<![CDATA[IRWA CHAPTER 57 - Newsletters]]>Sun, 17 May 2026 03:07:17 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[April / May 2026 Newsletter]]>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 01:22:34 GMThttp://www.irwa57.org/newsletters/april-may-2026-newsletter. . . On The Move!
President's Message
By Ramie Dawit, SR/WA
Hello, Chapter 57 Members and Friends! I hope this message finds you well as we move further into the second quarter of the year. It’s been great to see the continued engagement and participation from our members over the past few months, and I’m 
grateful for the ongoing support of our chapter.
​
It was wonderful seeing many of you at our 11th Annual Joint Luncheon with the Southern California Chapter of the Appraisal Institute on April 8th. Our topic, “Getting your House in Order: Deposition Preparation for the Appraiser in a Virtual World” was very informative. Our panel of speakers included Jacinto (Jay) Munoz, MAI, of Cogito Realty Partners, Mark Easter, Esq., and Andrew Saghian, Esq., of Best Best & Krieger. They provided some valuable takeaways for our appraisers and right of way professionals. A big thank you to our panelists for sharing their expertise and to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion.

​I would like to highlight an exciting scholarship opportunity through the RWIEF. The Fifty for Fifty Scholarship Program is offering fifty $2,500
scholarships to IRWA members pursuing certification and continuing education. Applications are due by May 15, 2026. I encourage anyone who is eligible to take advantage of this opportunity. You can learn more and apply here:  Fifty for Fifty Scholarship.
Additionally, the Spring Forum will be taking place in Santa Barbara from May 7th to 9th, hosted by Chapter 47. I will be attending along with our President Elect, Tim Green. We are looking forward to
representing Chapter 57, connecting with fellow members, and bringing back valuable insights to share with our Chapter.

​The Annual International Education Conference will be held in Omaha, Nebraska, from June 26th to 29th. Tim Green, President-Elect, and Jessica Andresen, Secretary, will attend and represent Chapter 57.

Looking ahead, we will be hosting a seminar and additional courses in the coming months. We look forward to sharing more details soon and hope to see
many of you there.

​Thank you again for your continued involvement and support. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.

​All the best,
Ramie Dawit, SR/WA
Chapter 57 President 25/26
]]><![CDATA[February / March 2026 Newsletter]]>Sat, 21 Feb 2026 03:57:23 GMThttp://www.irwa57.org/newsletters/february-march-2026-newsletter​. . . On The Move!
President's Message
By Ramie Dawit, SR/WA
Hello, Chapter 57 Members and Friends! I
hope the new year has been off to a great
start. 2026 is well underway and we are
nearing the end of the first quarter. Time is
just flying! I hope it has been a productive
and rewarding start to the year both
professionally and personally.

It was great seeing many of you at our first
luncheon of the year on February 11th. We
had a very engaging presentation on
updates to the Uniform Act by Artin
Shaverdian and Kevin Day of Nossaman,
and Daniella Borbe from Monument ROW.
The discussion was insightful and highly
relevant to the work we all do. A big thank
you to our speakers for sharing their
expertise and making the session so
informative.

​In January, we also successfully hosted
Course 700, Introduction to Property &
Asset Management. Special thank you to
our instructors, Hector Casillas, SR/WA
and Lisa Amos, SR/WA. The course was
well attended, and the feedback was all
around positive.

​Looking ahead, Chapter 57 will be hosting
an Engineering Seminar and Casino Night
on March 26, topic “Project Delivery
Methods”. This will be a great opportunity
to learn, connect, and enjoy an evening
with fellow members and colleagues. We
are also currently working on scheduling
an IRWA appraisal course in Quarter 2.
More details will be shared soon.
I would also like to highlight that the
Duncan Bush IRWA Real Estate
Appraisal Memorial Scholarship
application is currently open from January
1st through April 30th. This scholarship is
available for IRWA appraisal courses and
is available to members across all
chapters. If you are interested or have any
questions, please feel free to reach out to:
Bob Perdue
(r.perdue@rsprea.com)
Christie Santolucito
(christie@sdgroupinc.com)
Peggy Barnes
(peggybarnes71@outlook.com)

Upcoming regional and national events
include the Spring Forum, which will be
hosted in Santa Barbara by Chapter 47 in
late April or early May and the 72nd Annual
International Education Conference in
Omaha Nebraska, taking place June 26th -
29th. These events offer opportunities for
education, networking and professional
growth within the IRWA.

Thank you for all your continued
involvement, support, and dedication to our
chapter. I look forward to seeing you at our
upcoming events.

​All the best,
Ramie Dawit, SR/WA
Chapter 57 President 25/26
]]><![CDATA[October / November 2025 Newsletter]]>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 20:12:31 GMThttp://www.irwa57.org/newsletters/october-november-2025-newsletter. . . On The Move!
President's Message
By Ramie Dawit, SR/WA
Greetings everyone! Happy November! Halloween is behind us, Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and the holiday season is literally around the corner. With 2025 at its tail end, we still have so many things to accomplish.

I first want to thank everyone that was able to take the course interest survey that the chapter sent out in September. We have tallied up the numbers and will soon finalize the course that will be offered in Q2 of 2026. In addition, we are scheduled to offer course 700, Introduction to Property & Asset Management. This course is being scheduled for in person instruction in January of 2026. We will also be hosting an educational seminar in March of 2026. Please look out for additional details coming soon.

I was happy to see so many of our members and new attendees come out to our September luncheon to hear about how AI is impacting ROW. Big kudos to Bernadette Duran from Nossaman and Hector Casillas from RCTC on a wonderful presentation! Looking forward to seeing everyone again at our February luncheon, which will be held at the Victoria Club on Wednesday, February 11th 2026.  Nossaman will be presenting on the recent updates to the Uniform Act. This will be our first luncheon of 2026 so please come out and celebrate the new year with us​!
I wanted to also highlight a few events. IRWA Region 1 Fall Forum took place in Phoenix, Arizona this year from October 24-25, hosted at the historic Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park.  Such a Beautiful place! I was in attendance, along with Paul Mim Mack, our Chapter Treasurer, Kelley Kelley, Region 1 Vice Chair, Peggy Barnes, Region 1 Nominations and Elections Representative, and Randall Blaesi, Valuations Committee Chair. The theme for the event was “Home Run in the Desert: Where the Diamond Meets the Desert”.  Obviously, I had to represent with my Dodgers gear 😉. Lots of fun competitive spirit! We discussed several topics including the creation of new task forces that focus on certain needs within the organization as well as a new and improved credentialing system that will be rolled out in the near future.

​We also have our annual Tri-Chapter Luncheon which will be hosted by Chapter 1 this year. It will be held on December 10, 2025, at the Huntington – Haaga Hall in San Marino. I hope to see you all there.

​
All the best,
Ramie Dawit, SR/WA
​Chapter 57 President 25/26
]]><![CDATA[August / September 2025 Newsletter]]>Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:17:15 GMThttp://www.irwa57.org/newsletters/august-september-2025-newsletter. . . On The Move!
President's Message
By Ramie Dawit, RWP
Hello, my fellow Chapter 57 members. I hope this message finds you all well. Me? Just getting back to the routine of it all. Summer has ended and kids are back to school! And I’m geared up and ready for my term as Chapter President.

This year, we had the International Education Conference in beautiful Virginia Beach. It was well attended with lots of seminars and courses offered. Paul Mim Mack, our chapter treasurer shares more details about the event further down. Scroll below to check out some highlights that Paul is sharing with us. Our next international education conference will be in Omaha, Nebraska, June 26-29. I hope to see you all there!

​Please make sure to come out to our luncheons and listen in on the various topics we have selected for you. We host them every other month, with the exception of  skipping 1 month around the holidays. Luncheons are September, November, February, April & June.
Our September luncheon will be quite interesting. We have Hector Casillas from RCTC and Bernadette Duran-
Brown from Nossaman speaking on How AI is Impacting ROW. Not sure about you all but I am so ready to hear how AI is impacting our industry.

Lastly, we will be working to offer more courses through our chapter this year. We are looking to see what courses our members are most in need of so that we can focus on those. To do that, we will be sending out a survey to all our
members. I ask you all to please take a moment and make your selections. Courses may be in person or virtual. Also, for those not aware, the chapter reimburses for the last course you take right before your SRWA. So, let’s get
er’ don folks!! 😊

All the best,
Ramie Dawit, RWP
Chapter 57 President 25/26
]]><![CDATA[June / July 2025 Newsletter]]>Tue, 29 Jul 2025 15:34:19 GMThttp://www.irwa57.org/newsletters/june-july-2025-newsletter. . . On The Move!
Outgoing President's Message
​Darcy Mendoza, SR/WA, R/W-NAC
​2024-2025
​To Our Chapter 57 IRWA Members . . .
Happy Summer Everyone! I want to start by saying thank you and farewell.  Serving as your President for Chapter 57  has been an honor.  I have met so many new people in this role and I have had the pleasure of working with so many of our members and an amazing Executive Board.  Many of you helped me through some challenges and I hope in return I was able to make an impact on others as well.
Thank you for all the support. I look forward to working with all of you on future events for Chapter 57.  Wishing the incoming Board all the best.
Cheers,
Darcy Mendoza, SR/WA, R/W-NAC
Incoming President's Message
Ramie Dawit, RWP
2025-2026
To Our Chapter 57 IRWA Members . . .
Hello Everyone!  My name is Ramie Dawit and I am the incoming Chapter 57 president for the 2025/2026 term.  For  those that are not familiar with the process, this was 4 years in the making.  I had been part of Chapter 57 for many  years, but I didn’t know about all the opportunities to get more involved.  It took one conversation about all the different layers the chapter had to offer, and from there I was sold!  I started off by being elected as the chapter  secretary, which was a 1-year term.  After I completed this term, I continued as the chapter treasurer for another 1-year  term, and by the 3rd year I took the position of President Elect (aka Vice President).  These 3 years have literally just flown by. Now on my 4th year I am thrilled to be serving as your chapter 57 president.

So, who am I?  I started my right-of-way career back in 2007 as an agent and fast forwarding to 2025, I am now a Sr.  Project Manager at Monument ROW.  I have been in the ROW industry for over 18 years and have been involved with  IRWA just as long.  I have managed many large transportation and rail projects, and I truly love my work.  I hold my RWP and am working towards obtaining my SRWA in the next few months.  This recognition will be achieved while I serve as  your chapter president, which I am excited about.  I am also a wife and mother of three kids, whom I absolutely adore.

This year, I want to encourage more of our members to attend our chapter luncheons.  These gatherings are not only an opportunity to network but also a chance to connect with fellow industry leaders.  I, along with our amazing executive team and board members, encourage you to take advantage of everything our chapter offers—from luncheons and events to leadership roles within the board or executive team.  I look forward to serving as your Chapter 57 president 😊.

​Ramie Dawit, RWP
Chapter 57 President 25/26
]]><![CDATA[April / May 2025 Newsletter]]>Sun, 06 Apr 2025 19:05:00 GMThttp://www.irwa57.org/newsletters/april-may-2025-newsletter. . . On The Move!
President's Message
​By Darcy Mendoza, ​SR/WA, R/W-NAC
Spring is in the air. The sun is shining and before we know it summer will be here. We have a couple of events coming up so please be on the lookout.

Chapter 57 will be holding its April Luncheon on April 23rd at the Victoria Club in Riverside with guest speaker  Tim Drennan, CAE Executive Director, IRWA and he will be discussing:
  • IRWA HQ: Who are they, and what do they do?
  • Leadership Opportunities: How do I find the right fit for me?
  • Collaboration: Why do we want to collaborate with others?

Our Joint Luncheon with the Southern California Appraisal Institute will be June 11, 2025, at the Victoria Club with speakers Eric Schneider, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS,  R/WAC, Principal, Schneider Valuation Consultant’s and  Andrew G. Saghian, Esq., Associate, Best, Best &  Krieger LLP and they will be discussing:
  • What’s So Special About Special-Use Properties? Insight on CA Evidence Code Section 824

Our communications chair, Ms. Emily Madueno, has  sent out invite/Save the Date for both of these events.   Be sure to register soon, we can’t wait to see you all.
Mr. Paul Mim Mack and Mr. Tim Green will be attending the Region 1 Spring Forum in San Diego on May 2-3rd.  In addition, myself and Mr. Paul Mim Mack as well as other members will be attending the IRWA Annual Education Conference in Virginia Beach on June 1-4th.

With my year as the Chapter 57 president coming to an end, I would like to take a moment to send a special thank you to my executive board, Ramie Dawit, Tim Green and Paul Mim Mack for all their support this year. A big thank you to the Board, various committees, and all our members for your continued support. Each of you volunteer your time, work hard, and you play an important role in this chapter, so thank you. I have enjoyed collaborating with all of you and I look forward to working with each of you on future events for IRWA. I am thankful for the opportunity to have served as your president for the 2024/2025 board.

I am wishing all the best to, Ms. Ramie Dawit, who is  next to take over as your 2025/2026 Chapter 57 president. I have no doubt she will be a Rockstar!

See you all soon,
Darcy Mendoza, SR/WA, R/W-NAC
]]><![CDATA[February / March 2025 Newsletter]]>Tue, 18 Feb 2025 17:56:52 GMThttp://www.irwa57.org/newsletters/february-march-2025-newsletter. . . On The Move!
President's Message
​By Darcy Mendoza, ​SR/WA, R/W-NAC
To Our Chapter 57 IRWA Members . . .
Hello 2025! I hope your year is treating
you well so far with nothing but positive
energy and good vibes. I don’t feel like
there was much of a slowdown as we have
felt in prior years, and everyone has just
jumped right in full force. Our Board met
for the first time in January, and we
discussed various topics including our
upcoming Chapter 57 Luncheon on
February 12th at the Victoria Club in
Riverside. Our speakers will be Michelle
Holiday and Kit Cole discussing Outreach
and Engagement with Native American
Tribes around Big Energy Infrastructure.
We are looking forward to this luncheon
and we hope to see you all there. Please
don’t forget to register. We also have
Course 901 Engineering Plan
Development and Application on February
27th and course 902 Property Descriptions
on February 28th being offered in person.
If you have not registered, please do so as
there are still spots available. You will not
want to miss out.
​Our Chapter representatives will be
attending the Region 1 Spring Forum in
Palm Springs in May. We can’t wait to
share all the updates from the forum that
may benefit our members. A reminder to
register if you are planning on attending
the IRWA Education Conference in
Virginia Beach, June 1-4, 2025.

In other news, the Chapter will be opening
nominations for officers soon and if you
are interested in serving and volunteering
at the local chapter level, please email me
at dmendoza@epicland.com.

See you all at the February Luncheon!

Cheers!
Darcy
]]><![CDATA[December 2024 / January 2025 Newsletter]]>Wed, 18 Dec 2024 19:24:55 GMThttp://www.irwa57.org/newsletters/december-2024-january-2025-newsletter​. . . On The Move!
President's Message
​By Darcy Mendoza, SR/WA, R/W-NAC
To Our Chapter 57 IRWA Members . . .
Colder weather is finally here. Time to pull out those warm sweaters and jackets and enjoy the Holiday season. The craziness of the Holidays has set in, and we had a very successful IRWA Tri-Chapter hosted by Chapter 57. I would like to extend a big shout out to my amazing Executive Board members, Ramie Dawit, Tim Green, and Paul Mim Mack for all your hard work in helping put on such a beautiful event. A special thank you to Holly Rockwell, Senior Executive Officer with LA Metro for being our Guest Speaker and a big thank you to all our sponsors and guests for attending.

We have a couple of in person IRWA Courses coming up so please don’t forget to sign up. Course 901 Engineering Plan Development & Application on February 27, 2025, and Course 902 Property Descriptions on February 28, 2025, both located in Riverside. Also, registration is now open for the 71st Annual International Education Conference in Virginia Beach, VA on June 1-4, 2025. If you are interested in Volunteering, please visit the website for more information.

Wishing you all a Happy Holiday and a very Happy New Year!

Cheers to 2025!
Darcy
]]><![CDATA[October / November 2024 Newsletter]]>Wed, 09 Oct 2024 15:19:28 GMThttp://www.irwa57.org/newsletters/october-november-2024-newsletter. . . On The Move!
President's Message
​By Darcy Mendoza, SR/WA, R/W-NAC
To Our Chapter 57 IRWA Members . . .
Looks like Summer may be here to stay. We are in October and still in the 90’s. With Fall here, I am sure you all are wishing for sweater weather.

There are a few upcoming events locally I would like to share with you all. IRWA Course 901 Engineering Plan Development & Application February 27th and Course 902 Property Descriptions February 28th both in Riverside. We are also holding Course 701 Property Management on November 7th and 8th at RCTC. Please don’t forget to sign up. We are also getting ready to open registration for our 2024 Tri-Chapter Luncheon which will be held at the Victoria Club in Riverside on December 4th. Our speaker this year will be Holly Rockwell, Senior Executive Officer with LA Metro. We will be looking for sponsors as well so please reach out to myself at dmendoza@epicland.com if you are interested. I am looking forward to seeing everyone there.
​
With the Holidays quickly approaching and our busy schedules lets remember to take a moment and be thankful for each day.

Cheers!
Darcy
]]><![CDATA[August / September 2024 Newsletter]]>Wed, 21 Aug 2024 22:08:47 GMThttp://www.irwa57.org/newsletters/august-september-2024-newsletter. . . On The Move!
To Our Chapter 57 IRWA Members . . .
President's Message
By Darcy Mendoza,
SR/WA, R/W-NAC
Hello Summer! Looks like the heat is here to stay for a while.
It was a hot one in Long Beach for the 2024 annual Education Conference. I along with many members of the board including, Tim Green, Ramie Dawit, Paul Mim Mack, and several other members attended the conference in Long Beach. It was great to see so many familiar faces as well as meet so many new people. It was an honor to have our Chapter 57 nominated for not ONE but TWO awards this year. We were nominated for Newsletter of the Year as well as Social Media Presence of the Year. Thank you to our very own Sheryn Smay and Emily Madueno for all the hard work you do with our Newsletters and our Social Media and
keeping everyone informed with all the upcoming news and information.
I am looking forward to this year as your President and serving with an amazing executive team. We have some exciting things happening this year. We will be holding IRWA Course 701 (Property Management Leasing) on November 7-8, 2024, at the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) as well as hosting the 2024 Tri-Chapter Luncheon on December 4, 2024, at the Victoria Club. We will have more details to follow on both. We are looking forward to this event and we hope to see you all there.
Cheers and stay cool!
​Darcy
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