APWA Announces 2025 Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KANSAS CITY, MO—Today, the American Public Works Association (APWA) announced its 2025 Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year. In its 66th year, this award is one of APWA’s highest honors and is based on a lifetime of professional excellence. Recipients of the awards are chosen by past Top Ten recipients and embody professionalism, expertise, and personal dedication to improving the quality of life in their communities through the advancement of public works services and technology.

The Top Ten Public Works Leaders award focuses on outstanding career service achievements of individual public works professionals and officials from both the public and private sectors in North America. Each of the Top Ten Leaders is recognized for their accomplishments in federal, state, provincial, county, or municipal engineering or administration, including career advancement, contribution to technology or job knowledge, commitment to the profession as evidenced by education, training, certification, and continuing education, as well as professional excellence and service to the community in large and small municipalities.

Shining a light on these dedicated leaders who make possible the core services their communities need to maintain a high quality of life is of utmost importance to APWA. Because of their planning, foresight, technical contributions, and leadership, public works departments and their private sector partners continue to provide essential municipal services, such as solid waste management, clean drinking water, and emergency management operations.

APWA’s 2025 Top Ten Public Works Leaders are:

• Shahnawaz Ahmad, PE, President, SA Associates, Arcadia, California
• Mike Clark, PE, Vice President, David Evans and Associates, Bellevue, Washington
• Paz Gomez, PE, CEM, GBE, CPM, Deputy City Manager, Public Works, City of Carlsbad, California
• Addie Javed, PhD, PE, CFM, Public Works Director and Floodplain Administrator, Vero Beach, Florida
• Eric Landwehr, PE, Public Works Director, Cole County, Missouri
• Angela Popenhagen, PE, LEED, BD+C, Senior Project Manager, Stantec, St. Paul, Minnesota
• Doa Ross, PE, Deputy General Manager, Engineering, Southern Nevada Water Authority and Las Vegas Valley Water District, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Thomas J. Roy, PE, CEM, ENV SP, Director of Public Works and Town Engineer, Town of Simsbury, Connecticut
• Adam R. Smith, MPA, PWLF, Deputy Director of Public Works, City of Des Moines, Iowa
• Kristin Tytler, PE, Public Works Director, City of Surprise, Arizona

“APWA’s Top Ten Public Works Leaders have dedicated their lives to achieving excellence in public works. Their contributions are remarkable, and we commend them for making our communities better places to live, work, and enjoy time with our families,” said APWA President Dominick A. Longobardi.

For more information about the APWA awards program, please contact APWA Chapter Services Manager Cameron Harmeyer at charmeyer@apwa.org, or by phone at (816) 595-5259.

For additional information about APWA, please contact Jared Shilhanek, APWA Chief Growth Officer, at jshilhanek@apwa.org or by phone at (816) 595-5257.

Please be sure to visit the website for the APWA Reporter and follow APWA on LinkedIn and @APWAGovAffairs on X to watch for more APWA news.