Carmen and Tony Messineo Community Involvement Award

Carmen and Tony Messineo have long been active members of the community and have demonstrated a consistent interest in the causes that serve young people. They have unfailingly gone the extra mile on behalf of all children, and have been particularly supportive of the TeamMates Mentoring Program of Lincoln.  For this reason, we named the Carmen and Tony Messineo Community Involvement Award in their honor.

This award was introduced in 2008 and celebrates the individuals, businesses, faith-based groups, and community organizations that have partnered with TeamMates, demonstrating a continuum of support for the TeamMates program and its goals.

2026 Carmen and Tony Messineo Community Involvement Award Winner

Brandy Johnson, Senior Manager of Public Affairs at Black Hills

At Black Hills Energy, their mission is “Improving Life with Energy.” While they provide the literal energy that keeps our homes warm and our community running, they also share their personal energy to strengthen our connections.

What makes Black Hills stand out is that they are all-in. They didn’t just ask one department to help; they opened the door for their entire team to build a legacy of mentoring. From the leadership in the executive suites to the teams in the office and the utility professionals working out in the field, every single employee at Black Hills is encouraged to be a TeamMate. They reaffirmed their commitment to allow mentoring during work hours for everyone. They even recognized that for their field teams, whose locations change daily, the travel time to a school shouldn’t be a barrier to a child’s connection and chose to bridge those gaps so their employees could focus on being there for their mentees.

By hosting recruiting events and inviting everyone to the table, they’ve created a culture where mentoring is a shared value. Whether it’s an office professional or a service technician, Black Hills is providing our students with a diverse range of role models and a vision for what’s possible in their own lives. They are proving that when an entire organization shares its time and energy, we build a city where everyone belongs.

Past Award Winners Include: