Gayle Sturdivant, City Engineer and Deputy Director of Public Works for the City of Colorado Springs, was recognized by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado with its General Palmer Award.
The General Palmer Award is given to a nonmember of ACEC who has made a significant contribution to the State of Colorado, received recognition and made advancements in the engineering community, and has impacted future generations. Sturdivant is only the second award recipient from Southern Colorado in the 37 years the award has been given.
“Gayle has made significant impact on Colorado through her leadership in infrastructure development, procurement, project delivery, and asset management,” said Bill Hoffman who presented the award to Sturdivant at the Hotel Polaris on Thursday, April 24. “Her work has shaped Colorado’s engineering landscape, improved public services, and set high standards for future projects. Beyond her technical expertise, Gayle is committed to mentorship and advancing the project management profession.”
“Gayle is, quite simply, one of the best engineers in all of Colorado,” said Rich Mulledy, the City’s Public Works Director. “Our City is fortunate to have someone of Gayle’s talent and ability, mixed with leadership and dedication, to lead our City Engineering team.”
Sturdivant, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Seattle University, has worked in her current role for the past five years. Sturdivant’s current oversight includes some of the most transformative infrastructure projects in Colorado Springs, including the Circle Drive Bridges Replacement and the Marksheffel Road Widening. She and her team have secured a myriad of state and federal funding in support of City-led projects. Sturdivant served as acting Public Works Director from 2023-24. She helped spearhead the effort to renew the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority sales tax in 2022 and the 2C Road Improvement Program sales tax in 2024, both by overwhelming margins.
She previously served as Division Manager for the City of Omaha Public Works. From 2011-17 she worked as a project and program manager for MWH Constructors, where she was responsible for coordinating and leading seven Colorado Springs Utilities’ project managers in the delivery of nine individual projects for the Southern Delivery System (SDS) Program, a regional project to bring Arkansas River water stored in Pueblo Reservoir to Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security and Pueblo West on time. That project came in more than $160 million under budget on a $985 million project.
She holds Professional Engineer (PE) licenses in Colorado and Nebraska, a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, and serves on the Pikes Peak Area Council of Government's Transportation Advisory Committee.