American Planning Association Elects New Board and Commission Leaders

CHICAGO (August 28, 2019) — The American Planning Association (APA), a 45,000-member organization committed to creating great communities for all, has announced the election of six members to serve on its governing Board of Directors, and five members to serve on its American Institute of Certified Planners Commission.

Board of Directors

The 17-member Board of Directors governs the association and sets its strategic goals. Each member serves as a volunteer in a designated region and begins his or her term on January 1, 2020.

Leo Asuncion, Jr., AICP — President-Elect
Hawaii

Leo Asuncion is a commissioner on the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. Previously, he served first as director then as administrator of the Office of Planning for the State of Hawaii. He is a certified planner and holds an MBA from Hawaii Pacific University, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Hawaii. Asuncion has held several leadership roles within APA, including serving on the Board of Directors, Chapter Presidents Council and as chapter president of APA Hawaii. He is a member of Lambda Alpha International and immediate past chair of the Coastal States Organization. He will serve one year as president-elect, two years as president, and one year as immediate past president.

Linda Amato, AICP — Director, Elected at Large
Washington

Linda Amato is the transportation director at Environmental Science Associates. She is a certified planner and holds a master’s degree in community planning and design from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from SUNY at Stony Brook. Within APA, Amato has held several leadership roles, including advisor to the Board of Directors, chair of the LGBTQ and Planning Division, and editor of the Women and Planning Division newsletter. Within the Seattle community, Amato serves on the Landmarks Preservation Board, Planning Commission and Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee. Amato will serve as a Board director for four years.

Angela Brooks, AICP — Director, Elected at Large (Focused Seat, Minority Member)
Illinois

Angela Brooks serves as the Real Estate Development Manager for the Chicago Housing Authority. She is a certified planner and holds a master’s in urban planning from the University of New Orleans and a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Jackson State University. Within APA, Brooks has previously served on the Board of Directors, as chair of the Housing and Community Development Division and chair of the Diversity Task Force. She is a member of the Illinois Geographic Information Council, a member of CMAP’s Housing and Land Committee and a mentor to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Brooks will serve as a Board director for four years.

Ben Hitchings, FAICP — Director
North Carolina

Ben Hitchings is the planning director for the Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the highest professional honor bestowed on a planner. Hitchings has a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College. Within the association, Hitchings has held several leadership positions including chair of the Chapter Presidents Council, chapter president for APA North Carolina and as a member of the APA Legislative and Policy Committee. Hitchings will serve as a Board director for four years.

Wendy Shabay, AICP — Director
Texas

Wendy Shabay is vice president and manager of the Urban Planning and Design group at Freese and Nichols and has been re-elected to serve an additional four-year term on the Board of Directors. She is a certified planner and holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental design from Texas A&M University. Shabay has held several leadership positions within APA, including as chapter president of APA Texas and director of the Midwest Section of the APA Texas Chapter. She is the past-chairman of the Northeast Leadership Forum (NFL) and served on the Board of Southeast Fort Worth, Inc.

Wendy E. Moeller, FAICP — Director
Ohio

Wendy Moeller is the principal and owner of Compass Point Planning and has been re-elected to serve an additional four-year term on the Board of Directors. She is a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the highest professional honor bestowed on a planner. Moeller holds a bachelor’s degree in urban planning from the University of Cincinnati. Within APA, Moeller has served as vice chair of the Legislative and Policy Committee, secretary/treasurer of the New Urbanism Division, and as chapter president of APA Ohio. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the Sign Research Foundation and as the Ohio Zoning Commissioner for Goshen Township.

David Fields, AICP — Advisor to the Board
California

David Fields is a principal planner at Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates. He is a certified planner and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from State University of New York Binghamton. He has held several leadership roles within APA including chair of APA’s Transportation Division. Fields was reelected and will serve an additional two years as the Divisions Council advisor to the Board.

Sara Copeland, AICP — Advisor to the Board
Missouri

Sara Copeland is Community Development Director for the City of North Kansas City, Missouri. She is a certified planner. She has held several leadership positions within APA including president of the APA Kansas Chapter, treasurer of the APA Missouri Chapter and vice chair of the Chapter Presidents Council. Copeland will serve a two-year term as the Chapter Presidents Council advisor to the Board.

Veronica Escalera-Ibarra — Advisor to the Board
Texas

Veronica Escalera-Ibarra is enrolled in the urban and regional planning master’s program at the University of Texas at San Antonio and serves as the media chairperson for the university’s Urban Planning Student Association. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Our Lady of the Lake University and a paralegal certification from the University of Texas at San Antonino. Within APA, she served on the Student Representative’s Council and as the student representative for the APA Latinos in Planning Division. Escalera-Ibarra will serve a two-year term as the Student Representative Council advisor to the Board.

American Institute of Certified Planners Commission

The American Institute of Certified Planners is the professional institute of the American Planning Association. The institute serves 17,000 certified planners. The eight-member led AICP Commission is responsible for governance and setting the American Institute of Certified Planners strategic goals. Each member of the Commission serves as a volunteer and will begin his or her term on January 1, 2020.

Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP — President-Elect
New York

Mitchell Silver is Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Prior to his appointment in 2014, Silver was the Chief Planning and Development Officer for Raleigh, North Carolina. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the highest professional honor bestowed upon a planner. He holds a master’s in urban planning from Hunter College and a bachelor’s degree from Pratt Institute. Within APA, Silver has held several leadership roles, including president of APA, chapter president of the New York Metro Chapter, and chair of the Diversity Task Force. He has served as an adjunct lecturer at Harvard University and Hunter College among other universities. Silver will serve one year as president-elect, two years as president of the AICP Commission, and one year as immediate past president.

Arlova J. Vonhm, AICP — Commissioner
Virginia

Arlova Vonhm is the zoning administrator for Arlington County, Virginia. She is a certified planner and holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. Within APA, Vonhm has served as a board member of the National Capital Area Chapter, as an APA mentor and as an external AICP application reviewer.  Within her community, Vonhm has served as a resource team expert on the American Architectural Foundation’s Sustainable Cities Design Academy and as a CityVision volunteer at the National Building Museum. Vonhm will serve four years as a Commissioner.

Kimberley Mickelson, AICP — Commissioner
Texas

Kimberley Mickelson is a senior attorney for the Planning and Development Department for the City of Houston. She is a certified planner and has earned her Juris Doctorate, master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. Within APA, Mickelson previously served on the AICP Commission, on the Legislative and Policy Committee and as chapter president of APA Texas. In her community, Mickelson served as the Quality of Life chair on the Museum Park Neighborhood Association, on Blueprint Houston, and on the Houston Housing Working Group. Mickelson will serve four years on the Commission.

Erin Perdu, AICP, GISP — Commissioner
Minnesota

Erin Perdu is the director of Community Planning and Economic Development for WSB. She is a certified planner and holds master’s degrees in urban planning and natural resources from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. Within APA, Perdu has served as the Metro District director of the APA Minnesota Chapter and on the AICP Exam Committee. She serves on the Building, Land Use and Housing Committee and the Livability Task Force of the Elliot Park Neighborhood Association. Perdu will serve four years on the Commission.

Francisco Javier Contreras, AICP — Commissioner
California

Francisco Contreras is the Innovation and Strategic Initiatives manager for the City of West Hollywood, California. He is a certified planner and holds master’s degrees in urban planning and architecture from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. Within the organization, Contreras serves on the AICP Membership Standards Committee and chair of the AICP Knowledge-Based Governance Task Force. He served as a neighborhood councilmember for Glassell Park in Los Angeles. Contreras will serve an unexpired two-year term on the Commission.

The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides vital leadership in creating great communities for all. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are dedicated to advancing the profession of planning, offering better choices for where and how people work and live. The 45,000 APA members work in concert with community residents, civic leaders and business interests to create communities that enrich people's lives. Through its philanthropic work, APA’s Foundation helps to reduce economic and social barriers to good planning. APA has offices in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Learn more at www.planning.org.

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Contact

Roberta Rewers, APA Communications Manager, 312-786-6395; rrewers@planning.org.