Rex Morgan Award for Lifetime Leadership:

Dr. Amelia C. Ashmann

Dr. Amelia Ashmann is a physician, community leader, and founding president of the Philippine American Society of Colorado (PASCO). Since moving to Colorado in 1976, she has dedicated more than four decades to serving the community through both medicine and volunteer leadership. While building a distinguished career as a hematologist and oncologist, she also became a tireless advocate for preserving and promoting Filipino culture, creating opportunities for education, cultural exchange, and community engagement.

Through PASCO and her involvement with numerous civic and cultural organizations, Dr. Ashmann has helped generations of Coloradans celebrate the richness of Filipino heritage while fostering cross-cultural understanding and inclusion. Her lifelong commitment to community service, cultural preservation, and volunteer leadership has made a lasting impact on Colorado’s arts and cultural landscape.

Rex Morgan Award for Civic Engagement & Volunteerism: George Peck

George Peck is an active volunteer and advocate for arts, culture, and science. He is a graduate of Leadership Aurora, Past President of the Aurora Rotary Club, has served on the Aurora Arts in Public Places Commission, is active on the Aurora Chamber Business + Arts Committee, and currently serves on both the Arapahoe County Cultural Council and the Aurora Citizen’s Advisory Budget Committee where he chairs the Arts and Venues subcommittee. He also serves as the Vice Chair of the Colorado Freedom Fund.

Prior to this, Peck entered active duty for 25 years as Public Affairs Officer in the United States Air Force and also served as Director of Public Affairs for the Lowry Redevelopment, Director of Community Relations at Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, Director of Public Affairs and Marketing for the Medical Center of Aurora South, North, and the Centennial Medical Center, and Executive Vice President of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce.

Rex Morgan Award for Innovative Partnerships & Regional Cooperation:

Colorado Dragon Boat

The mission of Colorado Dragon Boat is to build bridges of awareness, knowledge, and understanding between the diverse Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and the general public through cultural education, leadership development, and athletic competition.

Through an unwavering commitment to collaboration, the organization has grown the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival into the largest dragon boat festival in the United States and the largest AANHPI cultural celebration in the Rocky Mountain region, welcoming more than 200,000 attendees annually while remaining free and accessible to the public. Since the inception of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, the organization’s commitment to innovation has been reflected in initiatives such as the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival (CDBFF), AANHPI Emerging Leaders Program, and the Riverdale Regional Park Dragon Boat Regatta and Night Market. These programs create year-round opportunities for the public to engage with AANHPI stories, perspectives, and experiences. In doing so, they help create a more welcoming and accepting community where cultures and traditions are not only celebrated, but understood.