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Jupe Hale, WSB
2024 APWA-MN President

I am in the moment of realizing that penning this article represents my final official act as Chapter President.  It has been an honor to lead this passionate and energetic group over the year, and yes, it has gone by quickly.

A few times since the Fall Conference I have been asked:  How does it feel to be done?  Sadness at it being over?  Sure, a little bit.  I truly enjoyed the role and the opportunities it gave me to engage with our members and be the voice of Minnesota Public Works, and I will miss it.  Relief?  A little of that, too.  There were certainly plenty of administrative tasks to be done and leadership group decisions to be made.  Part of me looks forward to a break from that.  Regret?  Yes, but only because there are so many ideas and initiatives to pursue for our group that we didn’t get to.  There will always be more to do, but I can’t help but wistfully wish we could have crossed a couple more items off our to-do list.

Mostly, I feel pride. Proud to be a part of, and a leader of, this great group.  Not only did I get to attend committee meetings and conferences and witness the energy and effort that was poured into all we accomplished, but I got to help guide and enable these activities from the Chapter Executive Committee level.  I’ve said many times before, we have a special chapter.  There are very few Chapters in the APWA organization that check all the boxes related to services and strategic initiatives.  So many chapters spend time just to keep their chapter alive and well, looking for help to spread the administrative load beyond a handful of people.  Not us.  We have 15 committees, each serving a significant role to support our Chapter and extend our services to the state public works professionals.  Each of those committees has a roster of 4 – 25 members.  I don’t have an exact number, but I estimate we have nearly 300 actively engaged members at the committee level.  Whether you consider either the raw number or the percentage of the Chapter (roughly 25%), that is just phenomenal.  You all have my gratitude for all you do on our behalf.

We just completed our year-end review and strategic planning meeting.  It took us a couple of hours to hear all that we did in 2024 and all that we plan to take on in 2025.  It was extremely rewarding and productive, and re-energized the leadership group as we head into the upcoming year.  We have great things ahead.\

Last, I feel very good about our leadership group as I transition into the role of past president.  I’ve witnessed the strength and wisdom of Mitch Hoeft, Mark Hansen, and April Crockett firsthand – and it is impressive.  They are ready to lead us into the future, and we are in good hands.

I hope you were able to share in our success as a Chapter in 2024.  We couldn’t have done it without each other.  Thank you all for all you did over the year, and for your confidence in me to lead us, even for just this brief amount of time.

Have a wonderful holiday season!  And here’s to a successful 2025!

Jupe