Jesse Ogas, CEO and Executive Director for Firefly Autism
Leadership Foundation Alumni: Impact Denver 2008
Jesse is committed to advocating and caring for those who are vulnerable – a passion he learned from his mother, growing up in Silver City, New Mexico. Jesse overcame a challenging childhood that included emotional and physical abuse from his father and sexual abuse from his father’s friend. His mother told Jesse and his three siblings, “No hay mal que por bien no venga,” or “There’s no bad thing that cannot result in good.” Now, he openly shares his journey and advocates for the voiceless to prove that good can come from the bad he experienced as a child.
Jesse’s career began in the retail industry where he learned the importance of relationships. That translated to his work with nonprofits. He believes strongly that people don’t give to causes; they give to people – a belief he brings to his work as CEO and executive director of Firefly Autism. There, Jesse has increased outreach and autism treatment to previously underserved Latino and Black communities.
He has also acted in performances and served on the board of Su Teatro, a cultural and performing arts center that seeks to advance mutual respect for other cultures and establish avenues where all cultures may come together. Jesse credits Su Teatro with opening his eyes to the social justice issues impacting the Chicano/Latino community, which the center seeks to promote and preserve. He serves on the boards of many charities, including Clinica Tepeyac, which provides medical care to those who may have otherwise been unable to access it due to monetary or language barriers, and he was also appointed by Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock to the Mental Health Center of Denver Board and the Mayor’s Latino Commission, where he served for six years as a liaison to Mayor Hancock on issues that impact the Latino community in Denver.
