Senator Ann Johnson Stewart, PE calls for bonding bill, attention to infrastructure
Minnesota Senator Ann Johnson Stewart, PE, opened the meeting with a summary of what has happened in the 2026 session of the legislature – no bonding bill, and not much else, either. With the legislature’s mandatory adjournment date of May 18 looming, Stewart urged attendees to call their legislators to urge the passage of a bonding bill that would address Minnesota’s infrastructure weaknesses. (See Report Card information).
Recognizing people and projects
2026 MnSPE Engineer of the Year – Brian Simmons
Clients and colleagues in Minnesota and throughout the country…recognize his expertise as well as his service as a natural mentor and compassionate leader who empowers others to grow.
Brian Simmons, PE, MnSPE Board Secretary and MATHCOUNTS Board Chair, received the MnSPE Engineer of the Year Award. Simmons is a Bolton & Menk municipal senior project manager and is responsible for project management, planning, and design, with expertise in trenchless technology, cured-in-place pipe, asset management, and UAV drones. Brian is passionate about leveraging new technology to be able to accomplish new kinds of construction or just make daily life a little more efficient.
Simmons’ commitment to strengthening the infrastructure in the communities he serves was recognized, as was his support for the people he works with: “Clients and colleagues in Minnesota and throughout the country…recognize his expertise as well as his service as a natural mentor and compassionate leader who empowers others to grow.” In addition, Simmons’ consistency and his integrity as a leader and board member were instrumental in helping Minnesota MATHCOUNTS evolve and survive a host of challenges that destroyed other nonprofits over the past decade.
2026 MnSPE Young Engineer of the Year – Megan McDivett
Megan’s commitment to community well-being extends beyond her workplace.
Megan McDevitt, the MnSPE 2026 Young Engineer of the Year, is in the Transportation Design Group at WSB. Megan got involved with engineering organizations, including the Society of Women Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers while still a student. She was the Department Liaison for the University Chapter of ASCE and was outreach coordinator for Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering Student Ambassadors.
She graduated from the U of MN in 2021. She has worked on various metro area highway projects and has worked on both preliminary and final designs for several metro area highway projects.
As a member of MnSPE’s Young Engineers Committee, she helped coordinate PE and FE Exam information sessions, and led the organizing and planning for MnSPE’s Leadership Series. She has also been a WSB LEAD (Leadership Engagement and Development) Committee Member for four years.
Megan’s commitment to community well-being extends beyond her workplace and includes volunteering at Every Meal and joining with the WSB LEAD Committee to make and donate tie blankets to the U of M’s Children’s Hospital.
Kristina Brierley, PE. 2026 MnSPE Extra Mile Award
Her Passion for MATHCOUNTS and her determination to make the MATHCOUNTS experience great for mathletes and smooth for volunteers is clear.
Nobody is even trying to count the extra miles that Kristina Brierley, PE, has gone as a volunteer for Minnesota MATHCOUNTS. Brierley, a project engineer Bolton & Menk, joined the firm in 2021 and began volunteering with Minnesota MATHCOUNTS shortly after. Brierley took on the job of coordinating not one, but two Chapter Competitions for the City of Lakes North and City of Lakes South chapters.
She also began a multi-year process of revamping the competition prep process as MATHCOUNTS resumed live competitions following the pandemic. Her experience as a middle school math teacher gave her helpful insights into MATHCOUNTS operations, and she was soon welcomed into a leadership role. Minnesota MATHCOUNTS and MnSPE are fortunate that Brierley’s expertise matches her passion for MATHCOUNTS.
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