Gina Cannova (Phalen), MAI, SR/WA, R/W-AC, is returning to her professional home at O’Brien Right of Way, serving as Sr. Managing Director of the Public Sector Team for Transportation and Water. “Her industry expertise, litigation experience, and leadership will support us as we expand our services across the U.S.,” said firm Founder and President, Mike O’Brien in making the announcement.
Cannova had left the firm in 2022 after having worked there for eight years. In this interim period, she headed up the South Central team for Cushman Wakefield’s Infrastructure Practice. “I am thrilled to bring my recent experiences back to help the O’Brien team continue their expansion on a national level. Our team is composed of some of the brightest and best in the right-of-way industry. We always stand ready to support each other and our clients,” Cannova said.
In addition to leading the Public Sector at O’Brien, she serves on the Planning & Zoning Commission for the City of Southlake, the Board for International Right of Way (IRWA) Chapter 36, the Board for IRWA’s International Electric and Utility Committee, and is an IRWA PEAK certified instructor.
Right of way valuation involves determining fair market value for land acquired for infrastructure projects like roads, pipelines, or utilities. The process considers numerous factors to ensure equitable outcomes for property owners, supporting community growth and infrastructure resilience.
O’Brien’s team comprises 29 dedicated professionals, including 23 right of way appraisers—10 of whom have extensive courtroom testimony experience, a testament to the firm’s deep expertise in eminent domain cases. In the last 10 years the team has conducted over 10,000 appraisals. Of those, only 20 resulted in jury trials and 22 in depositions. O’Brien’s court case rate of 0.002% is exemplary for the industry. High-profile clients include the State of Texas, State of Arkansas, State of North Carolina, Atmos Energy, American Electric Power, Oncor and Lower Colorado River Authority.
