Kaylee Esgar, a UW mechanical engineering alumna and current MBA candidate from Beulah, Colo., was named one of 21 recipients of the International District Energy Association's Patti Wilson Leadership Award, presented at the CampusEnergy2026 conference in February. The award recognizes emerging women leaders in the district energy industry, and Esgar was selected based on her work as a utilities management engineer intern at UW Operations. Esgar credits her UW mechanical engineering degree with shaping her professional path, and she hopes to one day own her own Wyoming-based business.
UW mechanical engineering alumna and current MBA candidate Kaylee Esgar, of Beulah, Colo., was one of 21 recipients of the International District Energy Association’s Patti Wilson Leadership Award.
This national award program was launched in 2024 in honor of former International District Energy Association (IDEA) chair and longtime board member Patti Wilson.
The awards were presented Wednesday, Feb. 18, at CampusEnergy2026, an annual conference hosted by IDEA to share insights “on sustainable, resilient and low-carbon energy infrastructure for higher education and other campus environments,” according to the association’s website.
Now in its second year, the Patti Wilson Leadership Award program aims to “attract and foster participation of promising young women in the district energy industry and support emerging leadership potential to continue advancing the global mission of IDEA.”
As a recipient of the Patti Wilson Leadership Award, Esgar has been identified as one of these emerging leaders in the district energy sector.
“It honestly means so much to me to be chosen, and I am proud to represent Wyoming and our use of coal within the district energy world,” says Esgar, who received her UW bachelor’s degree in 2025.
“Patti Wilson embodied the very best of IDEA, with collegiality, collaboration and the courage to expand our industry’s comfort zone through advocacy and global engagement,” says Rob Thornton, president and CEO of IDEA. “This year, it was a privilege to recognize our esteemed class and celebrate the future of district energy. I am confident our industry’s future is in capable, mission-driven hands.”
Awards recipients are selected based on their embodiment of the spirit of Wilson. Esgar was encouraged to apply by her supervisors, Shantel Utton and Eric Hansen at UW Operations, where Esgar works as a utilities management engineer intern. She services UW’s emergency generators, performs utility locates and assists with district energy and utility projects around campus.
Esgar credits her mechanical engineering education with setting her on her current path.
“Getting my mechanical engineering degree at UW prepared me both in and out of the classroom. Throughout my four years, I learned just how far hard work, grit and determination can take you in the world,” Esgar says. “The hands-on opportunities, team projects and lab-based classes helped me figure out exactly what I wanted to do in my professional life.”
To achieve her goals, Esgar is assembling the components of her professional trajectory from the expertise she has gained in multiple departments at UW.
“I pursued mechanical engineering because I wanted to understand how the world works and learn how to develop ideas into physical products that can change the world for the better, even if in small ways,” she says. “I decided to pursue my MBA to broaden my knowledge base, develop leadership capabilities and increase my ability to connect with people from all backgrounds.”
Esgar wants to pursue project management, research and development or product development in the fields of manufacturing, motor sports or the oil and gas industries.
“I have hopes to one day own my own Wyoming-based business,” she says.