Recognitions
2025 Award Nominations
It’s time for the 2025 WTS Colorado annual awards nominations! Each year, WTS Colorado recognizes leaders and projects that have positively impacted our industry. This year, the award categories have been updated to include Industry Leader of the Year, Woman of the Year, and Man of the Year. We will also continue to present the Member of the Year, Employer of the Year, WTS Rosa Parks Diversity, and Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year awards.
In honor of WTS’s mission to advance women in transportation, we will recognize a Woman and a Man of the Year who are contributing leaders in the transportation industry, consistently focused on advancing women and minorities by supporting programs and opportunities for career development. These individuals advocate for women in the transportation field and actively promote opportunities for women to excel in their organizations. We will also honor an Industry Leader of the Year who exemplifies those same qualities, but this award can be given to any person.
Please submit your nominations by Friday, December 12, 2025, by 5 p.m. to Lia Graklanoff ([email protected]) using the application form. The application form includes descriptions of the qualifications for each award.
Mark your calendars! The winners will be recognized at the WTS Colorado Annual Awards Recognition Luncheon held on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at The Ritz-Carlton in downtown Denver. Stay tuned for ticket information on the event. In addition, the winners may be eligible to win at the WTS International level and be recognized at the annual conference in Los Angeles.
2024 Award Winners:
- Person of the Year – Heather Paddock
- Person of the Year – Chau Nguyen
- Member of the Year – Mackenzie Foss
- Emerging Leader – Emily Felton
- Emerging Leader – Kim Koivuniemi
- Rosa Parks Diversity (individual) – Stephanie Burke
- Rosa Parks Diversity (organization) - Atlantis Community
- Employer of the Year – Colorado Department of Transportation
- Innovative Transportation Solution – CDOT Centerra-Loveland Mobility Hub
- Innovative Transportation Solution – US 50 Blue Mesa Emergency Repair Services
2024-25 Scholarship Winners:
- Megan Quinn - Trailblazer Graduate Scholarship
- Zoë Brouillet - Trailblazer Undergraduate Scholarship
- Thalia Garman - Trailblazer Junior College/Trade School Scholarship
- Eleanor Steuby - Sharon D. Banks Scholarship
- Logan Maclaughlin - Molitoris Leadership Scholarship
- Iris La - Jannet Walker-Ford Leadership Legacy Graduate Scholarship
- Olivia Simard - Helene M. Overly Scholarship
- Caitlin Schuldt - Junior College/Trade School Scholarship
- Abbigail Hoffman - WTS Transportation You High School Scholarship
2024 WTS International Winners:
- Jessica Allen - HDR Strategic Partner Scholarship
- Rachel Barham - HNTB Strategic Partner Scholarship
For more information on the 2024 Award Winners and Scholarship Recipients, please visit the 2024 WTS Award Website.