PIKES PEAK REGION HONOREES

ROCHELLE T. DICKEY

Rochelle T. Dickey serves at the vice-president for student life and dean of students at Colorado College where she is retiring after 32 years of service. A first-generation student, earning a bachelor’s degree in drama from CC and a master’s in educational counseling and human services from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Dickey commitment to antiracism, diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging have been steadfast through the decades and are directly tied to the on-gong success of the Pikes Peak Region Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration.

Dickey has received the Victor Nelson-Cisneros Award for her commitment to diversity and inclusion and an Urban League Service Award for commitment to the welfare of minority students. She was honored with three awards from the NAACP: The Community Education Award, Freedom Fund Award, and an award for enduring support of civil rights and social justice. At CC, she also received the CC Student Mentor Award for five years, as well as advising awards from CCSGA Student Government, Blue Key, and Mortar Board National Honor Societies. She received the Gresham Riley Award for making a difference in the Colorado College community through outstanding service, commitment, and accomplishment. Rochelle is proud to be the daughter of George and Marlene Dickey and mother to Donovan, a 2019 Colorado College graduate.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF HENRY ALLEN, JR. (1955-2022)

Henry Allen Jr. was a beloved member of the Colorado Springs community, a civic leader, and a civil rights activist. Henry retired from U.S. Army, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO), and as director of security and deacon with Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church. As a founder of the Colorado Springs SCLC and former President of NAACP, Henry was a civic leader who was known to stand up for Black youth, stand against the death penalty and provide a welcoming and affirming space for all. Henry passed away in October after a long illness. May he Rest in Power.

Mike Edmonds

Mike Edmonds currently serves as a senior vice president at Colorado College, where he has been since 1991. He served as Acting co-president for the 20202021 academic year and in doing so became the first African American person to lead CC. Edmonds also served as the Dean of Students/Vice President for Student Life from 1991-2020. He is an executive in residence in the Economics and Business Department, where he teaches Business Communications.

He holds a bachelor of arts, master’s, and Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi, where he was inducted as a Hall of Fame graduate in 1984, and inducted into its School of Education Hall of Fame in 2019. He was also inducted into the National Speech and Debate Hall of Fame in 2019. He completed a post-graduate institute at Harvard University and is a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership. Edmonds has been a dedicated community change agent and served on an expansive list of boards of directors throughout Colorado Springs including the Rocky Mountain Division of the American Cancer Society, Fire Foundation of Colorado Springs Board of Directors, Children’s Museum of Colorado Springs, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Board of Directors at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, and the Liberal Arts Alumni Advisory Board at the University of Mississippi.