President’s Corner | November 2024

Annual Conference a Success!

I have to admit I am still basking in the afterglow of our Annual Conference held October 16-18, in Bellevue, which saw a record attendance of more than 630 people. I was impressed by the quality of the breakout sessions; our two keynote speakers (John Paget, talented filmmaker and Rick Steves, respected travel expert); many opportunities for networking and talking to exhibitors; our successful student scholarship fundraiser; and the city of Bellevue itself. Thanks to everyone who attended, contributed, presented, sponsored, exhibited and helped to plan the conference – it truly gets better every year. Next year’s conference will be October 8-10 in Tacoma at the Hotel Murano Conference Center. If you are interested in helping with the Conference Planning Committee, Program Subcommittee, or Host Subcommittee next year please contact the APA WA Office at [email protected], as we’re always in need of volunteers.

Three Planners Receive President’s Awards

At the annual conference, I was honored to recognize the following planners for their significant contributions to the profession:
• Debbie Bent, AICP, Community Development Director for City of Kenmore, was awarded the Myer Wolfe Award for professional achievement and advancement of the planning profession;
• Mike McCarty, AICP, Principal Planner for the City of North Bend, was awarded the Barbara Grace Award for a mid-level planner who has distinguished her or himself with dedication to public service and professional accomplishment;
• Nancy Eklund, AICP, was awarded the Robert “Bob” Burke Award for outstanding contributions to the work and mission of the Washington Chapter and its members.

Congratulations to these three very deserving individuals!

Members Approve Increase in Chapter Dues and Change to Bylaws

At the Annual Member Meeting in Bellevue, the members overwhelmingly approved a modest increase in Chapter dues, to 30% of National APA member dues. The Chapter dues comprise the majority of revenue to fund Chapter operations and, despite increasing costs to provide services to our members, the dues have not been increased in over ten years. The new dues will take effect on January 1, 2025 and will be applied when annual memberships are renewed.

The members also unanimously approved a modification to the Chapter Bylaws (Section 3.2 “Officer Election and Terms”) to amend the terms of elected officers (President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) to start on January 1st of the year and end on December 31st, to be consistent with National APA’s officer terms. Chapter Sections, which have their own bylaws, will be amending them in the coming months to be consistent since Chapter and Section elections have now been consolidated into one process.

Welcome New Committee Chairs and Board Members

We continue to add leadership capacity to the board. I’m pleased to announce that the following people have been appointed to leadership positions on the APA WA Board: Paul Inghram, FAICP, Co-Chair, FAICP Nominating Committee; Anya Gedrath, AICP, APA/PAW Joint Awards Committee Co-Chair; Nancy Eklund, AICP, Professional Development Officer (PDO). Congratulations to the new board members and welcome!