APBP Annual Awards

The Association of Pedestrian & Bicycle Professionals (APBP) announces the winners of its annual awards program to honor excellence in the profession. Four Professional of the Year awards and the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award were presented during the final day of APBP’s Virtual Conference on August 11.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has made a substantial commitment to the profession during his or her lifetime and who has shown excellence in the field of bicycle and pedestrian planning, design, advocacy, and/or education. The award distinguishes those whose vision and determination have made their communities better places to bicycle and walk and who inspire others. The 2021 APBP Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Cara B. Seiderman, Transportation Program Manager for the City of Cambridge.

Cara’s high standard of professionalism, her focus on equitable access for all, ability to build community support, and cooperation with colleagues inspire professionals and communities across North America. Her leadership in national research and innovative ideas have shaped best practices for national guides. This award is given in appreciation for Cara’s decades of work to promote walkable, bikeable, and transit-friendly communities. Her research and pioneering work in planning, design, code reform, and public places have helped improve policies and practices at the national, statewide, and local levels. Cara’s unwavering dedication to active transportation is an inspiration.

The APBP Professional of the Year Awards recognize the achievements of pedestrian and bicycle professionals made in the last twelve months in the private, public, research, and nonprofit sectors and one young professional under the age of 30.

Dr. Sirisha Kothuri, Senior Research Associate at Portland State University, receives the 2021 APBP Research Professional of the Year award. Dr. Kothuri’s contributions to advance the state of practice in bicycle and pedestrian safety research are outstanding. She has worked to inspire the next generation in our field and advance the professional knowledge of others through research around multimodal traffic operations, bicycle and pedestrian counting, and safety, with an emphasis in innovation in non-motorized transport.

Drusilla van Hengel, PhD, Principal, Nelson/Nygaard is awarded the 2021 Private Sector Professional of the Year. Drusilla always finds ways to drill down in projects, and always builds something that is relentlessly context specific. She helps make walking and bicycling viable options for people from age one to one hundred by eliminating cultural, organizational, and design gaps and barriers. Clients remark that equitable considerations have never been an afterthought in her approach; they are an intrinsic part of the lens she has always brought to her work. As a mentor, she teaches others how to raise the bar in every aspect of their work.

We have a tie this year for the Public Sector Professional of the Year! This award is being given to John Brazil and Charlotte Claybrooke.

John Brazil is the Active Transportation Program Manager for the City of San José. John has pushed the envelope to make San José one of the most bicycle and pedestrian-friendly cities. Within the City of San José, John's 20 years of service continue to inspire others to strive for safer street design, more inclusive outreach, and to be overall better public servants by listening to community members and exercising humility in his interactions with the public. His vast contributions to projects and programs are making a significant difference in safety, accessibility, and quality of life.

Charlotte Claybrooke is the Active Transportation Program Manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation. She is a leader in active transportation, supporting the update of the AASHTO Bicycle Guide. She leads in Safe Routes to School, strategic highway safety plans, and the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan. Charlotte builds strong relationships with schools, agencies, tribes, and nonprofit partners, and supports equity for all, leading to safe systems approaches making progress toward zero traffic deaths.

Tobi Otulana, Planner at Toole Design, is being named APBP’s 2021 Young Professional of the Year. Tobi is always ahead of the curve and pushing everyone around her to do better – particularly when it comes to incorporating equity into planning work and decision-making processes. Her passion for inclusive planning makes projects so much more comprehensive and thoughtful. Her public speaking skills, critical thinking ability, and general passion for her work surpass that of more experienced planners and she has already shown an ability to elevate and inspire others in the field.

Awards Criteria 

The APBP Awards program began in 2000 with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Awards for Public and Private Sector Professionals of the Year were added in 2007; the Young Professional of the Year award was added in 2009; the Research Professional of the Year award was added in 2018.

To Review the Awards Criteria for the 2021 APBP Award Nominations click here.