Brown receives awards from International Parking Institute

Wanda Brown, assistant manager of Parking and Transportation Services, was honored earlier this month by the International Parking Institute at its annual Parking and Transportation Conference in Phoenix, Ariz.

Wanda Brown accepts the Leadership Award from Casey Jones, chair of the International Parking Institute.

Brown received the Chairman's Award and a Leadership Award for her achievements during her four years of services on the institute's Board of Directors. For the past two years, Brown has been co-chair of the institute's Membership Committee, which provides direction and assistance for recruiting new members and developing retention programs. The institute has about 2,800 members.

Brown was instrumental in the institute's transition from an individual to an organization-based membership fee structure. Because individual fees increasingly presented a financial barrier to membership, the institute switched to organizational fees, which allow all members of an organization to access the institute's resources for a single membership fee.

Placing more of an emphasis on hospital parking at the institute has been another of Brown's achievements. She played a leading role in the institute's decision to dedicate annually one complete issue of its magazine, Parking Professional, to best practices and other topics related to hospital parking. Brown also facilitated hospital roundtable discussions, allowing hospital officials from around the country to discuss common issues.

Brown has organized hospital tours in each city where the institute holds its annual conference. She conducted the first online shop talk offered by the institute, and has published articles in Parking Professional on hospital issues and operational efficiencies.

At this year's conference, representatives from 25 international countries attended to gain a better understanding of how parking works in various market segments, such as hospitals, universities, airports and municipalities.