Click here for a list of APA Committee and Task Forces
Robert B. Hunter, FAICP, President of APA, has more than 30 years of planning experience spanning private, public, local, regional, state, and national levels. He has served as Executive Director of the Hillsborough City-County Planning Commission for the past 15 years. He previously worked as the Director of Neighborhood Development in Kansas City, Missouri, and as Director of Planning for Reno, Nevada, and San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, he has taught planning courses as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Kansas at Lawrence. Hunter is a certified planner and a fellow of APA's professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, the highest honor a professional planner can achieve.
A long-standing leader within APA, Hunter has served the organization at the local and national level.
Bruce Knight, FAICP, APA President-Elect is Planning Director of Champaign, Illinois, and an adjunct lecturer at the University of Illinois in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. He also has worked as a city planner in Liberty, Missouri, and Iowa City, Iowa, and as a regional planner with the Mid-Iowa Development Association Council of Governments in Fort Dodge Iowa. Knight joined APA in 1980 and became a certified planner in 1985. He served two terms as APA Illinois Chapter President from 1997 to 1999, and served on the Fellows of AICP Task Force and selection committee and the APA Mission Statement Task Force. He also chaired the 2000 and 2001 National APA Awards Juries. Knight has a B.S. in Urban Planning from Iowa State University and an M.A. in Public Affairs from the University of Iowa.
Graham Billingsley, AICP, President of AICP, has served as director of the Boulder County Land Use Department since 1989 and has played a critical role in Boulder County's progressive land use policies. Today, Boulder County is considered a role model among many communities for its innovation and growth management policies.
Billingsley's career in the planning profession spans more than 29 years of service in public and private sectors in Colorado, Texas, Missouri, and Ohio. His distinctions include national and statewide awards, including a 1993 award from the Colorado Historical Society for historic preservation regulations. For the past six years, Billingsley has served as the APA Colorado Chapter President, in addition to other numerous chapter leadership roles.
David W. Woods, AICP Region I Director, has more than 20 years of experience in the planning profession. Over the last 10 years he has worked as a consultant and public sector planner in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He holds two master's degrees — the first in Government and Public Administration from the University of Maryland and the second in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University. Woods recently was appointed to serve as commissioner of the Department of Planning, Environment, and Land Management for the town of Brookhaven, New York.
A dedicated member of APA, Woods has been active in the association at both the state and national level. He currently serves as the APA New York Metro Chapter's vice president for professional development.
Carol
A. Rhea, AICP, Region
II Director, lives in Shelby, North Carolina. As president of Rhea Consulting,
Inc. she works with the public sector in the areas of planning, group
facilitation, ordinances and regulations, board training, permitting,
code enforcement, and solid waste. She has 17 years of experience
in local government planning and administration and has worked for state,
regional, local, and nonprofit agencies in Florida and North Carolina
on projects including watershed protection, land use planning
and regulation, downtown revitalization, infrastructure financing, and
community development. Previously, Rhea served as director of planning
and development in Monroe, North Carolina. She is a past
president and vice president of NCAPA and currently serves on the board
of directors of the Historic Shelby Foundation.
Marie York, FAICP, Region III Director, has more than 25 years of planning experience. She has authored more than 50 research reports on comprehensive planning, development codes, urban design, transportation, housing, and economic development. She is the co-creator and director of the Florida Public Officials Design Institute at Abacoa, which provides elected officials with urban design training. She has served as chair of the APA New Urbanism Division, chair of the Growth Management Review Task Force, and as president of the APA Florida Chapter, and on the Chapter Presidents Council.
Cynthia Bowen, AICP, Region IV Director, is a director at RW Armstrong, a global consulting firm. Prior to her current position, Bowen worked as a Senior Planner at HNTB Corporation. An active APA member, Bowen has held a number of leadership positions including president of the APA Indiana Chapter and vice chair and secretary/treasurer of the Chapter Presidents Council. Bowen is a graduate of Ball State University with degrees in urban and regional planning and environmental science and design. Within her community, Bowen currently serves as a board member and Land Use Committee Chair for the Lafayette Square Area Coalition.
Kelli A. Sertich, AICP, Region V Director, has more than 20 years of professional planning experience in the public and private sectors in Arizona. She currently is a Regional Area Planning Manager for the Flood Control District of Maricopa County. She is a certified planner and certified floodplain manager.
A dedicated member of APA, Sertich has served the association in a variety of capacities at the local and national level. She was the Arizona APA Chapter President, held various positions on the Arizona Chapter Board, served on the National Planning Awards Jury, and is a current member of Continuing Education Committee of AICP, APA's professional institute. Sertich received an associate's degree in Applied Science from Glendale Community College, bachelor's degree in Design and Urban Planning from Arizona State University, and a master's degree from Western International University.
Jeffrey J. Lambert, AICP, Region VI Director is owner of Lambert Consulting, a private firm that provides planning, government and community relations, strategic planning, and mediation services. He has worked extensively in both the public and private sectors as a professional planner, including serving as the Director of Planning and Building Services for the City of Santa Clarita, and as a planner for the City of West Hollywood and Kaiser Permanente. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California's School of Policy Planning and Development and served as a Planning Commissioner for the City of West Hollywood. He served as the APA California Chapter president, director of the Los Angeles Section of the APA California Chapter, and chair of the California Chapter APA Planning Conference host committee in 1992 and 2000.
Mitzi Barker, FAICP, APA Director-at-Large,
is Director of Rural Housing & Planning for the Rural Alaska Community
Action Program. Based in Anchorage, Barker manages the agency's housing
rehabilitation and weatherization programs, and rural community planning
assistance initiative. She served two terms as President of the Alaska
Chapter of APA, vice-chair of the Housing and Community Development Division,
and member of the Legislative and Policy Committee. She is the principal
author of APA's policy guides on Homelessness and Housing. A native of
the Pacific Northwest, Barker completed her undergraduate studies at Willamette
University in Salem, Oregon. She earned her master's degree in geography
and area development from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
Mitchell J. Silver, AICP, APA Director-at-Large Focused, has held positions in both the public and private sectors, including serving as the Deputy Director in the Office of Planning in Washington, D.C., Northern Manhattan Planning and Policy Director for the Manhattan Borough President in New York, and as a city planner in the New York City Planning Department.
A proven leader within the association, Silver served as the co-chair of the APA National Planning Conference local host committee in 2001, and president of the New York Metro Chapter that received the Chapter Presidents Council Karen B. Smith Award for Overall Chapter Achievement during his tenure.
Debra A. March, APA Director-at-Large Focused, is Executive Director of Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies in the College of Business of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has held positions in both the public and private sector, including Economic Development Marketing Director for the City of Las Vegas Economic Development Department and the Deputy Administrator for the Nevada Real Estate Division.
A dedicated member, March is a member of the APA National Planning Conference host committee for the 2008 National Planning Conference and a member of the Planning Accreditation Board. She is chair-elect for the Site Visitor Committee that evaluates institutions and professional programs seeking accredited status.
Irayda Ruiz, AICP, Director At Large, is Visiting Professor and Research Fellow at San Carlos University, Guatemala. Prior to her fellowship position, Ruiz worked as the Assistant Director of Operations for the School of World Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. She also has worked as a senior city planner for the City of Hampton, Virginia, and as an intern in the United Nations Development Program in Guatemala. Within APA, Ruiz served on the Diversity in Planning Task Force and as chair of the Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Committee for the APA Virginia Chapter. She holds a Bachelor’s in Architecture from San Carlos University, Guatemala, and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Advisors to the APA Board and
the Association:
Michael Blue, AICP
Chapter Presidents Council Advisor to the Board
Terry Holzheimer, FAICP
Divisions Council Advisor to the Board
Kent Hurst
Student Representatives Council Advisor to the Board
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Robert B. Hunter, FAICP, President of APA, has more than 30 years of planning experience spanning private, public, local, regional, state, and national levels. He has served as Executive Director of the Hillsborough City-County Planning Commission for the past 15 years. He previously worked as the Director of Neighborhood Development in Kansas City, Missouri, and as Director of Planning for Reno, Nevada, and San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, he has taught planning courses as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Kansas at Lawrence. Hunter is a certified planner and a fellow of APA's professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, the highest honor a professional planner can achieve.
A long-standing leader within APA, Hunter has served the organization at the local and national level.
Bruce Knight, FAICP, APA President-Elect is Planning Director of Champaign, Illinois, and an adjunct lecturer at the University of Illinois in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. He also has worked as a city planner in Liberty, Missouri, and Iowa City, Iowa, and as a regional planner with the Mid-Iowa Development Association Council of Governments in Fort Dodge Iowa. Knight joined APA in 1980 and became a certified planner in 1985. He served two terms as APA Illinois Chapter President from 1997 to 1999, and served on the Fellows of AICP Task Force and selection committee and the APA Mission Statement Task Force. He also chaired the 2000 and 2001 National APA Awards Juries. Knight has a B.S. in Urban Planning from Iowa State University and an M.A. in Public Affairs from the University of Iowa. 
Graham Billingsley, AICP, President of AICP, has served as director of the Boulder County Land Use Department since 1989 and has played a critical role in Boulder County's progressive land use policies. Today, Boulder County is considered a role model among many communities for its innovation and growth management policies.
Billingsley's career in the planning profession spans more than 29 years of service in public and private sectors in Colorado, Texas, Missouri, and Ohio. His distinctions include national and statewide awards, including a 1993 award from the Colorado Historical Society for historic preservation regulations. For the past six years, Billingsley has served as the APA Colorado Chapter President, in addition to other numerous chapter leadership roles. 
David W. Woods, AICP Region I Director, has more than 20 years of experience in the planning profession. Over the last 10 years he has worked as a consultant and public sector planner in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He holds two master's degrees — the first in Government and Public Administration from the University of Maryland and the second in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University. Woods recently was appointed to serve as commissioner of the Department of Planning, Environment, and Land Management for the town of Brookhaven, New York.
A dedicated member of APA, Woods has been active in the association at both the state and national level. He currently serves as the APA New York Metro Chapter's vice president for professional development. 
Carol
A. Rhea, AICP, Region
II Director, lives in Shelby, North Carolina. As president of Rhea Consulting,
Inc. she works with the public sector in the areas of planning, group
facilitation, ordinances and regulations, board training, permitting,
code enforcement, and solid waste. She has 17 years of experience
in local government planning and administration and has worked for state,
regional, local, and nonprofit agencies in Florida and North Carolina
on projects including watershed protection, land use planning
and regulation, downtown revitalization, infrastructure financing, and
community development. Previously, Rhea served as director of planning
and development in Monroe, North Carolina. She is a past
president and vice president of NCAPA and currently serves on the board
of directors of the Historic Shelby Foundation. 
Marie York, FAICP, Region III Director, has more than 25 years of planning experience. She has authored more than 50 research reports on comprehensive planning, development codes, urban design, transportation, housing, and economic development. She is the co-creator and director of the Florida Public Officials Design Institute at Abacoa, which provides elected officials with urban design training. She has served as chair of the APA New Urbanism Division, chair of the Growth Management Review Task Force, and as president of the APA Florida Chapter, and on the Chapter Presidents Council.
Cynthia Bowen, AICP, Region IV Director, is a director at RW Armstrong, a global consulting firm. Prior to her current position, Bowen worked as a Senior Planner at HNTB Corporation. An active APA member, Bowen has held a number of leadership positions including president of the APA Indiana Chapter and vice chair and secretary/treasurer of the Chapter Presidents Council. Bowen is a graduate of Ball State University with degrees in urban and regional planning and environmental science and design. Within her community, Bowen currently serves as a board member and Land Use Committee Chair for the Lafayette Square Area Coalition.
Kelli A. Sertich, AICP, Region V Director, has more than 20 years of professional planning experience in the public and private sectors in Arizona. She currently is a Regional Area Planning Manager for the Flood Control District of Maricopa County. She is a certified planner and certified floodplain manager.
A dedicated member of APA, Sertich has served the association in a variety of capacities at the local and national level. She was the Arizona APA Chapter President, held various positions on the Arizona Chapter Board, served on the National Planning Awards Jury, and is a current member of Continuing Education Committee of AICP, APA's professional institute. Sertich received an associate's degree in Applied Science from Glendale Community College, bachelor's degree in Design and Urban Planning from Arizona State University, and a master's degree from Western International University. 
Jeffrey J. Lambert, AICP, Region VI Director is owner of Lambert Consulting, a private firm that provides planning, government and community relations, strategic planning, and mediation services. He has worked extensively in both the public and private sectors as a professional planner, including serving as the Director of Planning and Building Services for the City of Santa Clarita, and as a planner for the City of West Hollywood and Kaiser Permanente. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California's School of Policy Planning and Development and served as a Planning Commissioner for the City of West Hollywood. He served as the APA California Chapter president, director of the Los Angeles Section of the APA California Chapter, and chair of the California Chapter APA Planning Conference host committee in 1992 and 2000.
Mitzi Barker, FAICP, APA Director-at-Large,
is Director of Rural Housing & Planning for the Rural Alaska Community
Action Program. Based in Anchorage, Barker manages the agency's housing
rehabilitation and weatherization programs, and rural community planning
assistance initiative. She served two terms as President of the Alaska
Chapter of APA, vice-chair of the Housing and Community Development Division,
and member of the Legislative and Policy Committee. She is the principal
author of APA's policy guides on Homelessness and Housing. A native of
the Pacific Northwest, Barker completed her undergraduate studies at Willamette
University in Salem, Oregon. She earned her master's degree in geography
and area development from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
Mitchell J. Silver, AICP, APA Director-at-Large Focused, has held positions in both the public and private sectors, including serving as the Deputy Director in the Office of Planning in Washington, D.C., Northern Manhattan Planning and Policy Director for the Manhattan Borough President in New York, and as a city planner in the New York City Planning Department.
A proven leader within the association, Silver served as the co-chair of the APA National Planning Conference local host committee in 2001, and president of the New York Metro Chapter that received the Chapter Presidents Council Karen B. Smith Award for Overall Chapter Achievement during his tenure. 
Debra A. March, APA Director-at-Large Focused, is Executive Director of Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies in the College of Business of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has held positions in both the public and private sector, including Economic Development Marketing Director for the City of Las Vegas Economic Development Department and the Deputy Administrator for the Nevada Real Estate Division.
A dedicated member, March is a member of the APA National Planning Conference host committee for the 2008 National Planning Conference and a member of the Planning Accreditation Board. She is chair-elect for the Site Visitor Committee that evaluates institutions and professional programs seeking accredited status.
Irayda Ruiz, AICP, Director At Large, is Visiting Professor and Research Fellow at San Carlos University, Guatemala. Prior to her fellowship position, Ruiz worked as the Assistant Director of Operations for the School of World Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. She also has worked as a senior city planner for the City of Hampton, Virginia, and as an intern in the United Nations Development Program in Guatemala. Within APA, Ruiz served on the Diversity in Planning Task Force and as chair of the Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Committee for the APA Virginia Chapter. She holds a Bachelor’s in Architecture from San Carlos University, Guatemala, and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University.
