President’s Corner | By Chad Eiken, AICP

Our annual fall conference is just about a month away, and this year’s conference committee has done an amazing job of producing an event that will be informative, inspiring and fun! We have two intriguing keynote speakers, Jonathan Pacheco Bell who is an expert on the transformational benefits of ‘embedded planning’ in communities and Dr. Annis Sengupta who will share how public art has the potential to shape a community’s identity and how even small or budget-constrained communities can incorporate public art in innovative ways. There will be over thirty breakout sessions that cover a range of topics such as housing, the environment, economic redevelopment, transportation, recent and anticipated legislation at the state level, and much more.

There will also be numerous opportunities to meet planners from across the Pacific Northwest and reconnect with friends and colleagues at the annual pub crawl, conference reception at the Murano, and Fun Run. We’ll also have a silent auction benefitting the planning student scholarship fund, will be bringing back the fast-paced and wacky “Plan Slam,” and will unveil items that can be purchased at our new online APA WA merch store. Conference capacity is limited, so don’t procrastinate getting registered and booking a hotel. To say the least I’m excited for this year’s conference and I look forward to seeing you in Tacoma!