President's Message
Chapter President | Yorik Stevens-Wajda, AICP
April 04, 2022
Another month and another surprise turn, at least to me, in the pandemic's progression. This time (as of this writing and with fingers crossed), it appears to be for the better. There is talk in the air, and there are examples on the ground, of in-person public meetings, staff social events, and frantic searches for passwords and remotes for the conference room audio/video equipment.
APA is here to help! If you're looking to brush up on your meeting facilitations skills, check out PAS Report 595 - A Planner's Guide to Meeting Facilitation; if you're looking to connect with other planners and learn about all sorts of techniques, theories, best practices, and their applications, register for the National Planning Conference (April 30-May 3, San Diego, CA) and mark your calendar for the 2022 Chapter Conference (October 11-13, Vancouver, WA); if you're looking to learn while supporting your fellow planners and advancing the field, reach out to me at [email protected] and I'll help get you plugged in based on your interest and experience.
The chapter board held a meeting on March 11 and made progress on a number of issues:
- We discussed the chapter's continuing education program, which entails the Continuing Education Committee, the Professional Development Committee, our six regional sections, and the Department of Commerce, who co-hosts regional Planner's Forums with APA. Education is one of our most important functions as a chapter and we want to make sure that we're providing valuable opportunities for us all to hone our skills and keep up with the latest best practices.
- We touched base with the 2022 Chapter Conference Committee to hear an update on all the work they've been doing to bring us together in Vancouver, live and in person, for the first time in years. The theme is Keep Calm and Plan On, and a call for sessions will come out in the next few weeks. Many thanks to Chad Eiken, AICP, for his expert leadership of the conference planning effort for the third year in a row.
- We decided on Downtown Spokane as the site of our 2023 Chapter Conference so early work could begin on the next iteration my favorite event of the year.
- We heard an update from the Legislative Committee on a fascinating 2022 legislative session and all the work that the committee has done this year. A special shout-out to all the members of the committee, who have worked at a tireless pace both leading up to and during this legislative session, and to Paula Reeves, AICP, the committee's fearless leader.
That's all for this month. Thanks everyone for helping Create Great Communities for All in Washington!
Yorik Stevens-Wajda, AICP
APA WA President
[email protected]
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