Whether it’s professionally or socially, most people know her. She seems to be at every neighborhood meeting and gathering.

As vice president of the Stapleton Foundation and executive director of Northeast Transportation Connections (NETC), Angie Malpiede is a major figure in the Northeast Denver region. Throughout her career, she has focused on building bridges between communities and individuals within communities. For her many efforts in community development, Malpiede was inducted into the Cesar Chavez Leadership Hall of Fame at the 2015 Denver Public Library, National Hispanic Heritage Month Latino Awards on September 12.

Malpiede had no idea she was nominated. Her daughters and a group of colleagues put together the application. “It just touched my soul,” she says.

Angie Malpiede shows the bus schedules for Northeast Denver in a 2009 photo. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about transportation access as a key part of community health and wellness.

By age 8, Malpiede knew she wanted to help people and has worked in nonprofits for 38 years, including the Girl Scouts of America and Denver Center for Crime Victims. One of the most standout memories was during her time at the Denver Center for Crime Victims when a beautiful young woman came in to see a psychologist. Malpiede later found out the woman’s boyfriend had murdered her 2-year-old son earlier that week. “I’m a single mom; it shot through my heart … People like that mother is why I work to help people with no voices.”

Malpiede served as a district director for the Regional Transportation District (RTD). In her current work at NETC, she believes transportation access is vital for health and wellness. She advocates for bicycle lanes, affordable bus passes, and ride share programs.

“She’s one of the most effective community organizers I have ever met,” says Beverly Haddon, CEO at the Stapleton Foundation. “She gains people’s trust and respect very quickly, thus allowing her to convince them to become involved in various community ventures.”

Eric Herbst and Jesse Livingston work under Malpiede at NETC and agree she’s the best boss they’ve each had. “Any time there is a problem, she jumps in and knows who to call. She can just pick up the phone and make something happen, which is pretty great,” Livingston says.

“But then a lot of people know they can call Angie and she will stop whatever she is doing to help them out,” Herbst adds. “That’s a huge part of Angie. She’s someone people can lean on, and she expects that of other people as well.”