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What better time than National Community Planning Month than to take a moment to shine the spotlight on one of the Commonwealth’s up-and-coming planning stars.
Congratulations to the 2021 APA-Kentucky Scholarship Recipient, Cidnei Johnson! Cidnei is in her second semester as a graduate student in the Master of Urban Planning program at the University of Louisville. During her first semester, Cidnei made a strong impression by exhibiting academic excellence and a passion for planning in marginalized communities. In addition to pursuing a Master’s degree, Cidnei works full-time within the criminal justice system in Louisville and plans to pursue a dual enrollment in the MUP-JD degree program with the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. We certainly look forward to following Cidnei’s progression as a planner and wish her best of luck in her future endeavors! APA-KY is opening the nomination period for the 2020-2021 Awards. We know you’ve been working hard the last couple of years, and we can’t wait to recognize you! Awards will be given in a number of categories, so please check out the official nomination form for category name and descriptions.
Also included this year is the APA-KY Student Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded to a student enrolled in a Kentucky college or university or a resident of Kentucky majoring in Planning or a related field. Please check the official nomination form for submittal requirements. Applications must be received by July 31, 2021. Please direct applications or questions to Adam King at acking@hcky.org. Nothing has been the same since March 2020 – we have had to switch to a virtual learning platform for CM opportunities and have missed two Spring conferences and OKI. Our Spring format is now happing in the Fall. But….WE ARE BACK (Hopefully )
The annual APA-KY Conference is being held at Lake Barkley State Resort Park, September 22 – 24, 2021. We have confirmed with the park that all protocols in place related to COVID restrictions will be followed. Hopefully we are back to full capacity, and it is not an issue, but we plan to be flexible as things could always change. To make reservations, please call the hotel at 1-270-924-1131, option 1 and identify yourself as part of the American Planning Association group. You can also go to the park’s booking website: Reserve a Lodge/Cottage | Ky Parks – go to Lake Barkley State Resort Park and book online with the Group Code: 2827. The room rates are $79.95 plus tax. Reservations must be made by Monday August 9, 2021. We are also requesting a call for abstracts for the technical program. Please fill out the call for abstracts submittal form and return to Lindsay Walker, PE, PTOE, AICP (lwalker@hmbpe.com) by July 12, 2021. We have a broad range of experience, background and issues we all deal with in our profession, and we’d like to incorporate that into some great sessions to spread our knowledge to our attendees. Please also consider submitting if you have ideas for Law and / or Ethics sessions as we would like to provide CM opportunities in these areas. Thank you all so much for your patience as we have tried to provide opportunities to our members this past year and transition between virtual and in-person meetings. The Call for Nominations for the 2021 APA-KY Chapter Elections has officially opened! Serving as an elected leader offers a tremendous opportunity for members to sharpen their skills, expand their networks, and work directly to strengthen the impact of the organization. Those elected this year will begin serving on January 1, 2022. Here is the list of offices for which we are seeking nominations, as well as descriptions of the duties as described in our bylaws:
President-Elect. The President-Elect shall assist the President in the guidance and coordination of the committee activities. The President-Elect shall carry out any other duties assigned by the President. In the absence of, or in the event of incapacity of the President, the President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President. The President-Elect shall perform such duties required by these Bylaws and customary to the office. The President-Elect shall be an APA member. Professional Development Officer. The Professional Development Officer shall: (a) be an APA and AICP member; (b) be responsible for the functions and activities of the Professional Development Committee; and (c) serve as President in the absence of both the President and President-Elect. Regional Representatives. The Regional Representatives shall: (a) be an APA member; (b) be responsible for welcoming and recruiting new members in their regions, working with other regional professional organizations, organizing and scheduling regional networking and educational activities; and (c) prepare announcements and new stories regarding planning events in their region. One regional representative will be selected for up to five regions as determined by APA-KY Executive Committee. PLEASE NOTE: For this election, the Region 1, 3, and 5 representatives will be elected to a three-year term. The Region 2 and 4 representatives will be elected to a two-year term. Please go to https://www.apaky.org/regional-representatives.html to see the official regional representative map. Self-nominations must be submitted to Karen Mohammadi at karen.mohammadi@mbakerint.com no later than May 15, 2021. Feel free to email either Karen or APA-KY Chapter President Brian Davis at brian.davis@louisvilleky.gov if you have any questions. Thank you for your consideration and best of luck to anyone who chooses to run!  Dennis Gordon, FAICP, has been award The William BOwdy Award for outstanding lifetime achievement by a Kentucky planner.
Career Highlights:
Dedication to the Profession. Dennis Gordon, FAICP, exemplifies what it means to be a planner and serves as a model that future professionals should strive to achieve. In his career of nearly 50-years he has actively worked to make the communities he serves better places that are more well-prepared to face the future. Mr. Gordon has spent twenty-seven of his forty-five-year planning career within the Commonwealth. He served as the Kentucky APA chapter president as well as the Indiana chapter president during the late eighties and early 1990s. Following this service, he went on to serve the APA at the national level. In addition to his work with APA at the chapter and national level, Mr. Gordon has constantly worked to further planning and share his experiences in the profession. He has written numerous published articles and spoken a countless national, state, and local conference throughout his tenure. His breadth of knowledge has led him to be a resource on topics like citizen engagement, zoning flexibility, and planning for community growth. Additionally, from 1991-1995, Mr. Gordon also served as an adjunct professor within the Department of Urban Planning at his alma mater, Ball State University. During his tenure at PDS, he has fostered a robust relationship with local universities to support co-op programs and hire both planning and GIS interns. Challenging the Status Quo. Mr. Gordon has never been one to accept that just because something has historically been done one way that it needs to continue down that same path. In his first Director role at Hardin County, he was instrumental in establishing the community’s first comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance, and subdivision regulations. In 1988, Mr. Gordon took on a new role as the Executive Director of Allen County (IN) Department of Planning Services. His efforts here helped solidify his acceptance into the Certified Planners College of Fellows in 2001. Mr. Gordon returned to the Commonwealth in 2002 to begin his role of Executive Director of the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission (NKAPC, now PDS). Upon accepting this role, he replaced the namesake of this award, Mr. William Bowdy, FAICP—unquestionably a large role to fill. Mr. Gordon introduced an agencywide mission statement and core values to help set a clear direction for staff. In 2005, PDS launched the One Stop Shop program to provide efficient and effective professional code administration services to the 19 jurisdictions within Kenton County on a contractual basis. Under Gordon’s leadership, the Long-Range Planning department began working shortly thereafter to begin a completely new comprehensive plan. This plan, now known as Direction 2030, was groundbreaking for Kenton County and the profession on national level. The plan content itself was a breath-of-fresh-air for the County, which had not benefited from new Goals and Objectives or completely new content since 1972. The plan was revolutionary on a national scale because it was one of the first in the country to only exist online. Mr. Gordon could have just been satisfied with the status quo, but instead challenged his teams to think differently and be bold. Today, that same boldness continues with the Zoning for the 21st Century (Z21) project. This effort seeks to coordinate the 20 different zoning ordinances found with Kenton County and help set clearer expectations for those wishing to build and make improvements in Kenton County. Even as he has announced his retirement for August 2020 he continues to push the envelope and challenge people to strive for excellence. Throughout his tenure in professional planning, Mr. Gordon has always had the best interests of his community and furthering the profession in mind. Hislifetime of work exemplifies the William Bowdy Award and he should undoubtedly be awarded with this honor. Want to take on a stronger role in addressing planning issues in Kentucky? The position of Secretary and of Treasurer will be on the ballot this year with the elected candidates taking office in January 2021. These positions will be held for two years. Candidate names should be received by the Administration Committee by May 29th. Position statements for candidates are also due by May 29th. A link to an online ballot will be sent to voting members in August with elections ending in early September. Candidates may petition to be included on the ballot and these must be received by June 30th.
If you are interested in running for either of the positions, need more information, or would like to help in any other way, please contact Administration Committee Chairperson, Karen Mohammadi, at Karen.mohammadi@mbakerintl.com or at 502-381-3109 or President Brian Davis at Brian.Davis@louisvilleky.gov. Induction to the AICP College of Fellows is the highest honor the American Institute of Certified Planners bestows upon a member.
Fellows of AICP are nominated and selected by their peers to recognize and honor their outstanding contributions as a professional planner. The outcomes of their individual efforts left demonstrably significant and transformational improvements to the field of planning and the communities they served. All Fellows are long-time members of AICP and have achieved excellence in professional practice, teaching and mentoring, research, and community service and leadership. APA-KY is proud to announce that two professional planners from Kentucky have been inducted into the 2020 College of Fellows of AICP! Stanford Harvey has had a distinguished career in urban design for over 25 years, and is currently the Director of the Urban Design & Planning practice area and Director of the Lexington Office for Lord Aeck Sargent. Stan has helped define and improve the physical context of over 80 communities across the Southeast, most notably his home states of Georgia and Kentucky. Notable highlights of his work include the 1996 “Olympic Development Program” in Atlanta, the transformation of over 85 educational facilities for Atlanta Public Schools; redevelopment planning for the Atlanta BeltLine and over $400m in public/private investment in Downtown Lexington, Kentucky. His work has earned 8 APA merit awards and he has served on the Executive Committees of both APA-GA and APA-KY. Jack Trawick’s forty‐year journey has been remarkably diverse and substantial. In 1980, Jack became executive director of the Louisville Community Design Center - later to be renamed the Center for Neighborhoods (CFN). During his three decades as the director, the CFN became dedicated to resident-driven community improvement – a mission achieved through facilitated planning processes and civic education, and by serving as a catalyst for the development of affordable housing, parks, and public improvements. The result of these efforts has been to increase the vitality of Louisville neighborhoods and Kentucky towns through plans and community projects that reflect the genuine involvement of citizens striving to create a better place for themselves, for their families, and for their neighbors. In Jack’s “retirement,” he serves on the boards of The Housing Partnership, Inc. and Wellspring, Inc, helping fulfill his goal of being a lifelong contributor to the betterment of his home community. Congratulations Jack and Stan on being bestowed this tremendous honor for your dedication and service to the betterment of the Commonwealth of Kentucky! We look forward to recognizing and celebrating your achievements at the OKI Regional Planning Conference this fall. We are now accepting nominations for the 2020 APA-KY Planning Awards. Nominations must be submitted no later than April 1, 2020. Self-nominations are encouraged. Awards will be given in the following categories:
Download the nomination form (Word format). Just a friendly reminder that the November 2018 AICP Exam application window will open on June 1 at 9:00am CT. The early bird deadline will be on June 1 at 11:59pm CT, and the final application deadline for this window is June 28 at 5:00pm CT. For a complete rundown on what you need to know to determine if you qualify, how you apply, etc. please go to:
https://www.planning.org/certification/currentexam/#howtoapply And if you have any questions about any of this, please email the APA-KY Professional Development Officer, Brian Davis, at brian.davis@louisvilleky.gov. The 2018 APA-KY Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 2:45pm during the Spring Conference.
Click here for the Annual Meeting Agenda. Click here for the 2017 Annual Meeting minutes. |
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