Rick Waters (Kiowa and Cherokee), Executive Director of the Denver Indian Center. For over 40 years, Rick has been actively involved in advocating on behalf of the American Indian community through both his professional and personal life. From supporting higher education opportunities for Native students at the University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Phoenix and the American Indian College Fund, to helping serve the Native community in the Denver Front Range area through his work at the Denver Indian Center, Rick has dedicated his life to Indian Country. In promoting self-determination and self-reliance, Rick points to the importance of the family and the roles for which each member is responsible, while taking into account traditional Native American beliefs and values. Originally from Oklahoma, Rick has lived in Colorado since 1984 and is married with two daughters and four grandchildren.