Virginia Chapter Executive Committee

Amanda Hurst

2026 Virginia Chapter Chair and IB Representative

Amanda joined WiNUP in 2023. She has worked with AEP as a Transmission Right of Way Agent since 2021 and is currently Transmission Right of Way Supervisor for Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Amanda moved to the Roanoke area the summer of 2021 from Denver, Colorado. She is originally from Bluefield, WV, and a 2002 graduate of Virginia Tech, with a degree in Electrical Engineering. She is currently the President of the Roanoke Valley Chapter of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association. She has lived in several locations including West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, Georgia, Washington, Utah, and Colorado. Having worked in energy and utilities in over 35 states, Amanda is now enjoying her return to Roanoke, VA. Amanda enjoys traveling, photography, and gardening. She also enjoys live music and festivals. Some of her favorite bands include Dave Matthews Band and Pearl Jam.

2026 Virginia Chapter Vice Chair - Vacant

Teresa Hyers

2025 Virginia Chapter Treasurer

Teresa joined WiNUP in 2014. She has worked for AEP as a Transmission Project Coordinator since 2013.

Teresa has lived in Roanoke for over 30 years and is originally from Luray VA. She has been married to her husband Tim for 23 years. They have a beautiful daughter Taylor who is turning 14 this year. They also have two Jack Russell named Lola and Tucker. She enjoys reading in her spare time.

Rene Shipwash

2026 Virginia Chapter Secretary

René is a Senior Project Scheduler working in Roanoke, VA for Appalachian Power. This position falls under Project Solutions and entails working on major Transmission projects in Virginia and West Virginia. She joined the Virginia WiNUP chapter in 2024. Having graduated from Longwood University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Management, her career took a brief back seat as she stayed home with her daughters until they were of an age to attend school. Once back in the field, she started work with an IT Financial Software company working as an admin. She quickly rose through the ranks taking on positions such as technical support analyst and eventually landing in a project management role. Shortly after pursuing the project management side, René found a role in scheduling at APCO. Learning the utilities industry has been a great change and learning opportunity, which has really allowed her to open up to many different stakeholders in the business to create a better understanding of the industry. After 2 years she was promoted to Senior Project Scheduler and tries to be immersed in continually learning more as well as sharing her knowledge with her coworkers. René serves as a liaison with the right of way department and has worked on coordinating learning sessions and advancing both knowledge and relations between the groups.

Outside of work, René is active in her kids’ activities involving work with the Boosters for Marching Band and volunteering for work with Future Farmers of America. She also works with her church in the women’s ministries as well as children’s ministries. When she has some free time, she enjoys reading, fishing, camping, and crafting (even spending time with her chickens).