IRWA Chapter 20 Executive Board
Meet the Chapter 20 Executive Board Members for the 2024-2025 fiscal year:
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DIRECTOR: Sean Lawler, SR/WA
Sean, now Senior Manager of Development at National Grid Renewables, previously served as Senior Land Rights Agent at Xcel Energy. With a tenure starting in 2012, he adeptly managed land rights acquisition and permitting for large-scale electric utility projects across the upper Midwest. Sean's negotiation skills were instrumental in securing land rights and guiding projects through regulatory processes. Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Planning and Community Development from St. Cloud University, Sean is committed to excellence, as demonstrated by his membership in the International Right of Way Association (IRWA) since 2013, where he holds the SR/WA designation.
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PRESIDENT: Faye Gillespie
Faye is a Right of Way Specialist with more than 20 years experience in the real estate industry; the past 10 years concentrating on acquisition and relocation projects. Faye offers a unique blend of technical expertise with valuable behind the scenes experience. Her specialty is relationship management, superior client service, building trust and rapport with landowners, and maintaining open lines of communication with all parties to ensure a timely and efficient process. Faye is experienced in land rights for local and state governments, as well as public and private utilities and other entities. She has been a member of the IRWA since 2011.
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PRESIDENT-ELECT: Joseph Haefner
Joe began surveying in 1997 and is licensed in the states in of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. As the Energy Sector Survey Manager, he oversees all aspects of land surveying and mapping activities from initial set-up through project delivery. Additionally, Joe leads the survey management team providing strategic vision, integrated coordination, standards, performance, and staff development.
Joe’s project experience includes energy projects such as electric transmission, electric sub-stations, natural gas pipelines, gas regulator stations, industrial plants, and wind turbine projects. He has experience performing, preparing, and supervising surveys involving government land corners and corner certificates, section breakdowns, highway right-of-way, and railroad property and is responsible for boundary, topographic, and engineering design surveys; section corner re-monumentation, right-of-way and subdivision platting, ALTA/NSPS land title surveys, construction staking, acquisition surveys, and preparing and interpreting property descriptions.
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TREASURER: Michael Stupka
Mike is a real estate appraiser for the Metropolitan Council. He oversees the valuation needed by the Metropolitan Council in the regional policy-making, planning, and providing of essential services to the seven-county Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota. Mike has been appraising for 33 years and enjoys being involved with organizations to promote the profession while taking time to enjoy travel and yardwork. He also enjoys collecting and restoring antique lighting.
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SECRETARY: Madalynn Brendon
Madalynn joined Great River Energy as a field representative in the Land Rights Department in September 2023. She carries out acquisition for transmission lines, substations, and more working closely with property owners to secure easements. She holds the RWA certification. She is the Chapter 20 Environmental Chair and Social Media/Marketing Chair.
An accomplished Environmental Science and Conservation professional holding an MS in Environmental Science, Madalynn brings her expertise to the real estate industry as a licensed REALTOR in the Twin Cities area. Her diverse background includes being featured as a local real estate expert on HGTV's House Hunters, where her knowledge and passion for property and land acquisition shone through. With a well-developed skill set encompassing research, writing, planning, and consulting, she is adept at navigating complex environmental and real estate landscapes both domestically and internationally.
Committee Members
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.
Service Committees
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Nominations and Elections Committee
Brian has 20+ years of customer driven team leadership, project development and delivery in the construction and real estate fields for both private and public purposes. He has leveraged communications, analysis, and collaboration skills learned through a variety of roles and experiences to successfully deliver projects ranging from local to regional, 100k to $100M+. He has a proven emphasis on delivering results on time, under budget, and meeting or exceeding project scopes and goals through both individual and team efforts.
Broadly based specialties include:
-Team Member Development
-Client relations and project development
-Client and customer experience and goal delivery
-Project planning and analysis, including adaptive risk analysis
-Cross functional teams and collaborative, problem solving, solutions
-Stakeholder relations
-Valuations and valuation reviews
-Public meetings and speaking
-Contract negotiations
-Full and partial property acquisition and leasing
-Local permitting -
Professional Development Committee
Sean, now Senior Manager of Development at National Grid Renewables, previously served as Senior Land Rights Agent at Xcel Energy. With a tenure starting in 2012, he adeptly managed land rights acquisition and permitting for large-scale electric utility projects across the upper Midwest. Sean's negotiation skills were instrumental in securing land rights and guiding projects through regulatory processes. Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Planning and Community Development from St. Cloud University, Sean is committed to excellence, as demonstrated by his membership in the International Right of Way Association (IRWA) since 2013, where he holds the SR/WA designation.
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Education Committee
With extensive experience in property acquisition for construction projects, Shawn specializes in negotiating property interests and handling displacement issues in accordance with regulatory standards. They excel in negotiating land rights through voluntary and statutory eminent domain acquisitions and lead technical aspects of right-of-way projects. Collaborating with other teams on marketing and project bids is a key part of their role. Shawn provides relocation assistance under the Uniform Act and oversees restoration and damage settlements. Additionally, they conduct research, track project status, review titles, and coordinate acquisition closings. Engaging with landowners is a crucial aspect of his work, ensuring efficient project implementation and compliance throughout the process.
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Communications and Marketing Committee
Madalynn joined Great River Energy as a field representative in the Land Rights Department in September 2023. She carries out acquisition for transmission lines, substations, and more working closely with property owners to secure easements. She holds the RWA certification. She is the Chapter 20 Environmental Chair and Social Media/Marketing Chair.
An accomplished Environmental Science and Conservation professional holding an MS in Environmental Science, Madalynn brings her expertise to the real estate industry as a licensed REALTOR in the Twin Cities area. Her diverse background includes being featured as a local real estate expert on HGTV's House Hunters, where her knowledge and passion for property and land acquisition shone through. With a well-developed skill set encompassing research, writing, planning, and consulting, she is adept at navigating complex environmental and real estate landscapes both domestically and internationally.
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Membership Committee
Ben is the Director of Right of Way at WSB. He has over 14 years of real estate experience and has been in acquisitions and relocations for over ten years. He is experienced in land rights for government entities, renewable energy companies, and utility companies. He is a member of the International Right of Way Association and served on the Executive Board for Chapter 20 from July 2016 to June 2021.
International Committees
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International Nominations and Elections Committee
Michelle is a Senior Right of Way Agent (SR/WA) and currently works as a Land Rights Representative for Great River Energy (GRE) in Maple Grove, MN. She has been involved in the right of way profession for almost 15 years. Currently, Michelle acts as GRE's liaison when determining the impact on GRE facilities within its right of way by outside entities and works with these entities to minimize impacts, if possible. She also educates outside entities on the recommended guidelines when working within GRE right of way, coordinates relocation work and oversees the relocation of GRE facilities. Other work includes easement acquisition, working with outside entities to resolve existing and proposed right of way encroachment issues where the landowner has/may put GRE in a code violation or cause an imminent threat. Previous to working for Great River Energy she worked as a Survey/Engineering Technician for 10+ years and was involved in all aspects of land development and property boundary establishment for private landowners.
Michelle has been an active member of the International Right of Way Association (IRWA) since 2007 and is currently the IRWA Region 3 International Nominations and Elections Committee (INEC) representative. Past positions include IRWA Chapter 20 Director, Survey Chair, Communications Chair and Nominations, Elections Committee member, President (2 terms), President Elect, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor and Utility Chair and has been involved with several other sub-committees for the organization. Her IRWA designations include Senior Right of Way Agent (SR/WA), Right of Way Associate (RWA) and Associate Right of Way Professional (ARWP). She is also the Treasurer for the Parent Teacher Student Association in Becker, MN.
Industry Committees
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Sean, now Senior Manager of Development at National Grid Renewables, previously served as Senior Land Rights Agent at Xcel Energy. With a tenure starting in 2012, he adeptly managed land rights acquisition and permitting for large-scale electric utility projects across the upper Midwest. Sean's negotiation skills were instrumental in securing land rights and guiding projects through regulatory processes. Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Planning and Community Development from St. Cloud University, Sean is committed to excellence, as demonstrated by his membership in the International Right of Way Association (IRWA) since 2013, where he holds the SR/WA designation.
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Local Public Agencies Committee
Mike is a real estate appraiser for the Metropolitan Council. He oversees the valuation needed by the Metropolitan Council in the regional policy-making, planning, and providing of essential services to the seven-county Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota. Mike has been appraising for 33 years and enjoys being involved with organizations to promote the profession while taking time to enjoy travel and yardwork. He also enjoys collecting and restoring antique lighting.
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Oil & Gas Pipeline Committee
Andy Girga is a seasoned land and right-of-way professional with extensive experience in energy infrastructure development. As a Senior Advisor, Lands & ROW at Enbridge Employee Services Inc., Andy plays a key role in land acquisition, stakeholder engagement, and regulatory compliance for major pipeline and energy projects.
With a deep understanding of land rights, negotiations, and project management, Andy works closely with landowners, government agencies, and industry partners to ensure responsible and efficient project execution. His expertise in navigating complex land-use challenges has been instrumental in securing and maintaining critical infrastructure assets.
Andy is committed to fostering positive relationships with communities while upholding Enbridge’s dedication to safety, sustainability, and operational excellence.
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Transportation
Communities of Practice
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Asset Management
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Environmental
Madalynn joined Great River Energy as a field representative in the Land Rights Department in September 2023. She carries out acquisition for transmission lines, substations, and more working closely with property owners to secure easements. She holds the RWA certification. She is the Chapter 20 Environmental Chair and Social Media/Marketing Chair.
An accomplished Environmental Science and Conservation professional holding an MS in Environmental Science, Madalynn brings her expertise to the real estate industry as a licensed REALTOR in the Twin Cities area. Her diverse background includes being featured as a local real estate expert on HGTV's House Hunters, where her knowledge and passion for property and land acquisition shone through. With a well-developed skill set encompassing research, writing, planning, and consulting, she is adept at navigating complex environmental and real estate landscapes both domestically and internationally.
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Relocation
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Valuation
Mike is a real estate appraiser for the Metropolitan Council. He oversees the valuation needed by the Metropolitan Council in the regional policy-making, planning, and providing of essential services to the seven-county Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota. Mike has been appraising for 33 years and enjoys being involved with organizations to promote the profession while taking time to enjoy travel and yardwork. He also enjoys collecting and restoring antique lighting.