2022 Impact Award Winners
McKinstry employees who rose above and beyond to forward McKinstry’s environmental and social responsibility aspirations.
Aaron Skroch | Program Manager, Energy Colorado
For nearly a decade, Aaron has driven the growth of McKinstry’s STEM mentorship programs in the Denver Public Schools (DPS). Since 2017 alone, he has led McKinstry employees in providing nearly 1,000 hours of STEM-based community service in DPS.
“I truly enjoy interacting with the students and seeing them get excited about what we do at McKinstry. For me, the hands-on challenges we create for the students are the most fun, especially when you see the ingenuity, creativity and competitiveness that comes out during the projects. The most rewarding part is when I hear about students going on to college or technical schools to pursue degrees in STEM-related fields because of the time we spent with them during the Mentorship program. Even if we can impact just one student a year, it’s worth it.”
Sara Hofstee | Business Operations Analyst, Spokane
With an infectious spirit and boundless energy, Sara Hofstee leads community service in our Inland Northwest region, growing the team’s engagement from approximately two initiatives each year to more than 10 annually. Sara has led environmental cleanups, career fairs for youth, blood drives, resource drives for underserved populations, and philanthropic running events, among many other activities.
“Bringing people together with compassion, integrity, and a good hardy laugh is what gives me purpose. When I see friendships form and collaboration develop amongst our different departments and in the community, the joy I feel is something I really can’t even describe. That beautiful feeling is what drives me to never give up on the people around me and to spread my love everywhere I go.”
Tara Carney | Regional Director, Energy Colorado
McKinstry’s beloved teammate, Tara Carney, who passed in 2022, was committed to helping girls gain confidence and exposure in STEM education through community service. While serving as a role model for what a successful woman in construction looks like, Tara engaged local girls in constructing a high-performance greenhouse, learning about wind energy, exploring thermodynamics and building-envelop design, and discovering solar PV. Tara was additionally an active member of the Mountain Womxn’s Alliance and consistent champion of both gender equity and gender representation at McKinstry.
“No matter how demanding her workload was, Tara always made the time to give back to our local communities. A proud and successful woman leader in construction, Tara particularly relished the opportunity to support and uplift young girls through STEM-based community service.”
– Leslie Larocque, vice president, E&TS.
2021 Impact Awards Experience
As part of their winners’ experience, 2021 Impact Award winners Caroline Traube and Rebecca Fitzsimmons gathered with McKinstry executives in Seattle to explore the topic of housing insecurity and visit some Seattle-area nonprofits that are leading solution-based work.
