MnSPE Excellence Awards: Extra Mile and Engineer of Year

Excellence in the engineering profession takes many forms, from technical leadership to service, mentorship, and involvement, and the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers (MnSPE) recognized all of these qualities through two well-earned awards. Kristina Brierley was honored with the Extra Mile Award and Brian Simmons received Engineer of the Year from MnSPE. The Extra Mile award is given to a member of MnSPE who has gone above and beyond in their volunteer role in the past year to make a difference in the MnSPE community and with its programs. The Engineer of the Year award recognizes outstanding achievements to the advancement and improvement of the engineering profession, and to the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Kristina and Brian received their awards at MnSPE’s Annual Meeting on Friday, May 1, 2026.

About Kristina

Kristina is a municipal project engineer whose professional career began with Bolton & Menk in 2021. Her expertise focuses around municipal design and construction observation. Kristina enjoys knowing that by providing quality roads and utilities, her work positively impacts community residents for the foreseeable future.

About Brian

Brian is a municipal senior project manager who began his career in 2005. He 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.

From classrooms to professional organizations like MnSPE, our employees are finding meaningful ways to support STEAM education and engagement. Take a few minutes to learn how these efforts are shaping future engineers and strengthening our profession.