President’s Corner | Chad Eiken, AICP

APA WA Newsletter Article

December 2025

2025 Tacoma Conference a Resounding Success!

By any objective measure, APA WA excels at putting on a compelling annual conference. With over 600 attendees, the scope and quality of our state conference more closely resembles a national conference of many other associations. This year was no different – the City of Tacoma was a gracious host city and our two keynote speakers were thought-provoking and inspirational. All of the sessions I attended provided timely insight and guidance from experts on a wide range of planning issues. The silent auction offered plenty of enticing items to bid on, and it raised money for the Planning Scholarship Fund. I was especially pleased to be able to present a handful of awards to outstanding planners and our Legislator of the Year. Social events such as the Conference Reception, Pub Crawl, and morning 5K run (too early for me, unfortunately) afforded opportunities to meet up with old colleagues and friends, and to make new acquaintances. To top it off, the conference came in well under budget and so we’ll be able to put some funds into the Chapter savings account, which provides a buffer against future unanticipated operating expenses. Let’s be honest - our conference has it all and so if you missed out on it this year, I hope to see you next October in Vancouver!

Board Retreat to be held December 5

On December 5 the Chapter’s Board of Directors along with incoming officers will hold its annual retreat in Seattle to reflect on the year’s accomplishments, adopt the 2026 budget, receive board training, brainstorm ideas for increasing member engagement, and adopt the 2026 Work Plan, which will guide the work of officers, committees and sections next year. We’ll report out on identified Chapter priority initiatives and projects for 2026 in an upcoming newsletter.

My Term is Up – Some Thank Yous are in Order

On December 31, my two-year term as APA WA President will end and the incoming President, Anne Broache, will take the reins for the start of her term. It’s been a rewarding experience and has given me a profound appreciation of everything the Board and our Office staff do to support APA WA members, most of which is behind the scenes. I’m extremely proud of how much the Chapter was able to accomplish these past two years, but as these will be listed in a separate article, I’ll refrain from doing that here.

Instead, I want to thank a few people who have been especially supportive of me in helping to guide the Board during my term. No doubt I will miss someone, but here goes: Judith Perez Keniston (Vice President) for her work with section leaders, her leadership on the update to the Chapter Strategic Plan, and for being a source of wisdom on many issues; Nicholas Matz (Treasurer), for his laser focus on getting the Chapter on solid financial footing and reliable sense of humor; Heather Wright (Secretary), for pitching in wherever needed and with the most positive attitude ever; Anne Broache (President-Elect), for assisting with the lobbyist contract, Board Handbook update, and being more engaged than any president-elect in recent memory; Nancy Eklund (PDO) for co-chairing both conferences during my term and being a tremendous source of historical knowledge regarding the chapter; Pam Sefrino (Executive Director), for her steady guidance and support on countless vexing issues; and Jeannette McMillan (Conference Coordinator), for her unflappability in dealing with hundreds of conference details while making everything look effortless. Lastly, my sincere thanks go to the City of Vancouver (my employer), for letting me go all-in on this leadership role, sometimes at the expense of meeting other deadlines - sorry. Thank you all.

One More Thing: Volunteers are still Needed

I have one more shameless plug if you will indulge me. We accomplished a lot in 2025, and with your help we can do even more in 2026. Many of our Committees are seeking committee members, including Communications, Indigenous, Annual Conference, and Membership. More volunteers help spread the load which in turn means we can do more for our members. Please consider stepping up and giving back to the profession that I assume has given you so much. If you are willing to serve on one of these or any other committee, please drop the APA Office a note at [email protected], and they’ll get you plugged in.

Keep up the great work in your community!