Explore every episode of the podcast Assessing the Situation

The 2026 IAAO Annual Conference is coming in October, and today we chat about a few key sessions that we recommend checking out! Stay until the end for a sneak peek into the 2026 Keynote presentation. 

Hear from Ellen Brideau, Daniel Lidgren, CAE, Chris Gaumer, and keynote speaker and four-time Olympic gold medalist Hayley Wickenheiser.

Hosted by Shannon Hiss, RES, RMA, and Justin Eimers, AAS, RMA, both seasoned Assessment Advisors with the IAAO, Assessing the Situation offers an engaging and accessible platform for discussing challenges, ideas, innovations, and individuals shaping the future of our profession.

Property taxes are among the most visible, and often misunderstood, forms of taxation. Property owners often have little understanding of where their tax dollars go, how they are used, or what would happen if they disappeared. That knowledge gap is at the center of a new national education initiative developed by the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) in partnership with Sweeney, a strategic marketing firm. The Property Tax Education Campaign seeks to help homeowners, voters, policymakers, and community leaders better understand the role property taxes play in funding the services that communities rely on every day.

Need a place to start? Developed for IAAO Members, this toolkit will help you communicate the value of property taxes locally.

Hear from ThinkSweeney's CEO & President, Jennifer Manocchio, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser and Past President of IAAO, Dorothy Jacks, AAS, FIAAO, and the Executive Director of the Nebraska Association of Counties, Jon Cannon.

Hosted by Shannon Hiss, RES, RMA, and Justin Eimers, AAS, RMA, both seasoned Assessment Advisors with the IAAO, Assessing the Situation offers an engaging and accessible platform for discussing challenges, ideas, innovations, and individuals shaping the future of our profession.

Will you be joining us in Calgary? This episode of Assessing the Situation talks about all things IAAO Annual Conference. You hear from IAAO President, Bill Healey, RES, Chair of the Conference Content Committee, Chandra Reilly, and IAAO's Sr. Director of Meeting and Events, Anita Lara. We talk about educational sessions, the best ways to network, planning your trip, and how to get the most out of the conference. Join us October 13-16, in Calgary!

This episode of Assessing the Situation features Ivana Owona, of Cunningham Township (IL), discussing her journey in the assessment profession, her involvement with IAAO, and the work of the newly renamed Access & Advancement Council. The conversation explores professional development, mentorship, scholarship opportunities, and how IAAO is working to create greater access, engagement, and connection within the assessment industry.

In this episode of Assessing the Situation, we sit down with Mike Twitty, Pinellas County Property Appraiser, to discuss his journey from earning an MAI and working in single-property appraisal to leading one of Florida’s largest assessment offices. Mike shares insights on disaster recovery, the future of the appraisal profession, and his role with The Appraisal Foundation.

This episode is all about getting involved! Shawn Chevreux, IAAO Senior Director of Membership and Community Engagement, reviews the new IAAO Affinity Group program. Guests from two IAAO affinity groups join Shawn to talk about their groups. Carmen Trammell, AAS, Leon County (Fla.) Property Appraiser's Office, shares about the Women's Initiative Network, and Chandra Reilly, Saskatchewan (Canada) Assessment Management Agency, joins to talk about jumpstarting your career with Launch Pad.

IAAO welcomes Rob McGee, of the Arkansas Assessment Coordination Division. As the chair of the Membership Recognition Committee, he shares the most recent updates to the IAAO Awards Program and also talks about all things GIS, as we prepare for the 2026 GIS/ValTech Conference in Mobile, AL. The event is co-hosted with the Geospatial Professional Network.

New podcast episode on IAAO, TAF task force efforts on accepting mass appraisal experience.

IAAO announces the release of the December episode of the podcast: Assessing the Situation, featuring interviews with Kevin Hayes of IAAO’s Mass Appraisal Experience Task Force and Pete Fontana of The Appraisal Foundation’s State Harmonization Task Force.

The two groups have been working together for several months to encourage more state appraisal regulatory boards to accept mass appraisal experience as a viable pathway toward earning single property appraisal certifications and credentials.

This special episode features interviews with candidates running for the IAAO Board of Directors. 

• For Vice President: Kara Endicott, CAE, AAS, RES and Dinah Kilgore 
• For Region 1: Damian Lara 
• For Region 2: Tim Hall Sr. And Vivian Wilhoite 
• For Region 3: Karen Beattie, RES and Kirk Boone, PPS, AAS, FIAAO 

The IAAO election will take place electronically from November 1-15. Regular members, in good standing, will be able to vote for the Regular Board Members and Officer positions. Your ballot must be submitted by 11:59 pm Central time, on November 15th. 

This episode features interviews with Chief Appraiser from Limestone County, Taylor Dobson, RES; Director of the Vermont Department of Taxes, Property Valuation & Review Division, Jill Remick, and Russ Thigman and Luc Hermans of the IAAO Research and Standards Committee.  

Ratio Studies Exposure Draft: Feedback is requested by December 15, 2025

This episode features interviews with Deputy Director of MIPS, Derrick Niederklein, AAS; Washington County Arkansas Assessor’s Office, Chief of Staff, Dan Cypert, RES, AAS and IAAO Past President, Pat Alesandrini, CAE, RES.

The first episode, now available, features an interview with Palm Beach County Property Appraiser and former IAAO President Dorothy Jacks, CFA, FIAAO, AAS; along with interviews of Chesney Leafblad of the Cook County Board of Review; the IAAO Annual Conference Local Host Committee Chairs Katie Grasso and Kenny Pennington; and IAAO Library Services Director, Elizabeth Ferguson, Ph.D.