Caroline Ubing named Reclamation’s Project Manager of the Year

WASHINGTON - Today, the Bureau of Reclamation held a ceremony in Washington, D.C., recognizing Caroline Ubing as Reclamation's 2025 Project Manager of the Year.

A project manager at Reclamation's Technical Service Center in Denver, Colorado, since 2015, Ubing provides engineering and technical support throughout Reclamation. Her successes include large-scale interagency projects such the Klamath River Natural Flow Study and San Joaquin River Restoration Program.

"Congratulations to Caroline Ubing on her award-winning professional excellence," said Deputy Commissioner for Operations David Palumbo. "Caroline's work enhances the effectiveness of Reclamation's operations and represents the sound project management approach that Reclamation is committed to providing all of our customers and partners."

The complex projects Ubing manages are vital to Reclamation's mission of delivering water and power to the Western United States.

For example, the natural streamflow study she managed in the Klamath River Basin provided essential information to develop solutions across 10 million acres and 11 watersheds in southern Oregon and northern California. In the San Joaquin River, her project work supported the program's long-term goal to balance multiple management considerations from Friant Dam with restoration of a self-sustaining Chinook salmon population.

Her colleagues know Ubing as a knowledgeable mentor and strong leader who works collaboratively with regional employees and external stakeholders to ensure project success.

"Caroline's leadership inspires collaboration and innovation," said Katie Bartojay, director of the Technical Service Center. "She doesn't just manage projects; she empowers teams to succeed and sets a standard of excellence we all strive to follow."

Reclamation also recognized four other nominees for the Project Manager of the Year Award:

• The Columbia-Pacific Northwest region nominated Rebekah Triolo for leading key initiatives such as basin studies, large restoration projects and the creation of the CPN Lessons Learned Repository and Facilitator Cadre.
• Missouri Basin/Arkansas, Rio Grande and Texas Gulf region recognized Renee Tilstra for her work on critical projects, including the Colorado River Storage Project SCADA Modernization, a project on the National Critical Infrastructure list.
• California-Great Basin's nominee, Trang Nguyen, has successfully led multi-million-dollar projects such as the Trinity Fish Hatchery and Battle Creek Dam initiatives.
• The nominee for Upper Colorado Basin, Shannon Hatch, is a project manager in the Four Corners Construction Office who led critical features of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project.

The Project Manager of the Year award recognizes leadership, cross-disciplinary coordination, risk management, stakeholder engagement, and adherence to best practices - all of which are critical for ensuring success in large-scale Western water and power infrastructure. Reclamation has a project management framework that integrates existing government-wide and U.S. Department of the Interior project management requirements and clarifies project management practices for those projects for which no specific mandates apply.