In a profession defined by long hours, late-night Town Board meetings, and a host of complex, compounding challenges driven by aging infrastructure, budget constraints, rising operating costs, and high resident expectations, recognition from peers can carry particular weight.
For Estes Park Town Administrator Travis Machalek, that recognition came on Wednesday, April 15, when he was named the 2025 Manager of the Year by the Colorado City and County Management Association at the 2026 Future is Local conference held at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs.
The award, presented by the statewide organization of city and county management professionals, honors a local government leader whose work reflects excellence in public service, leadership, and community impact.
Machalek has served as town administrator since 2019 and has worked for the Town of Estes Park for more than a decade. In 2022, Machalek was recognized with a plaque by the Town Board “for his steadfast oversight for the safety and welfare of the Estes Park Community, Businesses, Visitors and Town Employees and Volunteers during the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration March 19, 2020 – October 31, 2022, as well as the October 2020 wildfire evacuation of the Town of Estes Park.”
Recognition from peers
The nomination came from Deputy Town Administrator Jason Damweber, who pointed to Machalek’s steady leadership and commitment to both the organization and the community.
Citing Machalek’s “unwavering commitment to the profession” and his “dedication to the betterment of the town, both the organization and the community,” Damweber described Machalek as “an exceptional manager, leader and public servant,” whose “steady hand has helped guide the town through many uncertain and sometimes trying times.”
The selection process is conducted by a peer committee within the association, making the recognition particularly meaningful in the field of local government management.
“It’s nice to be recognized by your peers,” Machalek said. “They really know what is entailed in the process.”
A career rooted in public service
Born in Fort Collins and raised in Laramie, Machalek’s path to municipal leadership began with a focus on public administration. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wyoming and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas, where he concentrated on city management.
He also completed the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and was selected for the International City/County Management Association Leadership Class of 2020, a competitive Washington D.C.-based program for emerging leaders in local government.
His early career included positions in municipal and county offices in Wyoming, Kansas, and Colorado before he arrived in Estes Park in 2015. When his predecessor, Frank Lancaster, who now serves as a Town Trustee, was preparing to retire as Town Administrator in 2019, Lancaster supported Machalek, one of 62 nationwide candidates who applied for the position.
During his tenure, Machalek has overseen organizational policy development, risk management, and key initiatives spanning workforce housing, childcare, economic development, and the arts.
Choosing to stay
At 35, Machalek represents a younger generation of city managers, a factor that often leads to questions about whether he might move on to a larger community.
While noting that he serves at the pleasure of the Town Board, he said he has no plans to leave.
“I think Estes Park is one of the best, if not the best, towns to manage in Colorado,” he said, citing both the professional opportunities and the community itself.
That connection extends beyond Town Hall. Over the past 11 years, Machalek and his wife, Ashley, who works in group sales at the YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park Center, have built a life in Estes centered on friends and community activities. One of those involvements has been coaching basketball first with a little league travel team through the rec district, and then with the high school.
He took on the role of the high school girls’ head coach when the regular coach resigned, and Maia Kinley, one of his Little League players who was then in high school, called and pleaded with him. Not sure he really had the time to devote to the job, he told the teen, “Maia, do you know what I do for a living?” But before he knew it, the school’s athletic director was asking him what size shirt he needed.
When Ron Burgin, who had 35 years of coaching experience, multiple championships, NCAA tournament berths, and five coach of the year accolades, decided to step out of a five-year retirement in 2022, Machalek was eager to turn the reins over to the veteran coach and serve as the assistant coach for the Estes Park High School girls basketball team.
The assistant coach position allows him to strike the right balance. “The best thing about working in city government is that we are so connected to the people we work for,” he said. “That aspect really appealed to me.”
Managing growth and expectations
Machalek’s tenure has coincided with a period of significant planning and investment discussions in Estes Park, including infrastructure needs, workforce housing challenges, and the balance between tourism and resident priorities.
Two major projects in the pipeline are a new public safety center, estimated to cost $30 million, and a water master plan that will involve $100 million in new infrastructure and require rate increases. Details for those two initiatives have not yet received final approval by the Town Board, but Machalek knows the conversations and deliberations are forthcoming.
The town is also navigating broader questions about economic sustainability in a tourism-driven community, where revenues can fluctuate, and growth is constrained by geography.
“We try to maintain a lean staff and a conservative budgeting approach,” Machalek said, emphasizing the importance of balancing long-term needs with financial stability.
He described one of the biggest challenges as managing the volume of ideas and opportunities that emerge in an engaged community.
“There’s a lot of good work out there — good ideas, good initiatives,” he said. “The challenge is making sure we have the capacity to do them well.”
Machalek said one of Estes Park’s defining characteristics is the level of public engagement, even when it leads to disagreement. One recent example of intense disagreement has been over zoning and development in a town with many million-dollar homes on large lots but lacking accessible, affordable housing for its workforce.
While the Manager of the Year award does not come with tangible perks beyond recognition, it places Machalek among a cohort of respected leaders in Colorado local government.
For him, the focus remains on the work itself — guiding a small mountain town through growth, change, and competing priorities while preserving its character.
“Ultimately,” he said, “you’re trying to serve the community in the best way.” In Estes Park, he said, that means balancing tradition with thoughtful progress in a place he has come to call home.