President’s Corner

Things have been busy at the Chapter level in a number of areas: the Legislative Committee wrapped up the short legislative session with overall good results, the Conference Committee is hard at work making plans for another great conference this fall (in Bellevue), the Board recently made adjustments to the budget in order to close a sizable gap between expenses and revenue, and we continue to fill vacant leadership positions on the Board. Additionally, we completed the Chapter’s Annual Report of accomplishments from last year, and the Executive Committee endorsed this year’s Work Plan, which outlines our goals and initiatives for the rest of the year (more on that below).

APA WA Represented at NPC24! Minneapolis was a stellar host of this year’s National Planning Conference and from my perspective, it was better than ever. The APA WA Chapter was well represented by 136 members, including several members of the Board (Steve Butler, Nancy Eklund, Nicholas Matz, and me) and our very own Karen Wolf, FAICP, who has been serving as President of the American Institute of Certified Planners since January of 2023. 

Photo Left to Right: Linda Amato, FAICP, Steve Butler, FAICP, Nancy Eklund, AICP, Nicholas Matz, AICP, Karen Wolf, FAICP, Chad Eiken, AICP and Ivan Miller, AICP. Everyone ‘pranked’ Karen by adding an ‘AICP President’ banner to their conference badges; of course, there can only be one AICP President!

President-Elect Candidates Sought: We are actively seeking candidates for the upcoming Board Election who are interested in serving as APA WA President-Elect for one year (term to start in November of this year), after which they will become the President of the Chapter for two years. This is the only board position that will be elected by the full membership this year. If you are interested in leading the Chapter, especially if you have been active in APA, or have questions about the position, we encourage you to contact the Chapter Office at [email protected] to learn more. Candidates have until May 30 to complete their nomination online.

New Board Appointments: I recently made two appointments to the APA WA Chapter Board, which means that virtually all of our leadership spots are filled. Congratulations go to Justin Patterson, our new Continuing Education Committee Chair and Erin Ishizaki, AICP, AIA, our new Planning Official Development Officer. Justin is in the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning program at U.W., and is excited to start his "second career" in city planning. Erin is an urban designer with Mithun, a Seattle-based architectural firm, and has been looking for an opportunity to become more engaged in APA. If you are interested in giving back to the planning profession by serving on one of our many committees, please send a note of interest to our office at [email protected] and someone will be in touch!  

Chapter Work Plan for 2024: There is probably no better way to see what the Board and Committees’ priorities and projects are for this year than to view the Chapter Work Plan. This document was adopted by the Executive Board in April, and will be updated by the Board on a quarterly basis as progress is made in each area. While the plan cannot capture everything that the office or committees do for the membership, its intent is to guide the more impactful projects and initiatives that have been identified as priorities. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions about any of the Work Plan items.

Thanks for all you are doing to improve your community and advance the field of planning wherever you are working!

President, APA WA