APA Board of Directors
About the APA Board of Directors
The APA Board of Directors sets the organization's strategic direction, ensures allocation of necessary resources, and provides oversight. APA seeks a diverse group of leaders who can focus on the future, identify external shifts that will impact the organization, promote and advocate for APA, and identify emerging leaders. Board members are expected to lead by example and strive to model a shared set of values that will help APA achieve its vision for the future.
Learn more about Board service
APA Board members:
Set APA's Direction
- Engage in strategic thinking and planning
- Set the organization's mission and vision for the future
- Establish organizational values
- Ensure alignment of operational or annual plans with the strategic plan
Ensure Allocation of Necessary Resources
- Hire the CEO
- Ensure adequate financial resources
- Promote positive public image
- Ensure the presence of a capable and responsible Board
Provide Oversight
- Oversee Financial Management
- Minimize exposure to risk
- Measure progress on the strategic plan
- Monitor programs and services
- Provide legal and moral oversight
- Evaluate the Board
Term: 4 Years
Eligibility: At least four years of APA membership (previous volunteer experience preferred but not required)
Time Commitment:
All-day meetings: 7 days/year, travel 3 times/year
Virtual meetings: 8 hours/year, additional Zoom calls as needed
Meeting Preparation: 2 hours prior to each Board meeting to review materials
APA Board members serve as liaisons to an APA committee; refer to committee time commitments for details.
2025Â APA Board of Directors
Officers
President
Sue Schwartz, FAICP
Sue Schwartz's career in planning spans over four decades. Thirty-six of those have been in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she has been the planning director since August 2011. Her previous work focused on neighborhood revitalization and corridor reinvestment. Several of her projects have earned state and national awards. Since 2006, she has been a faculty/consultant for NeighborWorks America and is an adjunct faculty member in the Public Administration Program at UNC Greensboro. She is also an accomplished TED Talk speaker. Being active in APA has been integral to Sue's growth as a planner. She previously served as AICP President and has held other leadership positions for APA North Carolina, the Chapter Presidents Council, and the Planning Accreditation Board. She has a bachelor's from the University of Pittsburgh in geography and urban studies and holds a master's in geography from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Sue was inducted into the AICP College of Fellows in 2003 and was recently elected to the National Academy of Public Administration’s class of fellows.
President Elect
Lauren M. Driscoll, AICP
Lauren Driscoll is the director of Community and Development Services for the City of Salina, Kansas. She is a certified planner and holds a bachelor's degree from Grand Valley State University. Within APA, Driscoll has served as the president of the APA Alaska Chapter, chair of the Leadership Development Committee, chair of the Emerging Issues Committee for the Chapters Presidents Council, and chair of the Communications Committee.
Treasurer, Director Region I
Scott D. Turner, AICP
Scott Turner is an Associate in Fuss & O'Neill's Community Practice in Quincy, Massachusetts, where he leads the firm's eastern Massachusetts growth in land development and stormwater management practices. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, a registered Professional Engineer, and a LEED Accredited Professional in Neighborhood Development. His 30-year career has focused on private development, stormwater planning and design, sustainability, and climate change. He is the past chair of APA's Sustainable Communities Division and was the local host subcommittee chair for the 2021 National Planning Conference. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering and environmental studies and a Master of Science degree in city planning from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Secretary, Director Region III
Dawn Thomas, AICP
Dawn Thomas is an urban planner at Freese and Nichols, Inc. Before joining FNI, she worked for more than 23 years as a public-sector planner, including seven years as the City of Tulsa's planning director. She has served in senior planning roles for the Louisville Metro Government in Kentucky and the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas, giving her an understanding of large urban cities, as well as smaller communities. She taught as an adjunct lecturer for the University of Louisville's Master of Urban Planning program for six years. Dawn has served in APA leadership roles for the Arkansas, Kentucky, and Oklahoma chapters, including professional development officer and chapter president. She earned a bachelor's in landscape architecture and a master's in geography from the University of Arkansas. She has been a certified planner since 2002.
Directors
Director Region II
Ben Hitchings, FAICP
Ben Hitchings, FAICP, is the principal of Green Heron Planning, LLC, in Durham, North Carolina, and an adjunct faculty member at the UNC School of Government. He has 30 years of experience working on planning issues and has developed award-winning plans at the local and regional levels. He is the former planning director for the Towns of Chapel Hill and Morrisville in North Carolina. He received his master's degree in planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor's degree from Amherst College. An active association member, Hitchings is a past president of the APA North Carolina Chapter. He also co-chaired the APA Student and New Member Task Force and chaired the Chapter Presidents Council.
Director Region IV
Sara Copeland, FAICP
Sara Copeland is the planning section manager in Burns & McDonnell's transportation practice and is based in Kansas City. Before joining Burns & McDonnell, Sara spent most of her career in the public sector, where she gained extensive experience in the development of comprehensive plans, redevelopment, and corridor plans, with a focus on plan implementation and capital improvements. She is an adjunct instructor for the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Urban Planning and Design program. She earned a master's degree in city planning and a bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sara has been active in APA throughout her career, including serving as chair of the APA Chapter Presidents Council, as the past president of APA Kansas, and in leadership positions with both the Missouri and Kansas Chapters. She was inducted into the AICP College of Fellows in 2022.
Director Region V
Allison G. Mouch, AICP
Allison is a managing partner at Orion Planning + Design and is currently based in Missoula, Montana. Bringing 15 years of professional planning experience to the team, her areas of specialization include comprehensive plans, code development, public engagement, project management, mapping, and analysis, with a focus on collaboration as a means of achieving positive outcomes. She is AICP and an active member of the APA, past president of APA's Western Central Chapter, and currently sits on the Montana Association of Planners (MAP) Board of Directors. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from Miami University (Ohio) and a master's degree in urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Director Region VI
Andrea Ouse, AICP
Andrea Ouse is the community development director for the City of West Sacramento, California, where she oversees the planning, building, engineering, transportation and mobility, sustainability, and code enforcement divisions. Andrea is widely recognized for advancing organizational transformation, modernizing permitting systems, and championing implementation-focused planning. She is a member of the California Planning Roundtable and recently served as the president of APA California. Andrea brings a practitioner perspective to national policy discussions, grounded in local government experience and a commitment to building inclusive, resilient communities through planning.
Director at Large
Bruce Stiftel, FAICP
Bruce Stiftel is Professor Emeritus of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he served as school chair. His teaching and research at Georgia Tech and Florida State have focused on environmental planning, planning theory, citizen participation, and international development. Past president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, member of the Planning Accreditation Board, editor of the Journal of Planning Education and Research, and founding chair of the Global Planning Education Association Network, Stiftel has served APA on the chapter executive committees for Florida and Georgia, as co-chair of the departmental membership task force, education chair of the National Planning Conference Committee, vice-chair of the International Division, and member of the editorial advisory board of the Journal of the American Planning Association. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Director at Large
Emily Liu, FAICP
Emily Liu is the director of the planning and development department for the City of Dallas, where she oversees all aspects of planning, zoning, and permitting. Before her current role, Liu served for over a decade as the planning director for Louisville Metro Government in Kentucky. She has more than 30 years of public sector experience spanning Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, and Ohio. Liu holds a Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from George Washington University, and a Master's and a Bachelor's degree from Peking University.
Director at Large
Jennifer M. Raitt
Jennifer M. Raitt is executive director of the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments in Lowell, Massachusetts. She leads transformative work at the intersection of local and regional planning, housing, and community development, and guides people and organizations through complex land use and governance challenges. Previous roles include Town of Arlington director of planning and community development, Metropolitan Area Planning Council chief housing planner, and City of Amesbury community development director. Raitt has chaired APA's legislative and policy committee and the Housing and Community Development Division, authored policy guides, and served on the national Housing Supply Accelerator. She serves on the boards of Citizens' Housing and Planning Association and B'nai B'rith Housing. Raitt holds a bachelor's degree in Urban and Documentary Studies from UMass Amherst and a Master of Nonprofit Management and Urban Policy from The New School.
AICP President
Erin N. Perdu, AICP
Erin Perdu is the planning group leader for the Midwest region at Stantec; she lives and works in downtown Minneapolis. She has been a practicing planner for over 25 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, zoning reform, and bringing national best practices to communities of all sizes. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Stanford University (Earth Systems) and a Master of Science (Natural Resources) and Master of Urban Planning degrees from the University of Michigan.
Chapter Presidents Council Chair
Aaron Ray, AICP
Aaron Ray manages the long-range aviation planning practice for the Port of Portland. His background includes extensive current and long-range land use and transportation planning work in communities across Oregon and California. In addition to aviation planning, Ray's professional emphases include community engagement, policy development, and plan implementation in both rural and urban jurisdictions. He has served as the Oregon APA chapter president, APA Chapter Presidents Council Executive Committee, and on numerous national committees. Aaron also serves in an adjunct capacity on the faculty of the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning in the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University. He holds a bachelor's degree in Community Development from Portland State and a Master of City and Regional Planning from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Divisions Council Chair
Deborah Myerson, AICP
Deborah is the 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 Representatives Council Chair
Johnathan Gates, AICP
Johnathan Gates is passionate about creating vibrant, connected places and is especially inspired by how planning shapes the experiences we enjoy through tourism, entertainment, and everyday mobility. His professional work in transportation and aviation planning has been in pursuit of advancing mobility, land use, and infrastructure projects that enhance the quality of life across communities. Gates champions opportunities for students and emerging planners to find belonging, build confidence, and grow as leaders within APA. He holds a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning from Arizona State University.