Patti Wilson Leadership Program

The Patti Wilson Leadership Program

The Patti Wilson Leadership Program was established in 2024 to honor the legacy of former International District Energy Association (IDEA) Chair and longtime Board Member, Patti Wilson.

The program’s primary mission is to inspire and support the participation of promising young women in district energy and to nurture emerging leaders who will carry forward IDEA’s global mission.

Patti embodied the spirit of IDEA through her passion for connecting people, her commitment to lifelong learning, and her generous spirit of collegiality. Winners are encouraged not only to forge their own path within the district energy industry, but also to leave a lasting, positive impact on it—advancing innovation, collaboration, and leadership in Patti’s name.

Each year, the Patti Wilson Scholarships will be presented at the annual IDEA Campus Energy Conference—an event where Patti’s professionalism and leadership left a lasting mark and helped advance the district energy industry.

Applications for the 2027 Patti Wilson Leadership Awards will be open in the Fall of 2026. If you'd like to learn more about submitting an application to be considered, please contact Jason Beal at jason.idea@districtenergy.org.

The program is made possible in part through the generous support of her longtime employer, Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI), together with IDEA. Together, we will ensure Patti's legacy lives on through the amazing efforts of our Patti Wilson Leadership Program award winners, past, present and future.

Eligibility

Program funds are restricted to female applicants pursuing an enhancement of knowledge of district energy, sustainability, urban planning or energy efficiency.

Applicants should be newly employed in the district energy industry (3 years or less) or currently enrolled in an undergraduate, masters or PhD program at an accredited college, university, community college or technical institute with a focus toward a degree in marketing, management, engineering, finance, energy, environmental studies or another relevant field.   

Program awards can include the following:

  1. Full complimentary registration at the CampusEnergy conference and Workshop(s) with all fees waived.
  2. Travel expenses to and from the conference, including round-trip coach airfare, hotel, ground transfers and meals outside of those provided during the Conference, to include up to five (5) nights lodging at the host conference hotel.
  3. Meeting with IDEA District Energy Women’s Initiative (DEWI) and as appropriate, the IDEA Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Young Professionals Group.
  4. Recognition at the Campus Energy Awards Luncheon and opportunity to address the audience, along with appropriate visibility in IDEA social media to promote awareness.
  5. A one-time stipend of $2,000 USD to be presented at the conference Awards Luncheon.

Honoring the 2026 Patti Wilson Leadership Program Winners

On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at CampusEnergy2026, IDEA proudly recognized 21 outstanding women as recipients of the 2026 Patti Wilson Leadership Program, an initiative created to honor Patti’s legacy by supporting and advancing emerging talent in our industry. This was our second cohort of honorees since the program debuted in 2025 and the program continues to grow in both number of recipients and stature.
 
IDEA thanks Affiliated Engineers for its continued support for the 2026 Patti Wilson Awards program, with additional support from Bond, CenTrio, Ever-Green Energy, and Corix.
 
This year’s award recipients represent universities, utilities, engineering firms, and energy organizations across North America, those in attendance are listed alphabetically below:
 
  • Isabella Amyx, Mechanical Engineer, EIT, Nline Energy
  • Ninabella Arlis, Senior & Green Transition Initiative Intern, Georgetown University
  • Selva Calixto, Ph.D., CEO & Founder, Sustainable Heating Consulting
  • Abby Diekmann, Senior Mechanical Engineer, University of Minnesota
  • Rachel Dybro, Assistant Mechanical Engineer, Burns & McDonnell
  • Taylor Mott Elton, Utility Construction Project Manager, University of Florida
  • Ashley Falcon, Electrical Engineer, Burns & McDonnell
  • Nicole Lainez, Graduate Student, University of Minnesota
  • Valeria Mera, Energy Innovator Fellow, U.S. Department of Energy/New York Department of Public Service
  • Colleen Murphy, Lead Engineer, Future of Heat Engineering Division, National Grid
  • Taran Narang, Director of Controllership, Enwave Energy Corporation
  • Alexis Omilion, Director, Business Development, Corix
  • Linnea Paton, Section Manager, Con Edison
  • Colleen Shea, Mechanical Engineer, CHA
  • Anoushka Tamhane, Sophomore, Climate Systems Science & Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Marya Thawer, Building Performance Analyst, Introba
  • Ashley Wagner, Campus Engineer, Vanderbilt University
We'd also like to give a shout out to the following recipients who couldn't make it in person. We look forward to honoring you at a future IDEA event.
 
  • Karleigh Bubeck, Undergraduate and Co-op Program, University of Pittsburgh/Cordia
  • Kaylee Esgar, Utility Management Engineering Intern and Master's Candidate, University of Wyoming
  • Zixuan Liu, Regulatory Affairs, Corix
  • Bea Tanada, Junior Project Manager, Corix

 

Read About the 2026 Patti Wilson Leadership Program Award Winners

Honoring Our Inaugural Award Winners

 
On February 4, 2025, at CampusEnergy2025 in Boston, we proudly hosted an inspirational inaugural Patti Wilson Leadership Program awards ceremony, honoring seven award recipients in person (and one virtually). Each awardee embodied Patti’s spirit, passion, and dedication to the profession—demonstrating her legacy through both words and actions.
 

Receiving the awards are (in alphabetical order):

·        Megan Campbell, Mechanical Engineer, the Smith Group

·        Madeline “Mary” Cotter, undergraduate student, University of Virginia

·        Paige Davis, Product Development Coordinator, Austin Energy

·        Rebecca Grekin, Ph.D. candidate, Stanford University

·        Emma Luis, Project Manager & Mechanical Engineer, Circadia Group

·        Grace Mwangi, Project Coordinator, Corix

·        Anna Schappert, Mechanical Systems Professional, Efficiency Manitoba

·        Sandra Turner, undergraduate student, University of Minnesota

Read About the 2025 Patti Wilson Leadership Program Award Winners

About Patti Wilson

Patti Wilson, IDEA Chair from 2014 to 2015 and a past board member and executive committee member.

Wilson was director of business development at Affiliated Engineers for 26 years. She held a bachelor’s degree from Towson State University and an MBA from Loyola University Maryland.

"Patti was a fixture at the IDEA Campus Energy Conference for many, many years, where her brilliant smile and warm heart welcomed all," said Rob Thornton, IDEA president and CEO. "She had a genuine, easy laugh, always looked you in the eye, and made time to listen, in the truest sense. Patti made it her mission to connect with people, especially those attending IDEA for the first time."

"She was always prepared, paid attention to detail and was simply a step ahead. I recall a time when IDEA was hosting a large delegation from Japan, and Patti arranged for the IDEA delegates to have our business cards two-sided printed in Japanese for proper presentation to our guests. She even coached us on how to present a card two-handed, facing the person with an appropriate depth of bow."