What Now?

Angel Banks, SR/WA
RWIEF Trustee

Denver’s conference was fabulous! You learned lots of industry best practices and had a blast reconnecting with peers and friends. The Rocky Mountain scenery was simply breathtaking — maybe you stayed a few extra days to soak it all in. But in your after-conference glow, taking those first steps into a new Chapter and Region year can be daunting. What now?

Coming off high conference energy is a wonderful time to build leadership for the future. Leadership training and development is crucial for every Chapter and Region. So how do you engage in that learning process without breaking the bank? Great leadership skills are mouse clicks away via IRWA’s Leadership Institute modules, provided FREE to IRWA members. (You read that correctly – FREE.) Funded by the Right of Way International Education Foundation (RWIEF), eleven training modules help
prepare Chapter and Region volunteers to be more effective. And these principles provide personal development that can be used in other leadership roles through life as well.

Want to know how to develop a strategic plan, how to delegate and empower, how to make meetings work, or how to motivate volunteers? These topics and more can be found at IRWA U (for University). Go to www.irwaonline.org and select the Education tab. From there, select:

➢ Students,
➢ Online Education,
➢ The Library,
➢ Look for courses with a red dollar sign ($).

Want more? Just announced at conference, the Foundation is investing $225,000 in our up-andcoming IRWA leaders!! In memory of our past RWIEF President, Carol A. Croft, SR/WA, the Carol A. Croft Finish Line Memorial Scholarship will provide funding for SR/WA candidates who are within two courses of completing their designation. RWIEF will provide grants of up to $225,000 for the period of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, and IRWA will manage the program. There is no application
process. IRWA is contacting the 90 members that qualify. For any questions, contact Amir Vafamanesh at IRWA headquarters (vafamanesh@irwaonline.org). Chapter Presidents, make sure your future leaders take advantage of this amazing scholarship and cheer them on to the finish line.

There is no better way to build your organization than to provide leadership training and assist your members in the pursuit of ROW educatioN.

Angel Banks is the right of way manager for the Metropolitan Sewerage District, a regional public sewer authority in Asheville, NC. She created their right of way division in 1991, establishing policies/procedures for easements over 1,100 miles of sewer lines. Angel developed agreements with area municipalities allowing greenway uses over MSD’s sewer easements. She joined IRWA in 1991 and served Carolina’s Chapter 31, becoming president in 2004. From 2004, she served in Region 6 offices and was Chair from 2007-2009. She worked with the IRWA Leadership Institute and was awarded the Region 6 Professional of the Year in 2013. Angel is now serving her fourth term as a Trustee of the Right of Way International Education Foundation.

Download Article