The APWA Donald C. Stone Public Works Leadership Fellows: A great opportunity

Mabel Tinjacá, Ph.D., Director of Professional Development, and Joan Awald, Professional Development Coordinator, American Public Works Association, Kansas City, Missouri

n September 19, 2011, 96 of the top leaders in public works accepted their certificates and pins, becoming the inaugural class of APWA Public Works Leadership Fellows (PWLF). In doing so, they committed themselves to mentor an individual in the APWA Donald C. Stone Center for Leadership Excellence in Public Works, a person seeking to secure a leadership credential. It was a moving celebration as the Fellows heard Dr. Don Stone, Jr., share his father’s vision and values about public service and leadership.

By the time this publication is in your hands, most of the 96 Fellows will be on their way to working with their mentees for at least 40 hours in 2012. We have been very successful in attracting the best and most experienced professionals in public works to be the mentors of the next generation of leaders. Among the mentors are APWA’s current president (Diane Linderman) and a number of past national presidents, as well as many Top Ten award winners and chapter leaders.

The caliber and number of applications submitted during the second round of applications last fall was again excellent, increasing the total number of PWLFs to approximately 140. Leaders interested in becoming PWLFs are encouraged to submit their application by January 17, 2012. We anticipate reaching our goal of 200 mentors by the end of this month and we will then close PWLF applications for this fiscal year.

The Mentors

As we enter this next phase of implementation, we are very excited by the response from the APWA membership and public works professionals. If you visit the website at www.apwa.net/donald-c-stone, you will see a catalog of mentors. It might be worth your while to explore the professional depth within this group of leaders. Just click on any Fellow’s name to see the caliber of leadership represented by each individual’s professional history. From this list, the mentees will select their top three candidates and the staff will try to match the mentees with their first choice. Conference calls between mentors and staff will be scheduled to discuss the mentoring process, the program philosophy and ethics, and software applications.

Mentors will have access to additional resources as they begin planning for the initial phone call with their mentees. Mentors chosen to work with a Level 3: Public Works Executive (PWE) candidate will work closely with their mentees as they develop their capstone projects and prepare their defense on the oral exams. Many of the capstone projects will be submitted to APWA for publication on our website. The abstracts of recently submitted papers can be found in the Applied Public Works Research section in this issue of the Reporter. As PWE candidates continue to submit papers, the abstracts will be published quarterly in the Reporter.

The Mentees

The mentees will also receive a packet of information about accessing their accounts, selecting a mentor, taking their assessments, journaling, signing up for an institute, developing a project, and finally completing their professional portfolio. The mentees will initiate contact with their mentor to determine the best method for communicating. We have found that Skype (or a similar web-based application) is a convenient and effective way to establish a strong mentoring relationship. If this is not feasible, collaboration between the mentee and mentor can be done via regular telephone calls and e-mail.

Martin Luther King, Jr., once said that we can all be great, because we can be of service. Certainly we have an exceptional group of professionals willing to serve as mentors to those who aspire to become leaders. Together they will be working to ensure that the next generation of leaders is ready for the challenges before the profession, while the tradition of community and public service continues. This is what makes public works a great profession and this, a great opportunity.

Mabel Tinjacá can be reached at (816) 595-5214 or mtinjaca@apwa.net; Joan Awald can be reached at (816) 5955217 or jawald@apwa.net.