For SRC Regional Representative Elected from Region II

Connie Chan

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, City and Regional Planning; First year Master's Student, expected graduation May 2013.
connie.e.chan@gmail.com

Leadership, Volunteer, and Planning-related Experience

List and describe briefly relevant leadership positions, volunteer positions and planning-related activities.

• Served as a summer intern at the New York City Department of City Planning, where I supported a study to understand the pollution, nuisance and health hazards associated with unenclosed, heavy industrial uses in New York City. This involved conducting field work to gather data regarding compliance with zoning regulations, nuisance generation and the polluting potential of open industrial uses across the city and leading an initiative to survey zoning regulations and conduct interviews with planners from a dozen major U.S. cities to understand issues regarding enforcement of zoning and envir
• Managed various programs to recruit and train teachers to serve in high-need public schools in New York City. This included building relationships with several institutions of higher education, developing alternative certificaiton pathways to teaching, developing online training courses, and managing a $15 million state grant.
• Serve as co-chair of the co-chair of the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning Alumni Committee, the student government organization responsible for strengthening the relationship and building opportunities for networking between alumni, current students, and faculty.
• Volunteered for the Red Hook Community Farm, a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable development in an underserved neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.       
• Served as a Teaching Assistant for first-year graduate courses at the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning.

About APA and Planning

Describe how you have benefited from APA student membership to date.

The APA website and publications have provided the means for staying up-to-date on planning practice in areas across the country. My favorites are the Sustaining Places blog and Planning magazine. Student membership will allow me to attend the national conference this spring.

Describe your qualifications for the SRC Regional Representative position.

I have held a variety of professional experiences in a large, global firm, a small school, and a large city agency. These experiences have allowed me to interact with a diverse set of stakeholders that have different values and desired outcomes. I attribute my success to an ability to listen, understand the critical issues, work hard, and negotiate solutions between different parties to achieve collective goals. These qualities make me a strong candidate for the position.

How can APA and its student leaders assist planning students as they transition into planning careers?

Maximize ways to connect with and learn from practitioners in the field. In addition to the conferences, this can be accomplished through professional development, showcasing the work of practicing planners, and an online forum allowing students and practitioners to interact with one another. Given the economic landscape, the value of personal networks is becoming increasing important to getting a strong start in their new careers.

Why did you choose planning as a career path?

There is no other field that brings together such diverse and important goals and attempts to seek holistic solutions to urgent problems through a high degree of collective input and action. Planners have the responsibility of understanding the needs of their communities in order to resolve difficult problems in ways that promote sustainable development and equity. There is no other profession whose work will have a larger, longer-lasting impact on the landscape of our communities.

What have you learned from previous leadership experience?

Learn to be a good listener. Get input from as many stakeholders as you can, as better ideas will always emerge from multiple voices. Communication and transparency are the keys to getting buy-in on decisions and solutions. Find the opportunities hidden in every problem, it will make your job much more fun.