2026 Forever the Free State Gala

We are pleased to announce that Senator Mark Kelly will join us as our featured speaker for our 11th Annual Forever the Free State Gala!

Senator Mark Kelly is a retired U.S. Navy combat pilot, engineer, and NASA astronaut. He lives in Tucson with his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Mark took office in December 2020 after Arizonans elected him to fill out the remainder of the late Senator John McCain’s term. In 2022, Arizonans elected him to a full six-year term in the Senate. Mark is the son of two police officers, and he attended public schools from elementary school through the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. As a naval aviator he made two deployments on the aircraft carrier the U.S.S. Midway and flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. Mark was selected as an astronaut in 1996 in the same class as his twin brother, Scott, and has spent more than 50 days in space. We can’t wait to welcome him to Johnson County.