AICP Commission Biographies
President
Karen Wolf, FAICP
Karen Wolf has dedicated her career to public stewardship and advancing the benefits of planning. She recently retired from King County, Washington, where she served as a trusted advisor to elected leaders for more than 30 years. She has demonstrated her commitment to planning through mentoring, volunteering, and teaching new planners and graduate students. Within APA, she has served in several leadership roles, including the AICP Ethics and Exam Committee, APA Washington Chapter, and CM Equity Credit Task Force. Additionally, Wolf is an affiliate instructor at the University of Washington (UW) and serves on the UW Professional Council for Urban Design and Planning. She also served as the chair of the Advisory Committee for Children's Hospital of Seattle providing input on the development of the hospital campus. Wolf has a master's degree in urban planning and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Washington.
Immediate Past President
Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP
Mitchell Silver became commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks in May 2014. He is a past president of the American Planning Association and an award-winning planner with 35 years of experience. Silver is internationally recognized for his leadership in the planning profession and his contributions to contemporary planning issues. As Parks Commissioner, he oversees management, planning, and operations of 30,000 acres of parkland. Prior to returning to his native New York City, he served as the chief planning and development officer for Raleigh, North Carolina, where he led the comprehensive plan update process and a rewriting of the development code to create a vibrant 21st century city. As one of the nation's most celebrated urban thinkers, Silver was elected to Planetizen's list of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists in 2017.
Secretary-Treasurer, Commissioner Region II
Arlova J. Vonhm, AICP
Arlova Vonhm is the zoning administrator and zoning division chief for Arlington County, Virginia. Vonhm's professional planning career spans over 20 years, including private practice and the public sector, at the local and regional level. She derives genuine pleasure from public service and is committed to the equitable implementation of planning policy. Vonhm received an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan. She served on the board of the National Capital Area Chapter of APA for six years, including four years as a Professional Development Officer.
Commissioner Region I
Sarah Marchant, AICP
Sarah Marchant, AICP, joined the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund as Chief of Staff in 2021. From 2014 to 2021 she was the City of Nashua's Director of Community Development, which consists of six departments, including Building Safety, Code Enforcement, Planning and Zoning, Waterways, Transportation, Urban Programs, and various commissions, boards, and programs. Sarah is the Professional Development Officer of the Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association (NNECAPA) representing NH, VT, and ME, after serving as President from 2015-2021. As of January 2022, she has been elected to serve as the Region 1 representative on American Planning Association’s AICP Commission. In addition she has served on the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority Board of Directors since her appointment in 2019. She holds a BA from the University of New Hampshire and an MA from the University of Connecticut.
Commissioner Region III
Kimberley Mickelson, AICP
Kim Mickelson is a land-use attorney and planner, representing cities, planning departments, and related boards and commissions. She works with those entities to develop comprehensive plans and land development regulations that work best for that community. She holds three degrees from the University of Texas. She is an adjunct professor of practice in the master in urban planning program at Texas A&M University, where she has taught planning law and plan implementation in connection with projects by Texas Target Communities. She is a past president of the APA Texas Chapter, chair of the Local Host Subcommittee for the 2020 National Planning Conference, and former chair of the APA Research Committee. She has served on the Legislative and Policy Council and the PAB's Innovation and Communication in Planning Education Task Force.
Commissioner Region IV
Erin N. Perdu, AICP
Erin Perdu is the community planning and economic development director for WSB in Minneapolis. She has been a practicing planner for over 20 years, working primarily in the upper Midwest and Texas. Her career spans both the public and private sectors, including a 12-year stint at the helm of the consulting firm she founded, ENP & Associates. Perdu's passions include long-range planning, community engagement, and bringing national best practices to communities of all sizes. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Stanford University (Earth Systems) and Master of Science (Natural Resources) and Master of Urban Planning degrees from the University of Michigan.
Commissioner Region V
Jae Hill, AICP
Jeffrey "Jae" Hill has seventeen years of multidisciplinary experience across the Western US. While he's currently a Principal Planner at King County, Washington, he has previously served in director roles in California, Idaho, and Alaska. A fierce advocate for climate resilience, Jae gave a TED talk on the future of skiing and ski towns at TEDxSunValley 2016. Jae has a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Cal Poly Pomona, a Master of Business Administration from University of Nevada-Reno, and a Bachelor of Science in Geography from University of Utah. He also serves as the chair of the University of Washington Professionals Council, has previously served on the boards of the APA Alaska and Idaho state chapters, and is also a Certified Floodplain Manager.
Commissioner Region VI
Miroo Desai, AICP
Miroo Desai has over 20 years of experience as a professional planner in three municipalities in California specializing in the analysis, processing, and approval of major development projects including doing California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) related work. For nearly half this time she has been involved in a variety of APA related leadership roles at both the Section and the State Board. At the APA California Board she spearheaded the creation of a new position of Vice President (VP) — Diversity and Equity, which is part of the executive committee of the State Board. Miroo’s interest in promoting diversity and equity in our profession is coupled with her interest in creating equitable and supportive work environments. She has striven to do both through her work as the VP of Diversity and Equity on the CA State Board and by serving as the Union Emeryville Chapter President (SEIU Local 1021).
Liaisons
Chapter Presidents Council
Josh Clements, AICP
Josh Clements is Past-President of APA Wisconsin Chapter and Planning Director of the City of Sun Prairie. Josh is active with multiple Divisions and previously served on the APA Legislative & Policy Advisory Committee. Josh is an outspoken advocate for integrating vision, values and ethics into planning and governance decisions. Josh has a MS in Urban & Regional Planning from UW Madison, and equally enjoys traveling the world's great cities and wilderness areas.
Divisions Council
Deborah Myerson, AICP
Deborah Myerson is principal/founder of Myerson Consulting, LLC and serves as Secretary/Treasurer for the APA Divisions Council Executive Committee. Myerson has more than 25 years of experience specializing in land use policy, housing, and community development. She has been active in leadership with the APA Private Practice Division and APA Indiana Chapter. Myerson has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University.
Student Representative Council
Kevin Luzong, AICP
Kevin Luzong is a recent graduate from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he received his Master of Community and Regional Planning degree with a concentration in transportation planning. He was born and raised in New York City and currently lives in San Francisco, where he works for Uber to build up government and transit agency partnerships. His interests include public transit, new mobility, and sustainability. As the SRC Region V representative, he advocates for planning students and supports student-led initiatives in his electoral region and across the country.