Paul Farmer, FAICP

Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer

Paul Farmer is Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of APA and AICP. He has primary responsibility for the long-term strategic direction of the association, in concert with elected leadership. He is responsible for representing the leadership of the association, its members and the interests of planning with partners and with the public.

Charlotte McCaskill

Chief Operating Officer

Charlotte McCaskill is Chief Operating Officer for APA and AICP. She is responsible for all administrative departments of the association. This includes Membership and Accounting, Marketing, Information Systems, and Office and Employee Services. She also serves as Assistant Secretary-Treasurer of the APA Board of Directors, representing the board primarily on financial related matters.

Deene Alongi

Director of Meetings and Conferences

The Director of Meetings and Conferences has overall responsibility for the APA National Planning Conference and the Fall Leadership conference. Additionally, the conference department is responsible for numerous other APA meetings held throughout the year.

Monica Groh

Manager, Professional Development and AICP

The Manager of Professional Development and AICP guides the programs of APA's professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, in the areas of governance, education, member services and outreach, publications, and certification. Specific programs include the Certification Maintenance program, AICP certification exam, AICP Symposium, Fellows of AICP, Planners Training Service workshops, and the Community Assistance Program.

Kenneth East

Director of Marketing and Promotions

The Director of Marketing and Promotions leads a department that is responsible for developing and nurturing APA goods and services. This includes APA's efforts to recruit and retain members and subscribers and to sell a variety of books, reports, and other products. The Director of Marketing also supervises the sale of advertising in APA publications and on the APA website.

Arlis Withers

Director of Finance and Customer Service

The Director of Finance and Customer Services leads departments responsible for APA membership and subscriber customer services; registration services for the National Planning Conference, chapter conferences, audio conferences, and other meetings; accounting/finance; and budgeting. These department services include all billings and payments to customers for services provided by both APA and AICP.

Sylvia Lewis

Director of Publications and APAPlanningBooks.
com

The Director of Publications is the Editor and Publisher of Planning magazine. She oversees Planners Press as well as APA's bookstore, APAPlanningBooks.com.

Carolyn Torma

Director of Education and Citizen Engagement

The Director of Education develops and manages the organization's education programs for practicing planners, planning commissioners, and youth, as well as developing the program for the National Planning Conference.

Bill Klein, AICP

Director of Research and Advisory Services

The Director of Research manages research activities, including three subscription services: the Planning Advisory Service (PAS reports, the PAS Memo, and PAS inquiry answering), Planning & Environmental Law, and Zoning Practice. Research also includes work sponsored by foundations, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. Research also helps with program development for the APA National Planning Conference and with the audioconference series.

Jason Jordan

Director of Policy and Government Affairs

The Policy Director is responsible for government affairs, public information and policy efforts of the association. This includes development of APA's policy guides and statements, communication with the media, outreach to allied organizations and the public to bring visibility to APA and the planning profession. He also manages relationships with Chapters and Divisions regarding their legislative and public relations programs at the state and regional levels.

Mike Welch

Director of Leadership and Component Services

The Leadership and Component Services Department promotes and develops leadership among APA's members and supports the work of the organization's elected leaders, including the APA Board of Directors, AICP Commission, Chapter Presidents Council, Divisions Council, and Student Representatives Council. The department also provides program development and administrative services to the individual components of APA, including chapters, divisions, and student organizations.

Mark Ferguson

Director of Information Technology

The Director of Information Technology provides vision and leadership in the development and implementation of APA's organization-wide information technology program. The director leads APA in planning and implementing enterprise information systems to support operations and achieve more effective and cost-beneficial IT and development operations.

Jeff Soule, FAICP

Director of Outreach and International Programs