A woman who rose through the ranks to commandeer a construction firm's Milwaukee operations, an engineer who is one of the nation’s leading experts on multi-modal transportation, and an architect who assists in funding schools with tornado-safe spaces are among the rising stars selected as ENR Midwest's Top 20 Under 40, an annual program recognizing young design and construction professionals from the region who have made significant contributions to their firms, professions and communities.

While other ENR Midwest programs, including Best Projects, honor firms and their endeavors, the Top 20 Under 40 Program focuses on individual achievement, in this instance the contributions of 13 men and 7 women hailing from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.

ENR Midwest received scores entries for the program, and a panel of six industry professionals selected candidates they believed best demonstrated excellence and leadership in their professions and communities.

This year's Top 20 Under 40, who will be profiled in the Jan. 27 issue of ENR Midwest, include:

Gary D. Bowen
Construction Services Department Manager
DLZ, Columbus, Ohio

Craig Burton
Director
PositivEnerg Practice, Chicago

Jason Chandler
Vice President, Director of Project Management
Epstein, Chicago

David Craun,
Associate Principal
Bialosky + Partners Architects, Cleveland

Brandon Davis
Director, Industrial Manufacturing
URS, Cleveland

Mark de la Vergne
Principal, Director of Transportation Planning
Sam Schwartz Engineering, Chicago

Brad Erwin
Principal Architect & President
Paragon Architecture, Springfield, Mo.

Valerie Greer
Project Manager
HOK, St. Louis, Mo.

Nate Gundrum
Senior Development Manager
Mortenson Development Inc., Minneapolis

Holly Hawkins
President, Milwaukee Office
Tri-North Builders Inc., Milwaukee

Stacy Horan
Senior Structural Engineer
Sargent & Lundy, Chicago

Courtney Kounkel
Partner
Centric Projects, Kansas City, Mo.

Theresa Lehman
Director of Sustainble Services
Miron Construction Co., Neenah, Wis.

Luke Leising
President
Guidon Design Inc., Indianapolis

Ryan Maibach
President
Barton Malow Co., Southfield, Mich.

Molly Meyer
Owner and Founder
Omni Ecosystems and Rooftop Green Works, Chicago

Amber Myers
Mechanical Engineer, Project Manager
CRB, Kansas City, Mo.

Craig Moore
Principal Engineer
Parsons Transportation Group, Chicago

Jason Dale Pierce
Project Architect
HOK, St. Louis

Benjamin Rubach
Principal
dbHMS, Chicago

ENR Midwest is indebted to the program's panelists, who include:

• Karmyn Babcock, IT Director,The Weitz Co
• Amy M. Barrett Associate, Electrical Engineer, Hafer Associates
• Michael J. Bobruk, Director – Chicago Office, Barton Malow Co.
• Donald Greenwell, Jr, . Senior Vice President, General Manager - Commercial Group, Walbridge
• Paul Parry, Principal, KJWW Engineering Consultants
• Brian M. Volpe, Vice President, Thornton Tomasetti