Kristy Anne Schloss, F.SWE
1963–2024
Pioneering leader in engineering manufacturing, author, advocate, and economic expert
Kristy Anne Schloss, F.SWE, a groundbreaking woman leader in the male-dominated civil engineering field and a tireless service leader, died April 25, 2024, after years of declining health.
After earning a B.S. in civil engineering in 1986 at the University of Colorado Boulder, she was invited to chair the university’s engineering advisory council and executive committee and to serve as a member of its Women in Engineering Program board. She received the university’s Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 2000.
After working as a project engineer for the civil engineering firm Black & Veatch for two years, she joined her father’s business, Schloss Engineered Equipment Inc., in 1989, serving in a dual capacity as project manager and vice president. Later that year, she became president and CEO of the firm, which designed wastewater treatment technologies.
She expanded the business on the global stage and grew its international exports by 900% in 10 years. Under her leadership, Schloss Engineered Equipment received an Export Achievement Certificate from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the 1999 National Exporter of the Year Award from the Small Business Administration, and the 1998 Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in Exporting.
Schloss advocated for the environment, small businesses, international businesses, education, and local community activities and wrote many articles supporting her views. She graduated from Leadership Denver, operated by the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, and served on many boards of companies, business groups, and service organizations. She is listed in the Who’s Who Worldwide, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, and Who’s Who in Denver Business.
Her business leadership acumen did not go unnoticed in Washington, D.C. She was part of the Colorado delegation to the White House Conference on Small Business from 1995 to 1998 and served on former President Barack Obama’s Presidential Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
Considered an expert in economics, she chaired the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Denver Branch and was selected to chair the Rocky Mountain District Export Council, which is closely affiliated with the Commerce Department, and to join Commerce’s Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee.
Schloss joined the Society of Women Engineers in 1990 and received several awards for leadership and service. SWE awarded her its Distinguished New Engineer award in 1994 and its Entrepreneur Award in 2007 and named her a Fellow in 2002. A SWE life member, she served as president of the SWE Rocky Mountain Section from 1993 to 1994 and co-chaired the national conference committee in 2001 — among many other leadership roles at the section and Society levels.
Apart from SWE, she was a member of several other professional organizations, including the Water Environment Federation, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the National Association of Women Business Owners.
Schloss was dedicated to increasing the number of women in engineering and serving as a role model and mentor for women engineers. She was praised for her intellect, friendliness, and quick wit. Survivors are her sister Sindi Schloss Romanella, her brother Charles M. Schloss III, and his two children.
Private services took place in August.
Sources
SWE Archives, Feldman Mortuary
