see list of recently delivered courses below

Instructors:

CECILIA MELANSON has more than 25 years experience in Real Estate acquisition and relocation assistance.  Ceci has served as Director, Training & Development, with Overland, Pacific & Cutler, Inc., a full service acquisition, and relocation-consulting firm.  Previous experience includes Manager of Real Estate Services for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), where she was responsible for the acquisition and relocation of residential and commercial occupants being displaced from MTA’s rail and bus projects.  She also served as Director of Rehousing and Property Management for the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency.  She continues to provide real estate acquisition and relocation services as an independent consultant. Ceci received her undergraduate degree in Organizational Management from the University of LaVerne in Southern California.  She has been active in the International Right of Way Association (IRWA), serving on various local chapter and international committees since 1984, as a member of the International Relocation Assistance, International Education and International Professional Resources Committees.  Ceci has assisted in the development of Relocation Assistance courses, and has a professional certification by the IRWA as a Relocation Assistance Specialist.  She is a certified IRWA instructor of relocation and other real estate courses.

Ralph C. Brown, SR/WA, has been in the right of way field for over 40 years. As a Senior Right of Way agent with Caltrans he was involved with negotiations and appraisals. He testified in court as an expert appraiser, prepared appraisals in anticipation of condemnation and supervised the preparation of narrative appraisal reports. For 16 years as a Staff V.P. with IRWA Mr. Brown managed the Association's education program. He developed courses, monitored outside course developers, conducted Instructor Certification Clinics, taught IRWA courses and presented seminars. Mr. Brown currently is an independent review appraiser specializing in partial take appraisals.

Joachim (Joe) Pestinger, SR/WA, is the Principal Partner of "A Better Way-MEDIATION, LLP", specializing in R/W dispute resolutions. Previously he was the Director of Real Estate Services for the Washington State DOT, where he administered the acquisition, appraisal, title clearance, condemnation, and property management and relocation assistance activities. He has testified before the state legislature and as expert valuation witness in State Superior Courts. He represented 17 western states on AASHTO's R/W and Utility Committee Executive Board. He proposed, developed and co-chaired a study tour of European Best R/W Practices. Time and money saving concepts are now being implemented in the US. He has served on IRWA's International Transportation, Property Management and Education Committees. He is approved to teach 23 IRWA courses and taught classes in more than 44 cities throughout the US and Canada. Joe was the lead author for courses # 700, # 801 and a course on Mediation for the R/W Professional.