Brian Vogt was anything but ordinary.
From being elected class president every year at Littleton’s Heritage High School to helping form the City of Centennial in 2001 to becoming Denver Botanic Gardens’ CEO, Vogt lived a life of public service that went beyond expectations.
“We wouldn’t be here today without Brian Vogt and the founding fathers of Centennial. Nearly three decades ago, Brian had the passion and fortitude to bring a new city to life,” said Centennial Mayor Stephanie Piko in a news release. “Brian’s legacy in Centennial will always be remembered. The impact on our community will live for centuries to come and is something his loved ones should be very proud of. Brian will be tremendously missed.”
Vogt, 66, died from complications of cancer in his esophagus on March 25.
Vogt’s legacy kicked off at the age of 4, when his father, Roy Vogt, was elected Arapahoe County sheriff in 1962 and the family settled in Littleton.
“Brian loved problem-solving, learning new things, diverse people, culture, places and ideas, a united front in difficult challenges, a quality team of fun, smart, hardworking people that care,” said one of Vogt’s longtime best friends, former Arapahoe County Commissioner John Brackney. “Day in and out, he did good work. He also loved just a good laugh and camaraderie with friends.”
Brackney and Vogt were a partnership powerhouse that worked to achieve many things in Centennial, Littleton and the broader Arapahoe County. The first project the pair worked on was redeveloping and establishing Littleton’s municipal courthouse on Littleton Boulevard, previously known as the Arapahoe County courthouse.
When district courts moved to the Arapahoe County Justice Center on Potomac Street in 1987, the Littleton courthouse sat vacant for nearly a decade until talk about what to do with the building started.
The county considered repairing it, but eventually decided it was too expensive for a small space. Demolition was also considered.
Yet, in 1998, county commissioners and the Littleton City Council worked together to reach an agreement in which the county deeded the property to the Littleton Municipal Building Authority. The courthouse was designated as a historic landmark that same year and the restoration was completed and dedicated on May 13, 2000.
Early life wins
After high school, Vogt attended the University of Colorado-Boulder and earned a degree in classical antiquities in 1981. While in college, Vogt studied abroad for a year in Lancaster, England, where he met lifelong friends that crossed international borders.
During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, Vogt worked closely with the administration, organizing events and learning about national governance and policy.
When he returned to Colorado, he began working with the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce. During his 18 years with the chamber, he served four as its vice president for economic development and 14 as president.
From 2004 through 2007, Vogt filled three cabinet positions for the State of Colorado and he oversaw economic development activities such as domestic and international business development and small business programs.
In 2006, Vogt worked with the state legislature to create the Advance Colorado Center, which aims to “reverse radical policies that harm Colorado,” according to its website. Vogt was also a member of the Governor’s Commission on Science and Technology, and served as the governor’s representative on both the Colorado Economic Development Commission and the Financial Review Committee. He spent over a year as the acting secretary of technology and as executive director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, as well as serving on the Governor’s Homeland Security and All-Hazards Senior Advisory Committee.
Forming Centennial
In the late 1990s, Vogt, along with Brackney, Ed Bosier, Randy Pye and Pete Ross, began discussing forming a new city in then-unincorporated Arapahoe County.
Together, they established a volunteer organization known as the Arapahoe Citizens for Self-Determination and an incorporation steering committee. In 1998, the group filed a petition in district court, requesting an election to put the incorporation of the City of Centennial on the ballot.
Initially, the district court determined the petition was invalid, then the volunteers corrected the petition and obtained more than 2,500 signatures on the revised petition — the Centennial Petition.
In 2000, voters approved the incorporation of the City of Centennial with 77% of the vote. Centennial was established on Feb. 7, 2001, and Pye was elected as the first mayor.
During Centennial’s 20th anniversary in 2021, Vogt said: “The tears and sense of joy and pride, and connection, was palpable. It was the most connected I’ve ever felt to my country. It was the most joyful, patriotic moment.”
The final feat
In April 2007, Vogt was selected from a national search to become CEO of the Denver Botanic Gardens.
“Brian was an inspiration,” said Jennifer Riley-Chetwynd, the garden’s interim CEO, who worked with Vogt for 14 years. “He was the most positive individual I have ever met. There was never a ‘glass half empty, glass half full’ interpretation from him on anything.”
Riley-Chetwynd said Vogt’s enthusiasm and positivity empowered the staff at the botanic gardens and encouraged the unprecedented growth of the gardens, ranging from employee development to building renovations. Vogt never took full credit for these accomplishments, Brackney said, but instead recognized that it was his staff’s work that made it happen.
Vogt’s work at the botanic gardens was honored in March when he was inducted into the Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.
“Brian was an eternal optimist toward everything — individuals and their capability, the Denver Botanic Gardens and its potential and even toward his sickness. He was never going to admit defeat,” Riley-Chetwynd said.
His friends say he left behind multiple legacies of kindness, compassion and positivity.
Reflecting on his 30-year friendship with Vogt, Brackney said he learned maturity from Brian.
“Knowing that the crisis right in front of you is likely not as bad as it appears. Slow down to fully evaluate best steps and don’t overreact, especially to people that are,” he said.
Brackney said that for those who didn’t have the good fortune to meet Vogt, he was “thoughtful, reflective and wise.”
“He was a one percenter, more likely a point-one percenter, for terrific listening skills and to really understand what people were trying to accomplish by sharing a story with him,” Brackney said.