My honor and privilege Diane Linderman, P.E., PWLF APWA President
n 1992, I became a member of the American Public Works Association but never envisioned such a long-term and deep journey with the organization. Since September in Denver at the Best Show in Public Works, I have been blessed to share the responsibility of leading the men and women of public works with a tremendous staff and leadership team. This year’s journey has included flying from one end of North America to the other to celebrate, learn, and listen to public works professionals. I have danced in Georgia, toured a water treatment plant in Baltimore, looked for wildlife in Tennessee, shared drinks with young professionals in Florida, played Wii tennis in Nevada, picked winning tickets in Sacramento, celebrated my birthday with 400-plus of my new best friends at the North American Snow Conference in Wisconsin, beached it in Ocean City, and worked the Charlotte APWA Snow Conference booth at the equipment show. From these experiences, I have learned so much and hopefully have shared some knowledge of my own to help others in the industry. I visited all nine APWA regions at least once. I have been able to share best practices between chapters and have connected members to members to share ideas for networking, membership growth, advocacy, and professional development, supporting and strengthening our chapters. I joined our Jennings Randolph grant recipients at the INGENIUM 2 APWA Reporter
August 2012
conference in New Zealand advancing our strategic priority of expanding and strengthening our international role. But being president is not about the travel. I believed that it was my responsibility to provide the leadership to move APWA forward in accordance with our eight strategic priorities and to provide a framework for our members to be the best public works professionals. So what have we done this year that will make APWA history? Our APWA priority is to offer an integrated and comprehensive approach to professional development and education—thus the APWA Donald C. Stone Center for Leadership Excellence in Public Works was launched this year. Over 250 members are now engaged in the DCS Center either as Public Works Fellows, who will impart their knowledge and experience to our leaders of tomorrow, or as members seeking the achievement of becoming certified as Public Works Supervisors, Managers or Executives. I believe the continued education and professional development for all levels of leadership and technical expertise are critical for our future. To grow and strengthen our membership, our members received one of the most awesome benefits in years—unlimited access to our online library of training and education, 24/7, with no additional access fees which began July 1. For a mere $15 dues increase, you get to
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