Letter from the President

 

Mark Anderson

Welcome to IRWA Sunshine Chapter 26!  I am excited and honored to work with the 2024-2025 Chapter Leadership on behalf of our great local IRWA community. 

I parachuted into this role unexpectedly and have found that our chapter has been in great hands and is ready to keep moving forward in support of our members and their professional goals.  I very much appreciate the hard work of the past board members and committee chairs, many of whom are part of the current leadership looking to the future for Chapter 26.
Our current Executive Board – Adam Raad, Vice President; Andrea Fatkin-Olden, Treasurer; Stephanie Gonzalez-Secretary; Sarah Boggs-Director; and Mark Mendez-Director – have gone above and beyond to create a dynamic chapter filled with a diverse group of professionals.  Many fill multiple roles within our organization, chairing and supporting our chapter committees.

Our committees continue their important work on behalf of the chapter.  Ashley Horton, Social and Events Committee Chair, along with Co-Chair, Barbara Strouse, has entertaining plans in the works for professional networking and casual chapter involvement.  Jonathan Kasper, Young Professionals Committee Chair, is working closely with Ashley to support the next generation of right-of-way professionals as they look to IRWA for career development.

Our membership committee, led by Sarah Boggs, Chair and Susann Price, Co-Chair, work hard to keep our 200+ members in the loop on all chapter information and events.  You may also receive surveys from the Membership Committee to help membership voices and preferences be heard.

The most important goal of any IRWA chapter is to support the career goals and advancement opportunities for its members.  The Educational Committee, led by Florence Green, Chair and Huchani Dodd, Co-Chair, plan and organize all of the Chapter’s course offerings, as well as doing some heavy lifting assisting with the Educational Seminar.  Our Professional Development Chair, Victoria Bucher, works closely with Education to support members’ industry certification plans.

The Chapter’s 2024-2025 plans include live class offerings, an educational symposium, networking events and leadership opportunities.  None of those things would be possible without the leaders I’ve mentioned here, but none of them will be successful without participation by YOU.  Listen in to a Board meeting, sign up for a class, show up at a happy hour.  Spend some time with us in the Sunshine.

Wendi McAleese
Wendi McAleese, President