Heidi Thummel Selected by APWA to Receive 2008 National Young Leader Award

Lenexa, Kan. (April 25, 2008) – Heidi Thummel will be honored as the 2008 National Young Leader of the Year by the American Public Works Association (APWA). Thummel, who is a Market Development Manager for George Butler Associates, Inc., a full-service engineering and architectural firm, was selected from a field of outstanding young leaders nominated by APWA chapters across the country. The award recognizes her exceptional commitment to the public works profession and the organization. APWA has more than 29,000 members around the globe.

Thummel, who was nominated by the KC Metro Chapter, has been an active member since 2001. The nomination included letters of recommendation from colleagues, including the current APWA National President Larry Frevert, also a member of the KC Metro Chapter, who noted that “Heidi is one of those unique individuals who sees a need and works to see that the need is met. She has distinguished herself through the leadership roles she has sought and accepted.”

Thummel will receive the APWA KC Metro Chapter 2008 Young Leader Award on May 21 during a ceremony in Kansas City to promote National Public Works Week. On August 18, she will be recognized with the national award at the APWA annual convention in New Orleans, La.

Thummel joined GBA, which is headquartered in Lenexa, in October of 2007. As Market Development Manager, she is responsible for strategic marketing and business development for two of the firm’s architectural design studios.

Thummel’s professional and community involvement also include participation in the 2008 Leadership Lenexa program sponsored by the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce, fundraising for the American Cancer Society, and memberships in the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Thummel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, with an emphasis in public relations, in 2000 from Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Thummel lives in Shawnee, Kan.

Founded in 1969, GBA has a staff of more than 240 located in Lenexa, Kan.; Kansas City, St. Louis, and O'Fallon in Missouri; and Lisle, Ill.

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