarie decorating sugar cookies or exploring a new corner of the globe.

Jason Wheeler, a 1992 Boettcher Scholar and Colorado native, is the Head of Corporate Functions for Forward, a revolutionary preventative healthcare membership which puts people in control of their health with world-class doctors and technological support. Prior to his work with Forward, Wheeler served as the CFO of Tesla, where he raised $1.7 billion in equity and more than $1 billion in non-recourse debt financing. He led Tesla to its second most profitable quarter ever in Q3 of 2016 and co-led their acquisition of SolarCity, which transformed Tesla into the world’s first vertically integrated sustainable energy company. Jason has also worked as the Vice President of Finance at Google, delivering the Annual Finance Plan to the Board, ensuring Google was in good standing with all regulatory agencies, and overseeing all day-to-day aspects of the Finance function. Jason graduated from Colorado State University (CSU) summa cum laude and number one in his class with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. In true nerd fashion, Jason can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under three minutes. Jason is a proud husband and father to his wife, Robyn, and their three children.