Colorado College alumna Liz Cheney to speak at spring commencement

Mar. 15—Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney will deliver the keynote address to Colorado College graduates this spring.

The 1988 political science Colorado College graduate will speak at the college's 149th commencement ceremony on May 28, according to a news release.

"Representative Liz Cheney is someone who has pursued courageous conversations and taken bold actions," Colorado College President L. Song Richardson said in the release. "In recognition of her consistent and courageous voice in defense of democracy, she was awarded the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in 2022. I am delighted to welcome our alumna and former trustee back to campus."

Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, served as a Republican representative of Wyoming from 2017 until 2023 and chaired the House Republican Conference for two of those years. She now serves as professor of practice at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

She made headlines after calling on former President Donald Trump to respect the peaceful transition of power following the 2020 election and being one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Cheney was removed by Republicans from her conference chair position shortly after, but later worked as House Jan. 6 Committee vice chair to investigate the attack and those involved.

Cheney lost her spot in the House last summer, losing in a Wyoming GOP primary to a challenger backed by Trump.

Recent commencement speakers include Dr. Margaret Liu, Richard Lariviere, Jill Tiefenthaler and Oprah Winfrey.