Richard Fierro, MBA ’21, a local small business owner who was credited with helping subdue the gunman in the Club Q mass shooting in November of 2022, will address UCCS graduates and their families at the fall 2023 Commencement ceremonies, to be held Dec. 15.
Fierro will serve as the 2023 Distinguished Alumnus Speaker and will deliver the ceremonies’ Commencement address.
Fierro served as an Army Officer for 14 years. He served in 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, V Corps Artillery, and 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. During his service, Fierro completed four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2014, he has been a defense contractor for Northrop Grumman serving as Deputy Site Lead (Operations Manager) of a 56-person contracting team at the Fort Carson Mission Training Complex. He earned the Northrop Grumman Quality award, Presidents Leadership Award for Technology Services, Best Culture Builder, and others during his time as a contractor. In 2023, Fierro began working for the Air Force Federal employee with USSPACECOM in the Academic Engagement Enterprise (AEE).
Last year, Fierro and his family were at the scene of the November Club Q mass shooting, where Fierro was credited with helping subdue the gunman. For his efforts, he has received the 2023 Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Citizen Honors Award for Valor, VFW Life Saving Award for Valor, LULAC Freedom and Justice Award, Red Cross Rocky Mountain Hero, Veteran of the Year National Able Network, and the NYPD GOAL Medal of Valor.
Fierro’s wife of 24 years Jessica Fierro was a homebrewer and the 2017 winner of the nationally televised homebrew competition “BEERLAND.” After the show, Fierro and Jessica opened Atrevida Beer Co. in Colorado Springs on May 5, 2018. The company motto is “Diversity, it’s on tap!” and Atrevida Beer Co. is demonstrating diversity in everything it does. Atrevida has won multiple beer awards and is the winner of the 2019 Colorado Governor’s Minority Small Business of the Year, 2020 Emerging Business of the Year, 2023 Brewers Association Recognition Award, and many more.
Fierro received his BA from San Diego State University and earned his MBA from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2021. He is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, is Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) v4 Certified, AGILE trained and is a graduate of the Adelante Leadership Institute Cohort. Fierro and Jessica have two children: Ricky, 29, and Kassandra, 22. Above all, Fierro is committed to serving his family and community.
The fall 2023 Commencement exercises will begin at 2 p.m. on Dec. 15 at the Broadmoor World Arena. Ceremony information is available online.