Members News

Jun 29, 2023 - New officers elected!
Congratulations to our newly elected officers:



Full list of officers is available here.

Mar 07, 2021 - Mike Burns - in Memoriam


It is with great sadness that Mike Burns, a retired Land Department Land Agent passed away yesterday evening from COVID-19. Mike fought a courageous battle against COVID-19. He will be remembered for being a great friend, co-worker, and family man. Mike had so many interests and was a history and sports buff especially a proud ASU Sun Devil alumni/fan. He loved to talk about the Sun Devils and let you know it! His passion for history was so evident in his knowledge of SRPs water and power systems. If you ever needed any information on an SRP facility, Mike was the expert and would make sure you were well informed after talking to him. He was a member of IRWA and served as chapter president and on numerous utilities committees. His knowledge of sports and military history was second to none. It was ever so humbling that Mike knew more about your sports team than you. His passion for military history was simply incredible as he had never served in the military. Mike was the quintessential person and will be missed greatly. Please keep Mike and his family in your thoughts during this difficult time. A virtual service will be help Sunday March 7, 2021 at 2 PM via facebook.ascend.church Thank you.

Feb 10, 2021 - New officer bios posted!

Biography for Cristina Hernandez, SR/WA, R/W-RAC

I have over twenty years of experience in the real estate field. Specific experience has been in the areas of project management, acquisition, residential/business relocation, and title work. Currently a Project Manager with the City of Phoenix, managing acquisition/negotiation/relocation for its Public Transit, Streets, Aviation, Neighborhood Services and Water Services Departments. Prior to working for the City, I had the honor of serving as a Project Manager for Acquisition Sciences, Ltd. I have dedicated myself to the right of way profession and have enjoyed hands on experience in all aspects of acquisition and relocation projects. Through my City of Phoenix employment, I have also had the opportunity to volunteer for the City's Community Service Fund Drive which contributes money from fund raising activities and donations for various community charities. Throughout my career, I have provided governmental agencies with project management, acquisition, and comprehensive relocation assistance services in compliance with the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Polices Act of 1970. I am a senior member of the IRWA and hold a Senior Right of Way Designation (SR/WA) and a certification in Relocation Assistance (R/W-RAC) from IRWA.

Biography for MARTHA OJEDA, RWA

Martha Ojeda is a Right of Way Agent with 18 years of experience working alongside Consultant Engineering, Inc. Martha specializes in Acquisition and Relocation and uses her expertise to contribute to the exciting advances in the transportation industry working as a consultant for the Arizona Department of Transportation. Her goal with the International Right of Way Association, is to make a significant contribution for mutual growth and success. During her free time, Martha enjoys reading, traveling and learning new languages.

Biography for JOHN GAFFNEY

I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and was raised in Glendale, Arizona for most of my life. I attended Arizona State University from 2011 to 2015. I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Health Science. During my time at ASU I was fortunate enough to gain my introduction to Real Estate. I was hired on as a Leasing Consultant for The Met, a privately owned apartment complex in the heart of Downtown Phoenix, where I worked for three years. At the beginning of 2016 I was hired by the Maricopa County Assessor's Office, where I worked for almost four years. During this time I was introduced to a different side of Real Estate, property taxes. I was able to work my way through two years of Appraisal courses and gain the knowledge to properly tax Residential Real Estate. I worked on a newly founded team within the Assessor's Office, Desktop Review, which allowed the County to remotely appraise residential communities that had not been valued in over 20 to 30 years, bringing property taxes up to date. In 2019 I was hired by the Maricopa County Real Estate Department, where I currently work, as a Property Management Specialist. I sell excess land for the Flood Control District of Maricopa County and Maricopa County Department of Transportation, as well as assist with other projects, such as leasing, Right of Way and easements. I am constantly learning about the multifaceted world of Real Estate and Right of Way, how they intertwine and am excited to take my previous knowledge forward with me, applying it to my career in the future.

Biography for DAYMARA CESAR

Daymara Cesar is currently the Assistant Program Manager at OPC Services. A right of way company (ROW) with 40 years of experience in ROW services. In this capacity, she assists with the overall programmatic management of ROW programs. Some of her responsibilities lie with managing program structure, resources, prioritization, and program execution throughout the duration of projects. Prior to joining the ROW industry, Daymara was the CEO and founder of Universal Transportation Network Incorporated (UTN, Inc.). A small engineering firm offering transportation/traffic engineering in the Arizona and Texas geographical regions. She served in this capacity for 5 years. In addition, Daymara spent 16 years working as a civil engineering serving in different capacities for a wide range of projects within the transportation/traffic civil engineering industry for public and private clients ranging from $20K to $2.0M. Daymara graduated from Arizona State University (ASU) with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Civil Engineering. She then continued to earn a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) with emphasis in Market Finance along with a post-graduate certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies and Small Business Management from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Feb 05, 2021 - Tierra ROW welcomes ROW Agent John Huntley
Tierra Right of Way Services Welcomes Right of Way Agent John Huntley

PHOENIX -Tierra Right of Way Services, Ltd. (Tierra), is pleased to announce the hire of John Huntley as a Right of Way Agent in the company's Phoenix office. Mr. Huntley brings more than 13 years of property operations experience to his new role, as well as superior negotiation skills, strong technical knowledge, and budget and schedule management expertise. He has extensive experience in all aspects of property management and particular expertise on issues affecting commercial real estate.

John is an excellent negotiator and we're very happy to welcome him to Tierra, said Mack Dickerson, Tierra's Vice President of Right of Way Operations. His focus on customer satisfaction and his deep knowledge of the Phoenix-area real estate market will make him a valuable asset to our team and clients.

For more information, contact Tierra's Phoenix office at (602) 682-0000, or reach out to Mr. Huntley directly at jhuntley@tierra-row.com.

Tierra Right of Way Services, Ltd., part of the CLS family of companies, was established in 1989 and provides right of way, environmental, cultural resource, and other land services for clients throughout the western United States. With eleven offices in six states, Tierra is prepared to handle projects of any size and scope in any region. For more information, visit www.tierra-row.com.

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Oct 04, 2020 - Tierra Right of Way Services Welcomes NEPA Specialist Allison Getty


TUCSON, AZ - Tierra Right of Way Services, Ltd. (Tierra), is pleased to announce the hire of Allison Getty, M.A., as Project Manager/Environmental Compliance Lead in the company's Tucson headquarters. Ms. Getty is a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) specialist with more than 13 years of professional experience in environmental planning and land use, project management, and permitting and compliance. An expert in State and Federal environmental law, policy, and regulations, she has extensive experience managing NEPA projects for energy, transportation, pipeline, oil and gas, and development projects.

Allison is an expert on a wide range of planning and compliance issues, said Tom Euler, Director of Tierra's Cultural Resources and Environmental Planning Division. Her knowledge and experience will be great assets to our environmental planning team.

For more information, contact Tierra 's Tucson headquarters at (520) 319-2106, or reach out to Ms. Getty directly at agetty@tierra-row.com

Tierra Right of Way Services, Ltd., was established in 1989 and provides right of way, environmental, cultural resource, and other land services for clients throughout the western United States. With nine offices in six states, Tierra is prepared to handle projects of any size and scope in any region. For more information, visit www.tierra-row.com.

Jun 23, 2020 - Val Hernandez, retiree from SRP, passed away last Sunday, June 14


Feb 11, 2020 - Congratulations to our new 2020-21 Officers
1-year International Director - Mona Cervantes, SR/WA
2-year International Director - Jennifer Rodriquez, RWA
President - Jennifer Rodriquez, RWA
President Elect - Cristina Hernandez, SR/WA, R/W-RAC
Treasurer - Martha Ojeda, RWA
Secretary - John Gaffney
PDC Chair - Caroline Tillman, SR/WA, R/W-RAC
2-year PDC Member - Debbie Ortega, SR/WA
3-year PDC Member ??? TBD


Jul 01, 2018 - Congratulations to our newly installed officers!!
1-year International Director -Karen Williams
2-year International Director -Amber Campbell
President -Amber Campbell
President Elect -Mona Cervantes
Treasurer -Jennifer Rodriquez
Secretary - Cristina Hernandez
PDC Chair -Chris Banks
2-year PDC Member -Tim Blummentritt
3-year PDC Member - Caroline Tillman


Jan 18, 2018 - Mona Cervantes appointed Treasurer.
Mona Cervantes has been appointed Chapter Treasurer. Unfortunately for us, Kimberly Romero has to step down because of her recent promotion with Maricopa County. Congratulations to Kimberly and thank you to Mona!

Jul 27, 2017 - Congratulations to our new officers


Jun 22, 2017 - Dwight Davis - In Memoriam
Mr. Davis was a long-time IRWA member and founder of the Davis Valuation Group.

The Arizona Republic's full obituary is available here.


Feb 14, 2017 - Congratulations - Chad Wakefield has earned his SR/WA
Congratulations to Chad Wakefield for his hard earned SR/WA designation. Tim Blumentritt, PDC Chair, presented the designation at our February 14th Chapter Meeting.


Tim Blumentritt, PDC Chair presenting member Chad Wakefield with his SR/WA


Chad Wakefield, Doug Estes, Nominations and Elections Chair, and Mike Wilson, Transportation Chair

Oct 13, 2016 - Mike Gibelyou - In Memoriam
It is with a heavy heart that I share the sad news of Mike Gibelyou's passing Thursday, October 13, 2016. Mike worked for UniSource Energy Services in Kingman, AZ for over 23 years. Along with being a very active community volunteer, his knowledge and expertise as the Senior Right of Way Agent will be greatly missed.


Memorial services for Mike will be held in Kingman on Saturday, October 29th at 2:00 p.m. at the LDS Church on the corner of Eastern and Southern.


Please keep Mike and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Rest in peace Mike, you will be missed.


Obituary: http://kdminer.com/news/2016/oct/23/obituary-michael-gibelyou/



Oct 10, 2016 - Welcome New Members!
Welcome to Verna Harding, Henry A. Solid, David R. Smith, James G. Feltmann, Cindy Lizarraga, and Jackson Roy Paquette!