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Ed McMahon has joined the board of trustees of the Orton Family Foundation. McMahon is is currently a senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C., where he holds the Charles Fraser Chair on Sustainable Development. He was formerly with the The Conservation Fund, served as the first president of Scenic America, and taught law and public policy at Georgetown University Law Center.

Joanne Garnett, FAICP, has been named assistant director of Communities in Wyoming, a new statewide organization that will follow up on ideas and recommendations developed at a "Building the Wyoming We Want" conference. Garnett will remain an employee of the planning and engineering firm, WLC, but will devote all her time to Communities in Wyoming, which begins with a series of small gatherings to learn how citizens think the state can welcome growth and prosperity while still protecting the things and places that make Wyoming special.

Michael T. Lambert, AICP, is the new director of Mid-Atlantic Transit & Rail for Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB). Lambert brings 30 years of diverse experience as a transportation planning professional, including bus and rail transit feasibility studies, alternatives analysis, and community participation and planning. He has worked on major transit and rail systems in the U.S. and internationally in Malaysia and India.

Bruce Stiftel, FAICP, has been named director of the City and Regional Planning Program at the Georgia Tech College of Architecture. Most recently associate dean of graduate studies at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Stiftel was also a professor of urban and regional planning and a faculty associate of the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium. Stiftel was inducted as a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2004. This July, he received the Jay Chatterjee Award for Distinguished Service to Planning Education from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.

John (Jay) Evans, AICP, has been promoted to principal at Cambridge Systematics. Evans has more than 15 years of transportation planning and modeling experience across all modes, and is the manager of the firm's Washington, D.C., metropolitan area office. He is serving as the firm's principal-in-charge for its effort on the National Cooperative Highway Research Program on travel demand forecasting, and is a lead author of several high-profile chapters in the Traveler Response to Transportation System Changes handbook series.

Ruth Eckdish Knack, AICP, has been inducted into the Richard T. Ely Chapter of Lambda Alpha Internation, the honorary society for the advancement of land economics. Knack is the executive editor of Planning magazine.

Susan Alanis has been appointed director of Fort Worth's Planning and Development Department, replacing Fernando Costa, FAICP, who recently was named one of the city's five assistant city managers. Most recently serving as acting director of the Planning and Development Department, Alanis joined the city in 1996 as a budget analyst, moving to the Police Department in 1999 to manage administrative services and to become the department's first civilian assistant director. She was named deputy director of the development department in 2006 and was instrumental in merging the planning and development departments in 2007.

John P. Vodopich, AICP, planning and community development director for the City of Bonney Lake, Washington, has been reappointed by the Washington State Secretary of Transportation to serve a four-year term on the State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB). The TIB distributes grant funding, which comes from the revenue generated by three cents of the statewide gas tax, to cities and counties for funding transportation projects.

Wendy Shabay, AICP, has been named associate in the consulting firm Freese and Nichols, Inc. Shabay specializes in planning, urban design, and higher education planning. She joined Freese and Nichols in 2004 and has been instrumental in the design of the City of Wichita Falls Downtown Plan, the City of Fort Worth Urban Villages for Southeast Fort Worth, and the Tarrant County College District Facilities Master Plan.

Richard CarsonRichard Carson (photo left) has published his newest essay titled "Bowling Alone in Urbanistaville." It may be found on the ArchNewsNow website. After working at the city, county, regional, and state level as a planning manager for 30 years, Carson is semi-retired. He joined the firm of Citygate Associates, whose mission is "The Business of Better Government," and  is currently working with several local government planning agencies on improving their organization's efficiency.

Arthur C. "Chris" Nelson, FAICP, has been appointed a presidential professor in the University of Utah's College of Architecture + Planning. Nelson was previously the director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech. Prior to entering academia, he managed his own West Coast consultancy in planning and management, and continues to provide professional planning services. Nelson also served the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as an expert on smart growth and growth management for the Clinton and Bush administrations.

Molly MacQueen has been promoted to senior associate and environmental planning manager in the national Transportation and Infrastructure Division of STV, an engineering, architectural, and construction management firm with 28 offices throughout the U.S. MacQueen will continue to serve as project manager for the New York City Department of City Planning's Lower Concourse Rezoning environmental impact statement. In addition, MacQueen has directed and participated in environmental reviews in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Florida. She has been with STV since 2000.

John Hart, AICP, has rejoined RTKL as a principal. With nearly 30 years of experience with public and private clients, Hart brings the firm senior-level expertise in architecture, master planning, urban design, and environmental mitigation. Previously, Hart was at URS Corporation, Riemer Muegge, Leo A. Daly. He also managed the National World War II Memorial design team.

Richard W. Unger, FAICP, has been appointed to the Government Policy Energy and Climate Change Technical Working Group. The working group provides suggestions for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's Action Team on Energy and Climate Change, which is working on Phase Two of the policy that will form the basis for a comprehensive Florida Energy and Climate Change Action Plan. Unger is a team leader at MSCW, at MSCW, Inc., an Orlando-based design firm. He joined MSCW in 2003 after 10 years with the City of Orlando.

Lynne Marie Whately, AICP, has been named manager of transportation planning and environment in the Orlando office of TranSystems, a nationwide transportation consulting company. Whatley will provide expertise on a variety of the firm's transportation, land use, and environment projects throughout Florida and the Southeast.

Jonathan M. Heilman, AICP, has joined Gannett Fleming, an international planning, design, and construction management firm. Based in the firm's corporate headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Heilman serves as a transportation and community planner with the Environmental Planning and Management Practice. He is responsible for conducting planning studies, modal studies, funding analyses, congestion management processes, and linkages between transportation and land use.

Andrew Nicol, AICP, is a new project manager in the Orlando office of TranSystems, a nationwide consulting company. Nicol comes to TranSystems from another consulting firm where he managed numerous transit development projects in central Florida and a statewide scenic highways program.

Russell J. Burke, AICPRussell J. Burke, AICP, (photo left) has joined BSC Group in Boston as director of planning. Burke is an urban planner with extensive experience in public and private planning, project feasibility, permitting, and development. Most recently, he was a principal of Real Estate InSite, providing planning services for residential, office, and waterfront properties in Massachusetts and Florida.

Margaret Bulat has joined RBF Consulting's (RBF) Urban Design Studio as a lead community planner and associate in the firm's Irvine office. Bulat comes to RBF from Titan Group, a real estate development company where she was a project manager with responsibilities that included included community outreach, coordination of consultant reports and technical studies, and mentoring staff assistants.

Ariana McBrideAriana McBride (photo left) has been named senior associate, northeast projects, in the Orton Family Foundation's Middlebury, Vermont, headquarters office. She will be part of the foundation's Heart & Soul community planning effort. McBride formerly worked as the economic development planner for the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council where she led several initiatives focused on developing a place-centered approach to economic development.

Al Zelinka, AICP, was recently appointed to the California Planning Roundtable, an organization of experienced planning professionals who are members of the American Planning Association. Its mission is to provide a forum for prominent planners to exercise creativity and leadership in promoting understanding of California's critical public policy issues, and recommending action. Zelinka's practice in planning spans more than 28 states with a special focus on placemaking and public safety through urban design.

Paul Koch, AICPPaul Koch, AICP, (photo left) a transportation engineer and planner in Stantec's Raleigh, North Carolina, office, has been promoted to principal. Formerly a senior associate with the firm, Koch helps lead the company's transportation group in the Carolinas. He has worked for more than 18 years as a transportation engineer and environmental planner, managing corridor studies, traffic analyses, and environmental studies for major transportation improvements, including those to sections of the award-winning "super-street" along U.S. 17 through Leland, North Carolina.

Nando Micale, AICP, has been promoted to principal at the Philadelphia firm of Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC (WRT), where he currently serves as that office's group leader for planning and urban design. His 20-year career includes TOD planning, community planning and design, and large-scale urban planning, which includes the Urban Design Element for the City of Omaha's Master Plan. Micale's recent work with PennPraxis and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission on the Civic Vision for the Central Delaware was granted a 2008 Charter Award by the Congress for the New Urbanism.

Scott Michie, AICPScott Michie, AICP (photo left) has been named a stockholder with BWR. He joined the firm in 1990 and serves as the Team Leader for the Community Planning Team in the firms Kansas City office. He has been instrumental in the growth of this practice area, which includes the establishment of Geographic Information System (GIS) services. BWR (recently shortened name from Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation) is a multidiscipline firm offering comprehensive consulting services in engineering, planning, and architecture.

Jeanine Cavalli has joined PMC as a new associate planner. She has experience as a planner in the United Kingdom, where she was involved with current planning and smart growth. At PMC, Cavalli is currently assisting with the City of Modesto Kiernan Business Park Specific Plan and working to update the City of Dixon General Plan.

Deborah Jensen, AICPDeborah Jensen, AICP, (photo left) an urban planner and associate with Cooper Carry, was recently appointed to Atlanta's SPI-1 Downtown District Development Review Committee. The committee was created when the Atlanta City Council adopted new zoning and design regulations for the downtown district. Jensen is one of nine committee members who will advise the city's planning bureau on future developments. Her role is to review proposed developments from an architectural and urban design viewpoint.

Alan W. Roddy, AICP, formerly a shareholder with the Sarasota law firm of Matthews, Eastmoore, Hardy, Crauwels & Garcia, has rejoined the Sarasota County Attorney's Office. Roddy practices in the areas of land use and environmental law. A certified planner, he is also certified by the Florida Bar in city, county, and local government law.

Alan D. Reynolds, AICPAlan D. Reynolds, AICP, (photo left) recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with WilsonMiller. In the past decade, during which he has served as CEO, the firm has diversified its services and increased its revenues fourfold. Reynolds's areas of expertise include environmental and community design, as well as land use and strategic planning. He has served as planner for many communities in Southwest Florida, including the Town of Ave Maria, Babcock Ranch, the Town of Big Cypress, Berkshire Lakes, Bonita Bay, The Brooks, Grey Oaks, Hamilton Harbor, Lely Resort, Mediterra, Pelican Marsh, Winding Cypress, and Wyndemere.

Stephanie Keyes, AICP, has joined the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc. as director of government affairs, where she will be addressing legislative and government/community relations activities for the association. Previously, Keyes was a principal planner for Johnson Engineering, Inc. and a long-range facilities planner for Lee County Schools. She also owned a local urban land use planning company for 12 years.

Erich FischerErich Fischer (photo left) has been promoted to vice president and regional director for the Central Valley/Sierra region of Environmental Science Associates (ESA). Fischer directs ESA's Central Valley/Sierra Land Management and Biological Resources practice. He also has served as the region's Deputy Regional Director for the past year. Since joining ESA in 1999, Fischer has developed solutions for clients that balance species conservation and development, including plans for Native American clients and Clean Water Act compliance throughout the Central Valley.

Daniel Baer, AICP, has joined Parsons Brinckerhoff as East Coast planning manager, responsible for multimodal transportation, transit, freight, and environmental planning. He has more than 20 years of experience in managing large, multidisciplinary teams for transportation and land development initiatives. He has directed planning efforts for the Fulton Mall streetscape, Hudson Yards redevlopment, and Yankee Stadium parks and garages in New York City.

David SiegelAPA Past-President David Siegel, AICP, (photo left) has joined Otak Inc. as a member of the firm's planning team in its Lake Oswego, Oregon, headquarters. He will contribute to a variety of Otak's smart growth and sustainability planning projects. In the West and Pacific Northwest, Siegel has led regional planning initiatives such as the Regional Growth Summits for the Las Vegas region and Blueprint Houston. He has also led community groups and decision makers in creating plans for neighborhoods and downtowns for Northwest communities. He also played a key role in the establishment of the Oregon Visions Project, culminating in its award-winning Guide to Community Visioning.

Brad Schwab, AICP, has joined Woolpert, Inc. as a planning and design group manager in the firm's Cincinnati office. Schwab brings 10 years of successful land use and development consulting experience, including work in community planning, redevelopment planning, zoning amendments, economic development and concept design. He also served in the Ohio National Guard for six years, and was active in the U.S. Army for three years.

Christine A. Wells, AICPChristine A. Wells, AICP (photo left) has established a new transportation planning consulting firm, Crossroads Transportation, LLC. Wells has more than 25 years of experience. She holds a master's degree in city and regional planning from Morgan State University and has worked in planning at the local, state, and regional levels. As president of the firm, she intends to assist clients in identifying transportation and land use policies, projects and programs that will result in a more complete transportation system.

Byron Goynes is the new chairman of the Las Vegas Planning Commission, and Glenn Trowbridge is the new vice chairman. Goynes has served as an appointed planning official of the city of Las Vegas for 15 years. He is currently employed with Veolia Transportation, which provides public transit in the Las Vegas area. Trowbridge joined the commission in July 2005. A resident of Las Vegas for more than 30 years, he is a former director of the Clark County Parks & Recreation Department.

Ralph Becker, FAICPRalph Becker, FAICP, (photo left) was elected mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, in November 2007. In his campaign, Becker told voters that some of his top issues were climate change and the environment, transportation choice, and the revitalization of downtown and other neighborhoods. Becker was the minority leader of the Utah House of Representatives and is a co-founder of the comprehensive environmental planning firm Bear West. Other planner-mayors around the country include Paul Dennis, AICP, Camas, Washington; Rhon Ernest-Jones, AICP, Coral Springs, Florida; Ron Littlefield, AICP, Chattanooga, Tennessee; Carl Morehouse, AICP, Ventura, California; and Tom Phillips, AICP, Manhattan, Kansas.

Peter Denitz, AICP, has joined HDR as the northeast transportation planning manager based in the firm's Philadelphia office. Most recently, Denitz was vice president and northeast planning services manager for Parsons Brinckerhoff. Before joining PB, Denitz served as chief of community planning for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. He is a charter member of AICP, a registered Professional Planner in New Jersey, and a member of the Women's Transportation Seminar and Urban Land Institute.

Richard L. Woodruff, AICPRichard L. Woodruff, AICP, (photo left) has assumed a new corporate role as managing principal of Wilson Miller, responsible for providing strategic consulting services to public and private sector clients throughout Florida. With more than 30 years of experience as an urban planner and public manager, Woodruff has overseen several of the firm's large-scale community and regional planning and master-planned community projects. He has also facilitated redevelopment and beautification projects and completed planning studies on behalf of government entities.

Rollin Stanley, AICP, has been named planning director of Montgomery County, Maryland. Stanley has been director of planning and urban design in St. Louis for five years. Before his stint in St. Louis, he spent 20 years in as a planner in Toronto. Stanley has twice won a World Leadership Award and is chairman of APA's City Planning and Management Division.

Anita Yap, AICPAnita Yap, AICP, (photo left) was selected as the first permanent community development director for the City of Damascus, Oregon, from a nationwide recruitment. One of her duties will be to create a comprehensive plan for the first new city in Oregon in more than 22 years. In Oregon, Yap has served as planning director in Coburg, and a planner for Lane Transit District, Lane Council of Governments, and the cities of Bend, Junction City, and Veneta. She received the Governor's Livability Award for West Bend Village and the Excellence in Downtown Award for Locust Street Cottages in Coburg.

Wayne Grinnell, AICP, has accepted invitation to membership in the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE). CRE was established in 1953, and is an international organization of 1,100 high-profile real estate counseling professionals worldwide. Membership in CRE is by invitation only. Grinnell is vice-president of planning and development of CSA Consulting Engineers and CSA Design Group, Inc. of El Paso, Texas.

Christopher Yake, a senior planner, and Lesley Barewin, a transportation planner, have joined Otak's headquarters in Lake Oswego, Orgon. Yake has an extensive background in smart growth, community planning and transit-oriented development. He recently managed the Denver Transit-Oriented Development Market Study and completed the Alameda Transit-Oriented-Development Station Area Infrastructure Framework Plan. Barewin will use her expertise to specialize in environmental planning for transportation projects. Prior to joining Otak, Barewin worked in the planning department at the City of Milwaukie, Oregon, assisting with an update to the Transportation System Plan, and for the City of Beaverton in the Solid Waste and Recycling Department.

Erin L. Dorn, AICPErin L. Dorn, AICP, recently became a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional. She obtained LEED AP status by passing an examination administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, which established the LEED rating systems. A member of WilsonMiller's Community & Regional Planning Business Unit, Dorn is experienced in growth management, future land use assessments, and Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs). As a LEED AP, Dorn will incorporate specific planning and design techniques in her projects to increase their energy efficiency and to reduce impacts on human health and the environment.


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