Tim Corbin
2017 Class of IRF Fellows in Washington, DC
The International Road Federation was delighted to welcome the newest class of IRF Fellows to Washington, DC in January, 2017. The 2017 Class of Fellows brings the total number of students the IRF has financially supported to 1,400, representing 118 countries on six continents. This remarkable achievement testifies to the fact that the IRF Fellowship Program remains the “Crown Jewel” of the IRF. The IRF Fellowship Program has helped to nurture future road professionals and has changed the lives of hundreds of individuals across the world by grooming the next generation of transportation industry leaders. Founded in 1949, the IRF Fellowship Program enhances the professional curriculum of graduate students in fields related to the development of better, more efficient, more sustainable and safer roads; with the ultimate goal to use this new found knowledge to meaningfully improve transportation in their home countries.
The Class of 2017 Fellows consisted of 15 individuals from 13 countries and 15 different universities. They enjoyed their opportunity to partake in the IRF Fellowship Program, also known as the IRF Road Scholar Program. This orientation is an annual multi-day leadership and orientation event designed to enhance the Fellows’ leadership skills and to provide valuable insight into the transportation industry through visits to prominent domestic, regional and international organizations. Organizations and agencies visited in 2017 by the IRF Fellows Class of 2017 included the World Bank, American Council of Engineering Companies, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the FHWA Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center. Team-oriented activities during the Road Scholar Program allowed Fellows to form long lasting professional and personal bonds with their current class, as well as with past Fellows who they met at the IRF Fellows Alumni Reunion Dinner. Furthermore, Fellows were afforded the opportunity to meet and interact with successful business leaders who work for IRF Member organizations.
In 2017, the IRF initiated the Young Executive Professional Program (YEPP) as part of the Road Scholar Program. This initiative is to allow professionals who are not enrolled in school but are working for an IRF Member organization to experience the rich tradition of the Road Scholar Program. The first professional to graduate from the YEPP was William F. Troxler III.
The success of the IRF Fellowship Program and the Road Scholar Orientation Program lies in the amazing impact it continues to make on the lives of participants and its role in changing lives positively. The year of 2017 added an excellent Class of Fellows to mark the IRF Fellowship Program’s 68th year of being the cornerstone of the International Road Federation.
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