On December 11, at the PMI Space Coast Chapter Annual Awards, Lauren De Leon was recognized as the 2025 Rookie Project Manager of the Year for her outstanding leadership, impact, and commitment to the project management profession early in her career.
This award honors an emerging project manager with three years or less of experience who has demonstrated significant achievement and meaningful contributions within the award year. Lauren was selected from a highly competitive field of PMI Space Coast Chapter practitioners, a testament to both her results and the respect she has earned from peers and stakeholders alike.
Leading with Impact—and Momentum
Since joining Alluvionic in November 2024, Lauren has quickly become a trusted leader overseeing a diverse portfolio of complex initiatives totaling more than $5 million in total contract value. Her projects span operational support and advanced engineering efforts, collectively enabling the training and readiness of over 8,000 public safety professionals each year and advancing innovative technologies from early concept through prototype delivery. As the spouse of a first responder, she feels a deep personal connection to this mission.
Lauren is recognized for her ability to keep teams aligned and moving forward, even across technically complex and fast-moving programs. She balances structure with adaptability, ensuring progress continues while maintaining focus on mission outcomes.
Progress Over Perfection
A motto Lauren lives by is “progress over perfection”. It guides her in both work and life—especially as the mom of two toddlers, where perfection is rarely an option! This philosophy also strongly aligns with Alluvionic’s core value of Forward Progress—moving ourselves, our clients, and one another forward, even when the path isn’t flawless. Rather than waiting for ideal conditions, Lauren emphasizes learning, iteration, and momentum, creating an environment where teams feel empowered to act, adjust, and succeed.
A Collaborative Leader (with Sweet Incentives)
Lauren is widely known for fostering strong team collaboration and approachability. She creates space for open communication, encourages cross-functional problem solving, and makes sure every voice is heard. She is also not above employing creative incentives to bring people together—most notably bribing engineers to attend meetings with her famously tasty baked goods. The result is a team culture that is engaged, collaborative, and genuinely enjoys working together.
Continuous Growth and Professional Excellence
Lauren is deeply committed to continuous learning and professional growth. This year, she added the Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification to her credentials, reinforcing her dedication to applying best practices and strengthening her craft as a project management leader. Her curiosity, drive to improve, and willingness to learn from each experience set her apart as a practitioner on a strong upward trajectory.
Community and Industry Engagement
Beyond her project work, Lauren remains actively engaged in the broader professional and local community. She is involved with PMI Space Coast, participates in networking and professional development events through the Melbourne Regional Chamber, and has represented Alluvionic at Orlando Business Journal events. She also supports veteran-focused causes, participating annually in the National Veterans Homeless Support (NVHS) 5K, reflecting her commitment to service beyond the workplace.
One of the causes she’s most passionate about, however, is mental health and suicide prevention. She’s currently training for a World Marathon Major in 2026 while representing Still I Run, the nation’s first nonprofit dedicated to promoting the mental-health benefits of running. Still I Run inspires, supports, and unites individuals of all backgrounds and experiences on their journey toward better mental health through running.
A Well-Deserved Recognition and a Promising Path Forward
Lauren’s recognition as PMI Space Coast Rookie Project Manager of the Year captures the impact she has made in a short time through results-driven leadership, genuine collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to forward progress. By combining professionalism with approachability, structure with flexibility, and high standards with a “progress over perfection” mindset, she exemplifies the kind of leader who moves teams, missions, and organizations ahead. This award is both a celebration of her accomplishments to date and a strong indicator of the influence she will continue to have as her career grows.
Multiple Awards, One Team
In addition to Lauren’s award, Alluvionic received another honor that evening: PMI Space Coast’s Project of the Year for its Transformational National Science Foundation (NSF) Program Modernization—a major portfolio initiative that migrated National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) from Microsoft Project to Smartsheet, introducing standardized templates, automation, and real-time governance. To read more about the PMI Space Coast Awards, check out their article PMI Space Coast Gala: Celebrating Excellence and Project Resilience.
