Outstanding Achievement Award Recipient
College of Education and Human Development, June 17, 2025
Colleen Wieck earned a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 1980. Since 1983, she has served as the executive director of the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, where she created a leadership training program called Partners in Policymaking. This effective program has had a meaningful impact on 29,000 people by empowering them to use their voice in spaces where government officials are making important decisions. It has also been the model for other U.S. states and countries to create similar programs. Wieck has written more than 150 publications during her time on the council, including digital products that earned national media awards. One of her published briefing books, A New Way of Thinking, initiated conversations about changing policies and funding to advocate for disabled persons’ ability to make their own decisions and have more control over their lives. She also had an influential role in ensuring disabled Minnesotans are fully included in their communities and live fulfilling lives through Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan. As mentioned in her nomination for the Outstanding Achievement Award: “She has been at the forefront of sweeping changes in the perception, treatment, and participation of persons with disabilities in the fabric of our society.”
Biographies are as-of time of award presentation.