Things are moving quickly in 2023 and I hope the new year is treating you well so far.  The chapter kicked off the year with its first board meeting in January and discussed various items and events we are planning.  One of the topics this year is submitting our award recipients for 2022 to the region for award consideration.  Applications for Newsletter of the Year, Website of the Year, Government Employer of the Year, and Large and Small Employers of the Year have been submitted for consideration.  Best of luck to Chapter 57 and the deserving individuals (Sheryn Smay/Emily Madueno) and companies (Monument ROW/Santolucito Dore Group).
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​​Moving on to education, Education Chair Kelley Kelley is actively working on securing Course 502 for May and Co-Chair Tim Green is working on securing Course 901 for late Spring.  These courses will be a combination of hybrid and in-person courses.  Stay tuned for details on those and register early!

Robbie Hechanova, Kelley Kelley, and I will be attending the Region 1 (CA/NV/AZ) Spring Forum in San Francisco in April.  We can't wait to report back on the details of the forum that may benefit you, our members.  A reminder to register if you're planning on attending the IRWA Education Conference in Denver, CO, June 25-28, 2023, where we will vote on IRWA business and elect new officers.  We welcome all members to register and join us in Denver.
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In other news, the chapter will be opening nominations for officers soon and if you're interested in serving and volunteering at the local chapter level, please email our Nominations & Elections Chair, Ms. Christie Santolucito.

This month, the Chapter's new LinkedIn page went live, special thanks to Emily!  I'd encourage you all to follow us.
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Thanks for reading and have a great day!

​Hector Casillas, SR/WA

On behalf of the entire Chapter 57 Board, happy New Year!  We hope your holidays were filled with joy and laughter.

I’m happy to report the chapter successfully hosted its first education course in over three years which was held in November, Course 100 was a hit and it sold out!  Many thanks to Education Chairs, Kelley Kelley and Tim Green, for their efforts in bringing valuable training to all members.  Stay tuned for future course offerings they are securing this year.
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Robbie Hechanova, Kelley Kelley, and I are planning on attending the IRWA Annual Education Conference in Denver, CO, June 25-28, 2023 where we will vote on IRWA business and elect new officers.  We welcome all members to register and join us in Denver.
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In some sad news, the IRWA Right of Way Education Foundation’s past president, Mrs. Carol A. Croft, passed away on October 15, 2022 and in honor of her legacy, Chapter 57 donated $500 to the foundation as our token of appreciation.  I’d like to note, our members have directly benefited from scholarships from the foundation.

Ms. Darcy Mendoza was the recipient of the Leader’s Light the Way Scholarship in 2022 and I was the recipient of the State Association of Real Property Agents Scholarship in 2016.  The chapter is grateful for the contributions the foundation has and continues to make in educating its members and assisting those in the various paths towards earning an IRWA designation.  As a reminder, there is still time to apply for the Foundation’s new Leader’s Light the Way 2.0 scholarship, all the details are in their website. Good luck to all of those applying.  I’m looking forward to seeing more Chapter 57 members receiving these scholarships!

​In other news, the chapter will be opening nominations for officers soon and if you’re interested in serving and volunteering at the local chapter level, please email Nominations & Elections Chair, Ms. Christie Santolucito.

Please like us on Facebook or follow us on our new Instagram page (IRWA Chapter 57) to keep up with the latest information.

I am looking forward to seeing you at our next in person event.

Stay safe,
Hector Casillas, SR/WA

There are great things happening in our chapter from welcoming new members, restarting our course offerings, recognizing recipients of professional designations at luncheons, and hearing about all the great projects we are all delivering throughout the region!  The board is hard at work in planning for the rest of 22/23 FY, which includes a spring picnic on Earth Day, April 22, 2023, at Rancho Jurupa Regional Sports Park, where you and your families are invited.
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​The chapter recently hosted an event at TopGolf in Ontario and all in attendance had a blast. Past president, Matt Nusenow, won the Championship trophy!  Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/irwa57/) or follow us on our new Instagram page (IRWA_Chapter_57) for pictures.

For those of you who may not know me, I am Matt Nusenow, P.E., your new Chapter 57 President. My first exposure to eminent domain was a valuation dispute of a property contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, an industrial chemical used in transformers for its electrical insulating properties. My investigation of the property revealed that the contamination was not from the property owner’s operations, but from a salvage company that removed a transformer after draining the PCBs onto the ground. As my career already included remediation of contaminated sites and preparing the costs to remediate contamination, assisting in the valuation of contaminated sites seemed like a good fit.

The 5th Annual Joint Appraisal Institute Meeting, originally scheduled for April 7, has been rescheduled to April 21, due to a conflict.  Our meetings are still being conducted virtually.  Meeting information will be sent to you a day or so prior to the meeting.

Our annual election of officers and related chapter business will be conducted at the April membership meeting.  It is important that you attend this meeting to ensure that we have a quorum for voting.

The International Committees have been busy hosting webinars that are designed as lunch-n-learn (aimed at 1 hour) opportunities for all IRWA members.  Most of the webinars have been at no cost.  They are informative and easy to fit into your day.  Likewise, many chapters are offering virtual chapter meetings that are open to all members free of charge.  It is interesting to sit in our other chapter meetings.  Broaden your horizons.  Give it a try!

The annual education conference scheduled for June in San Antonio (June 6-9) is plowing full steam ahead.  In keeping with pandemic cautions, the conference will be offered as a hybrid in-person/virtual event.  Visit the IRWA website for information and registration (or our website).  The program will include many education sessions that range from 1 to 1-1/2 hours, and IRWA continuing education units are credited automatically.

Peggy Barnes, President
951.826.8357
Peggy.barnes@bbklaw.com

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
​Welcome, Chapter 57 Members, to 2021.

Here are a few changes that have taken place in the past year and items of note:

This time last year, chapter members elected and installed officers for the coming 2020-21 fiscal year:  Ruby Arellano, President; Peggy Barnes, President-Elect; Matt Nusenow, Treasurer; and Robbie Hechanova, Secretary; Professional Development members Sheryn Smay, SR/WA (3rd year), Patricia Villa, SR/WA (2nd year) and Patti Zendejas-Feist, SR/WA (1st year); as well as International Directors Ruby Arellano and Peggy Barnes. Regrettably, Ruby Arellano resigned from her position as chapter president.  As president-elect, I moved into that slot.  Matt Nusenow stepped up to fill the void and is currently serving as Treasurer and acting President-Elect.

I am pleased to report that the board of directors has accomplished several important items, most notably the drafting and IRWA Legal Counsel’s approval of new chapter bylaws, which will be put to vote in April.  The new bylaws will bring Chapter 57 in line with HQ directives, including authorizing electronic voting which, if the bylaws are adopted, will be used for our elections later this spring.

Our first virtual meeting was held via Zoom in November.  Matt Nusenow presented a tutorial on the IRWA website and how to find information about the IRWA and other members; navigating the Member Network and how to create a group and how to join existing groups (e.g., International Transportation Committee; Young Professionals, etc.), all of which are available as part of your membership.

The IRWA has made significant progress in converting courses to a virtual format.  If you have not done so, please consider exploring IRWA’s online classes.  One- and two-day classes are the most popular; there are classes available for each discipline and career path.  If you are this close to getting a certification or your SR/WA designation, this may help you reach your goal.  (Ask Kelley Kelley, our newest SR/WA!)

The cancellation of the annual Tri-Chapter Event opened the opportunity for our Inaugural Holiday Bingo via Zoom.  Darcy Mendoza did a fabulous job of hosting.  Emily Madueno and Matt Nusenow worked the raffle.  It was a bunch of fun.

If you have not renewed your membership, please do it now.  Your membership offers (1) job postings (currently 140 right of way jobs are listed); (2) Member Network for virtual knowledge exchange, content sharing and professional networking; and (3) Split-payment option for IRWA dues. If you wish to break up your IRWA dues into two payments, contact Mariah Carrillo, Membership Services, at carrilo@irowaonline.org for more information.

The upcoming Region 1 Spring Forum will be held virtually again this year.  The forums are open to all members, free of charge.  Participating in a Regional meeting will give you a better understanding of how the IRWA is structured and how business is conducted beyond the chapter level.  If you are interested, please contact me for details.

The February 3 membership meeting will feature Kevin Blair and Marcus Pigrom of Desmond, Marcello & Amster, and Randall Blaesi of Curtis-Rosenthal, Inc.

Our 5th Annual Joint Appraisal meeting will be held via Zoom on April 7th.  Our speakers will be Brad Kuhn of Nossaman and Rob Caringella of Jones, Roach, and Caringella.

I am proud to be a member of Chapter 57.  The commitment of the board and Chapter 57 members to stay connected and power through this difficult time is a testament to our perseverance, resilience and friendship.

Questions or comments?  Reach out to any board member or me.
– Peggy Barnes, peggy.barnes@bbklaw.com