On Friday, Feb. 27, Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) Vice President for CMU Tech Brigitte Sundermann was recognized by the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce as Citizen of the Year. This recognition is a testament to Sundermann’s passion for uplifting technical education on the Western Slope and helping to ensure community partnerships are at the forefront of CMU Tech education.
The Grand Junction Area Chamber’s Citizen of the Year Award recognizes people in the community who exemplify leadership and service, with a proven impact that has helped move Grand Junction forward.
“Tonight’s Citizen of the Year is someone who has built a reputation not just for leadership, but for listening. For recognizing the needs of our business community and bringing people together to solve challenges through partnership, collaboration, and shared purpose,” said President and CEO of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce Candace Carnahan during the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Banquet.
Sundermann is no stranger to hard work. Her passions started in and around her father’s machine shop. Her father was adamant about her pursing college and struck a deal: he would let her stay and work in the shop so long as she promised to attend college. She kept that promise.
She enrolled at Valparaiso University in Indiana and spent the next three years studying Civil and Environmental Engineering. Following graduation, she worked for the Department of Energy from 1993 to 2000, supporting environmental restoration efforts, while also consulting in land development.
She later began teaching part-time at CMU Tech, which gave her the flexibility to pursue her true passion: shoeing and training horses. Sundermann has traveled extensively throughout western Colorado on horseback — hunting, moving cattle, and living an authentic Western heritage lifestyle, many of which living on the rural western slope find relatable.
Highly regarded by colleagues, she was pulled from the classroom into administration as Director of Manufacturing — a role that echoed her childhood love of making things and teaching others to do the same. She continues to stay involved in the machine shop to this day in her current role as vice president for CMU Tech.
“She has an extraordinary ability to see what is needed, bring the right people to the table, and move ideas forward. Partnerships form around her. Progress follows her. And optimism walks into every room with her,” said Carnahan.
Sundermann’s current role makes her a steward for technical education, and her connections to the local community help ensure programming is reliable, relatable and applicable to the needs of businesses looking for skilled professionals and students that want to pursue higher education on their terms.
Under Sundermann’s leadership, Western Colorado Community College was renamed to CMU Tech, a fleet of Mobile Learning Labs tasked with bringing education to the doorstep of rural businesses were created, enrollment is at an all time high and many programs are full and partnerships with local and regional businesses are bridged frequently. Her passions echo through her work and her impact radiates through the community and across campus.