Taking place May 17–23, this year’s National Public Works Week theme is “Rooted in Service, Powered by Community,” and that special time of year will be here before you know it. To get the ball rolling, we’ve invited some of the most inspiring public workers in the country to join our show and share their ideas on how they make this week so special.

From ideas for celebrating with food, trivia, local small businesses, touch-a-truck events, food drives, barbecue competitions, social media campaigns, awards, giveaways, and much more, we hope this episode inspires you. We also hope you find something in the show to bring back to your team and community to make your National Public Works Week truly special.

Join us as we go coast to coast to find some of the most unique ways teams around the country are celebrating.

In this episode we hear from the following guests:

• Petra Beglarian, MPA, Public Works Manager, City of Glendale, California Public Works Department.
• Ryon Bell, CPWP-M, CAPM, Streets and Drainage Manager, City of Sugar Land, Texas.
• Ani Oganesyan, MPA, Community Outreach Associate, City of Glendale, California Public Works Department.
• Thomas Roy, PE, Director of Public Works and Town Engineer, Town of Simsbury, Connecticut.

Public Works Radio is hosted by Bailey Dickman, Senior Digital Marketing Specialist with APWA. Each episode dives into a wide range of topics designed to educate and inspire, making public works more visible to everyone—from the general public and elected officials to industry peers and the media. If you haven’t already, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, rate and review the show, forward it to a friend, and drop us a note at podcast@apwa.org so we can hear your feedback directly!

More Show Notes and Links

Your Complete Guide to NPWW 2026: https://www.apwa.org/events/national-public-works-week-npww/

About Petra Beglarian, MPA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-beglarian-mpa-362217171/

About Ryon Bell, CPWP-M, CAPM: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryon-bell-cpwp-m-capm-399aa4223/

About Ani Oganesyan, MPA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ani-oganesyan-mpa-616218171

About Thomas Roy, PE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-roy-63a853208

Glendale Public Works on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyGlendale

Glendale Public Works on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myglendale

Glendale Public Works on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@myglendale

Simsbury, Connecticut Public Works: https://www.simsbury-ct.gov/public-works

Sugar Land, Texas Public Works: https://www.sugarlandtx.gov/98/Public-Works