YOUNG PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR​

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Emma Leenerman
Coordinator of Alumni and Campus Engagement  Colorado Mesa University

There were many individuals who shifted their mindset and embraced a “do-whatever it takes” attitude during the pandemic. But only a few had a community-wide impact like our 2020 Young Professional of the Year. The Young Professionals Network of Mesa County is honored to recognize Emma Leenerman as the 2020 Young Professional of the Year!

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Emma’s work and dedication to the community and Colorado Mesa University ensured that community members and students would not miss out on once in a lifetime experiences, like college graduation. At the beginning of the global pandemic, Emma volunteered to be uprooted from her normal duties as Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) Coordinator of Alumni Engagement and tackle the university’s COVID-19 testing efforts for the entire CMU Campus. CMU heavily depended on the accuracy and efficiency of this testing center to minimize the interruption for in-person learning and to ultimately lighten the burden of Mesa County’s testing center.

Using her wise decision-making skills, quick learning nature, and keen coordination skills, Emma was able to lead a COVID testing site that administered over 80,000, tests; most of which were given voluntarily, at random, and in response to different triggers, but all of them collectively keeping CMU open and operating in a normal manner. The same could be said in our community, in which thanks to the success of the CMU testing center, our community has been lucky to maintain normal life thanks to the 200,000 tests Emma, and many key players, work to keep our family, neighbors and friends safe and in a good frame of mind.

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Emma is described by her coworkers as a key asset that enabled CMU to thrive and become a community pillar in a turbulent time. Today, Emma’s focus has shifted to leading a vaccine distribution process, all of this while keeping a smile, looking for ways to improve, and most importantly, being a new mom.

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS OF THE QUARTERS

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Young Professional of the Quarter is an award that honors Mesa County young professionals within YPNMC who have done an exceptional job representing young professionals or has made great achievements while being a member. The Board of Directors is always seeking nominations for the next Young Professional of the Quarter!

THROUGHOUT THE YEARS