National Recognition: Connect the Dots & Marisa Denker Awarded by The 82 Alliance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Connect the Dots and Founder & CEO Marisa Denker Recognized by The 82 Alliance in Two Awards

Connect the Dots (CtD) recently participated in The 82 Alliance Transportation Conference held in Austin, Texas on November 9-10, 2026 as panelists, supporters, and now award winners. The 82 Alliance (Alliance) is a non-profit mobility think tank based in King of Prussia, PA, and reimagines how people move throughout communities. The transportation conference brings together leaders across mobility and transportation for focused conversation, shared learning, and practical insight into what’s next. The 82 Alliance distinguished both Connect the Dots and separately Marisa Denker, Founder & CEO, for two awards recognizing our efforts towards building more representative and accessible futures in the worlds of transportation and infrastructure. 

Connect the Dots received A Better Tomorrow Award, which the Alliance began awarding to organizations, nationally and internationally, just three years ago. The Alliance believes CtD embodies the purpose of this award, which recognizes organizations whose work invests in ways to help reduce trips, enhance the built environment, and improve equity and accessibility. Vice President of The 82 Alliance, Maureen Farrell, shared,

“The 82 Alliance recognizes organizations and leaders that communicate how mobility and climate are interconnected and work toward improving the climate by advancing mobility options that incorporate health, accessibility, and equity into their design. Connect the Dots has demonstrated these priorities through their intersectional, people-first approach to public engagement, understanding that the health, safety, and well-being of communities can be informed not only by equitable forms of public participation but also through imaginative and creative means.”

Sylvia García-García, Managing Principal at Connect the Dots, attended the conference, participated in the panel discussion, Shaping Tomorrow Together: Putting People at the Center of the Decisions, Investments, and Systems Shaping Our Future, and took part in the awards ceremony. Sylvia shared what the A Better Tomorrow Award means for the Connect the Dots team,

“This award celebrates a principle we live by at Connect the Dots: lasting mobility and climate solutions must be shaped alongside the communities living with the outcomes. When we center historically overlooked voices, we build neighborhoods that are truly resilient.”

Furthermore, the Alliance selected Marisa Denker as an Emerging Mobility Champion Under 40, which is given to individuals who are working to find creative solutions to improve quality of life through engineering, planning, policy, technology, marketing campaigns, and the development of commuting alternative programs that are shifting behavioral change to create a better future for all. Marisa commented on the receipt of the Emerging Mobility Champion Award,

“I'm incredibly honored by this recognition, particularly alongside an award celebrating our whole team at Connect the Dots. Our work is driven by a belief that we can fundamentally change how decisions about our communities are made. These decisions have lasting impacts on people's everyday lives, and those most affected should have a meaningful role in the process. We're excited to help lead this shift toward establishing community-centered decision-making as the expectation, rather than the exception.”

Looking ahead, Connect the Dots remains steadfast in our dedication to shaping accessible, inclusive, and community-driven transportation futures that meaningfully reflect and serve diverse populations.

About Connect the Dots‍

Marisa Denker co-founded Connect the Dots, a public and stakeholder outreach and engagement firm that builds, teaches, and supports teams and projects to elevate all voices in decision-making. Marisa and the Connect the Dots team based in Philadelphia, PA, have brought equitable, creative, and accessible strategies and tactics to projects across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and other states along the east coast. Their work has supported urban planning, transportation, environmental resilience, public health, and open spaces for SEPTA, PennDOT, NJDOT, NJ TRANSIT, DVRPC, Mpact, City of Philadelphia, City of Lancaster, and more.

About The 82 Alliance‍

The 82 Alliance brings together the private and public sectors to create change and improve transportation systems. If we work together, we can create a better future for all. For more information, visit www.82alliance.com or email info@82alliance.com.

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