Tom Ullmann was a wonderful and brilliant man, a devoted husband, and a loving father to his three boys, Craig, Jason and Ryan—all of whom are engineers. Born in Longmont in 1947, he grew up on the family farm southwest of Johnstown. Tom graduated from the University of Colorado in 1965 where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. In 1971 he married his high school sweetheart, Barbara Croissant. They celebrated their 45^th wedding anniversary before his passing in February of 2017.

After graduating college in 1965, Tom worked for several engineering firms where he worked on a variety of water-related projects. In 1985, Tom and his business partner Warren Mesloh started The Engineering Company (TEC) where they focused on water and wastewater engineering consulting. Tom remained at TEC until retirement.

Tom’s understanding of water treatment, hydraulics, and water modeling was incredible. He was the first one in the state of Colorado to design a Chlorine Dioxide system as a disinfectant for water treatment plants. He created a state-of-the-art DOS-based water model that was used to model water flow in distribution systems prior to the availability of other models such as EPAnet and WaterCAD.

More than just an engineer, Tom was also a role model for the people who he worked with, displaying great inner strength and conviction. He envisioned the future with his work and resolved problems with a practical approach. Throughout his career he helped many northern Colorado communities cope with the growth and demands on their infrastructure. Tom was a quiet man, but when he spoke everyone listened to his words of wisdom. Throughout his life he maintained a healthy work-life balance with his family and his career.

While Tom was never deeply involved in water policy, his life work on water quality issues has had a profound impact on most people living in northeastern Colorado today. Tom’s name and lifetime achievements exemplify leadership and forward progress in the water industry in Colorado, and what better way to honor his legacy than to establish a scholarship to support up-and-coming water leaders in his name.

With contributions from the Ullmann family, Morgan County Water Quality District, the City of Fort Morgan, the Farnsworth Group, and NOCO Engineering, the Tom Ullmann Memorial Water Leaders Scholarship fund is providing $3,000 in scholarship awards for participants in Water Education Colorado’s Water Leaders program this year. Three partial scholarships were awarded to the following individuals:

Corey Beaugh, Division of Water Resources

Kate Greenberg, National Young Farmers Coalition

Rachel Theler, Department of Agriculture-Colorado State Conservation Board

An additional $1,000 is being used to seed the fund for 2019. If any individuals or organizations are interested in contributing to the fund to support 2019 Water Leaders participants, please send checks payable to Water Education Colorado to 1750 Humboldt St. Suite 200, Denver, CO 80218, and make note that the contribution is designated for the Tom Ullmann scholarship fund.

The goal of Water Education Colorado’s Water Leaders Program is to positively impact the Colorado water profession by developing a pipeline of water leaders across diverse fields with the knowledge and skills to navigate the complex world of Colorado water. Initiated in 2006, the program has graduated 143 alumni over the past 12 years and is considered the premiere leadership training program for Colorado’s water community. Craig Ullmann, one of Tom’s three sons, was a graduate of the 2007 class.

Participants go through a competitive application process where their demonstrated commitment to Colorado water, leadership potential, and program readiness are carefully considered by a panel of reviewers. Congratulations to the following class of 2018 Water Leaders participants, which was just announced. May you lend your ability, talent, and deep care and concern to improving Colorado’s water future, just as Tom Ullmann did.

2018 Water Leaders Class:

Frank Alfone – Mt. Werner Water and Sanitation District, General Manager

Corey Beaugh – Colorado Division of Water Resources, Water Commissioner/Hydrographer

Blake Beyea – Water Quality Control Division – CDPHE, Water Quality Standards Unit Manager

Hunter Causey – Colorado River Water Conservation District, Water Resources Engineer

Allegra da Silva – Stantec, Rocky Mountain Regional Practice Leader for Water Reuse

Kimberly Gortz – Colorado Springs Utilities, Source Water Protection Project Manager

Kate Greenberg – National Young Farmers Coalition, Western Program Director

Brendon Langenhuizen – SGM, Water Resources Team Leader

Mark Mitisek – Leonard Rice Engineers, Project Manager

Nathan Elder – Denver Water, Interim Manager of Raw Water Supply

Katherine Morris – Grand County, Water Quality Specialist

Jill Ozarksi – Walton Family Foundation, Environment Program Officer

Kent Pflager – Morgan County Quality Water District, General Manager

Rachel Theler – Colorado Department of Agriculture – Colorado State Conservation Board, Conservation Specialist

Rob Viehl – Colorado Water Conservation Board, Water Resource Specialist

Esther Vincent – Northern Water, Water Quality Manager