Emory R. Rodgers Fellowship helps building safety professionals develop leadership skills through an executive development program

To commemorate Emory R. Rodgers’ everlasting influence as a mentor and adviser and honor his lifelong commitment to our profession, the International Code Council created the Emory R. Rodgers Leadership in Building Safety Fellowship, which will enable deserving Code Council members to advance their leadership skills by attending a nationally recognized executive development program.

The fellowship is available annually to a building safety professional who has embarked upon a demonstrated executive-level career path and wants to further develop leadership skills through an eligible executive development program. The fellowship will afford up to $20,000 dollars to cover the full cost of the educational program and the award recipient’s travel to and from the program.

Fellowship applicants may submit any executive development program to International Code Council Member Services Vice President Karla Price Higgs for Code Council staff’s consideration and approval. Examples of eligible programs include those hosted by higher education institutions that focus on executive-level training, strategic management, leadership development and/or other similar concentrations. Beyond covering the cost of the program, the Code Council has no involvement in an eligible program’s curriculum or schedule.

The Code Council’s Professional Development Council (PDC) will serve as the body that initially evaluates all fellowship applications. Upon its review of all applications, the PDC will create a shortlist of its recommended award recipients and submit this shortlist through the chief executive officer to the executive committee of the board of directors. The executive committee will then evaluate the PDC’s recommendations and select the final award recipient, if any. Finalists may be subject to an in-person or electronic interview.

Completed application materials for the fellowship — consisting of a completed application form, a resume, a personal statement elaborating on personal goals and qualifications, and three recommendation letters from an immediate supervisor and/or other community leaders — must be submitted by the application deadline of Dec. 31, 2021.

Related:

Inaugural Emory Rodgers Fellowship winner Chris Landreth

The first-of-its-kind Code Council initiative honoring Rodgers was unveiled during the Members Luncheon at the Code Council’s 2018 Annual Conference on Oct. 23, 2018, in Richmond, Va., by International Code Council Board of Directors Secretary/Treasurer Cindy Davis, CBO, deputy director of the Division of Building & Fire Regulations for the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. “Emory Rodgers was one of the International Code Council’s greatest mentors. He was a mentor to me, to the code officials of Virginia, and to countless ICC leaders and members around the country,” said Davis. “His presence continues to benefit building safety throughout the pages of the International Codes, and to those who knew him best, we will forever miss his sage advice. I can think of no better way to honor Emory’s legacy than to continue advancing the future leaders of our profession.”

Emory R. Rodgers spent more than four decades devoting himself to the building safety profession and to the creation and ongoing development of the International Codes. As a leader in the industry and in the Code Council community, he put forth unprecedented efforts to educate and prepare the next generation of building safety professionals. During his lifetime, Rodgers was recognized by numerous organizations for his contributions to building safety, including the Virginia Building and Code Officials Association, American Institute of Architects, and National Institute of Building Sciences. He also received the prestigious Bobby J. Fowler Award, recognizing his visionary leadership as a Past Presiding Officer of the Code Council.

Please spread the word and encourage your peers to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity. Together, we will build the next generation of building safety leaders.