Jesse Ogas, former CEO of Firefly Autism, now leads community engagement, manages station partnerships, and champions inclusivity at 9NEWS. Ogas is a key part of the station’s executive leadership team. Ogas has more than thirty years of nonprofit leadership experience and under Ogas’ leadership, Firefly Autism has grown to serve families and children with autism across Colorado and is considered one the leading agencies in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy nationally and internationally.
Ogas is a proud member of one of the nation’s prominent Latino Theater companies, Su Teatro. He is a community advocate that serves on a variety of nonprofit Boards, including Colorado Aids Project, Tepeyac Community Health Center, Kemp Foundation, Latina Safehouse, Newsed, Adams Camp and the MSU President’s Cabinet. He is a recipient of the Eric J. Duran Community Service Award, which honors a person of Latino descent who has made a positive impact in the Denver community. Jesse was the 2021 9NEWS Leader of the Year, which is presented by the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation. The award is peer nominated and selected and honors leaders in the community who have made significant contributions to the well-being and development of Colorado. Ogas also recently participated in 9NEWS’ Voices of Change initiative during Hispanic Heritage month. Voices of Change is an ongoing conversation that amplifies the voices of community members who are provoking change toward building an equitable, inclusive, and flourishing Colorado.
