Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced the recipients of the 2021 Colorado Governor’s Citizenship Medals Friday morning.

Inaugurated in 2015 by executive order and awarded by Polis, all living Colorado Governors and CiviCO, a nonprofit, to Colorado residents or organizations for their admirable contributions to residents and communities across the state.

“These civic-minded leaders put Colorado on the map for how individuals and organizations work toward moving our state forward in innovative ways,” said Polis in a news release. “The Governor’s Citizenship Medal rewards excellence and tried-and-true dedication to giving back and making our community stronger. I am honored to select and recognize these outstanding trailblazers who are paving the way for leaders in our state and across the nation to follow in their footsteps.”

This years medal categories and recipients are:

Vanguard Legacy Medal: Wellington and Wilma Webb, former mayor of Denver and former general assemblywoman – This award honors business leaders who have made transformational contributions to community throughout ones career.

Wellington Webb was the first Black mayor of Denver and served three terms between 1991 and 2003. During his tenure, he focused on expanding urban parks, public safety, economic development and child welfare He later advised other mayors on urban revitalization and was a guest lecturer at Harvard University.

Wilma Webb led an effort to establish Martin Luther King Jr. day in Colorado. She also advocated on legislation centered on care for senior citizens and providing treatment for substance abusers. In 1991, she was elected to the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame and 11 years later was the recipient of the Anti-Defamation League’s Civil Rights Award.

Emerging Community Leader Medal: Fabian Jimenez, Lake County High School, entering first year at Colorado School of Mines – This award is bestowed to a young community leader who has demonstrated excellence and made a positive impact in their school and community.

Jimenez received the award for his role in leading a youth voter registration drive in Lake County that resulted in a rise in young voter turnout in the 2020 election. He is majoring in civil engineer at the School of Mines with the goal of eventually improving the environmental impact of construction and infrastructure.

Growth & Innovation Award: Dan Holt and Kelly Seidl, founders of BillGO. The award is given to entrepreneurs or business leaders who led with exceptional ingenuity and growth while inspiring and creating new possibilities for others.

Holt and Seidl began BillGO, a fintech company in Fort Collins, which offers solutions to managing and paying bills. They’ve been recognized by Forbes, Fortune and Inc. as a top workplace and a top employer.

Besides running a business, Holt is a minor in the Entrepreneurship & Venture Accelerator Program at Colorado State University, while Seidl was formerly “one of the only women in the building” at Google. Seidle shares her story to inspire others to pursue careers in STEM industries.

Public & Community Service Award: Tim Foster, president emeritus at Colorado Mesa University. The award is given to a government or community leader who serves the public with innovative, operative excellence and progressive vision.

Foster recently retired as the president of CMU, a role which he held since 2004. Before that, Foster served as the executive director for the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and was the head of the Department of Higher Education.

He also served in the Colorado House of Representatives and was a partner in a private law practice in Grand Junction.

Corporate Citizenship Award: Lockheed Martin. The award was given to a Colorado-based company that made a significant positive impact in the community.

Lockheed Martin has strongly supported STEM education, military and veteran services and community resilience. The company leaders are known to promote ethical behavior, support diversity and make decisions that protect the health and safety of their employees and the environment.

The company has 114,000 workers who volunteered nearly 23,000 hours across the state, while the company donated more than $1.3 million to the state’s nonprofits.

Furthermore, Lockheed Martin produced and distributed 22,000 pieces of personal protective equipment to the state’s frontline workers and has helped numerous school districts bridge the virtual learning gap by financing internet connectivity and hardware.

Colorado COVID Heros: Colorado Citizens and Public Officials who have contributed to maintaining the state’s health and morale throughout the pandemic.

Jill Hunsaker Ryan, MPH, is the executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and has spent 25 years in the health industry.

Jerry Gryglak, citizen journalist and Redditor on r/CoronavirusColorado. He created and moderates the Reddit subreddit r/CoronavirusColorado, while also posting daily to keep more than 50,000 people up-to-date.

Gryglak is also a business administrator. He has worked for, managed and owned small businesses in Delta.

Nick Muerdter, developer of Appointment Finder. Muerdter built the Appointment Finder website that shows open COVID-19 vaccine appointments across Colorado and the United States after hearing from family members, friends and coworkers about their struggles finding an appointment.

Muerdter is a software engineer for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

“The 2021 medal and aware recipients are all working toward improving the state of Colorado,” said Jennifer Landers, executive director of CiviCO. “They are exactly the type of leaders we foster at CiviCO and what Colorado needs to build a better community where we all want to live, work and play.”

To learn more about the medals and past honorees, click here.