Page 20 - March-April2020 Vol37 No7

STATEWIDE
Branch Directors’ Goals
Hit the Right Notes for 2020
- Fresh program ideas for Lunch
and Learns.
- More engineers joining the group.
- Rigorous recruitment of more
women.
- Increased participation in annual
meetings and conferences.
These are just some of the 2020 goals
held by the branch division directors of
the Tennessee Chapter, American Public
Works Association (TCAPWA).
Established in 1954, TCAPWA has
over 450 members statewide in the
Public Works field within four branches.
The chapter operates as a gateway
to the profession by investing in its
members through education, knowledge
exchange opportunities, and promotion
of individual or organizational
accomplishments.
Here’s a snapshot of our branch
directors and their 2020 goals:
BRYON FORTNER, P.E.,
Upper East Branch Director
Fortner has worked for the City of
Sevierville since 1996. He received his BS REGINA SANTANA, P.E.,
in Civil Engineering from the University
of Tennessee. Prior to taking time out
of his engineering career to obtain a
Master of Divinity degree, he spent
20 TPW March/April 2020
five years with the Federal Highway
Administration.
He’s been an APWA member since
1997 and is serving his second year
as chair of one of the national awards
committees. He was appointed to
the Tennessee Highway Officials
Certification Board by Governor Bill
Haslam and currently is serving his
third term. He also helped found Keep
Sevier Beautiful (a local Keep America
Beautiful affiliate).
Fortner said his biggest goal for his
branch is to engage members who have
not attended its meetings recently (or
ever) and help them realize the excellent
resource provided by the chapter. He
plans “on making some face to face visits
throughout the branch to meet with
public works professionals that I’ve not
met and try to get them involved in the
chapter.”
Fortner has been part-time youth
minister at First Baptist Church,
Gatlinburg, since 1997. In his spare
time, he spends hours in the mountains
with his wife and two kids, watching
his daughter play college lacrosse,
watching UT sports, farming and playing
basketball.
Middle Branch Director
Regina Santana, P.E., Engineering
Services Director for the City of
Lebanon, has been selected as the first
female director of the Middle Branch
division. A municipal engineer with
23 years of experience, she joined the
City of Lebanon following internships
with the State of Tennessee Department
of Transportation and upon her
subsequent graduation from Tennessee
Technological University.
Initially an engineer in training with the
City, over the years she moved up through
several positions (Project Engineer, Senior
Project Engineer, Engineering Director/
Development, etc.) until she became
Engineering Services Director.
By Lisa Hood Skinner
Santana said her goals for Middle
Branch are a work in progress, building
on the foundation her predecessors
achieved before her selection. “My
early goal is to reach out to those
municipalities that are not active in
APWA, making sure they understand the
benefits of what we do, who we are, and
understand how we can help each other.”
Her longer-term goal is “to bring more
diversity to APWA and our profession
in general. I’d like to see an increase in
mentoring and education to go directly
towards young women. Students in
STEM classes need to be exposed to all
of the career options available to them,
and this includes female students.”
Santana has been married to husband
Rocky Santana for 27 years, with three
children, one grandchild and their
dog, Rex. Now empty nesters, the
couple enjoys outdoor activities such as
kayaking, boating, fishing and hiking.
ERIC SINES,
lower East Branch Director
Sines has been with the City of
Collegedale for eight years; and for the
past five, he’s served as Public Works
Director. He joined TCAPWA five years
ago, and since has attended TPWI classes
on subjects such as fleet maintenance and