Dear Planning Community:

My cup is full following the successful NPC26 in Detroit this spring and its record attendance of over 3,700 planners from around the nation and the globe! The conference provides a unique opportunity for PAB to engage and interact with key constituents—practicing planners, educators, and employers as well as the leadership of APA, AICP, and ASCP to confer on areas of mutual interest and benefit.

It is an honor to serve as Chair of the Planning Accreditation Board. An AICP appointee to the Board as a Planning Practitioner, I am in my second term. I am proud to have served as a member of PAB’s Site Visitor Pool for more than 20 years, which grounded me in the values and benefit of planning program accreditation and the critical collaboration necessary between PAB and APA, AICP and ACSP to strengthen planning education and practice. A 40 year career in public and private sector planning, coupled with sustained leadership within APA at the section, chapter, and national levels, has provided me with a strong foundation for Board service. Following retirement as Assistant City Manager for the City of Long Beach, CA, there is now greater capacity to support the profession that has shaped a long and fulfilling career. I trust that my background and experience will serve PAB well as we continue our critical work at a time of tremendous change and challenge to our profession.

Coming off a year in which we amended the 2022 PAB Accreditation Standards to better define the goals and expectations placed upon programs of higher learning, while also taking into account the expected challenges to certain core values shared by much of our community at both a state and national level. The PAB supports diversity, equity and inclusion and has proactively worked to protect its value to our community. We took the time necessary to ensure the greatest amount of feedback from our core constituents and in 2026, PAB will initiate its standard 5-year review and update of the 2022 Accreditation Standards. I encourage each of you to participate in this effort to ensure that the accreditation process maintains a high standard of quality for planning programs while providing flexibility for the unique character of programs and their focus on preparing planners as practitioners and leaders in their communities.

As we continue our work to strengthen the value and benefit of accreditation, I look forward to continuing to build upon several collaborative efforts we have underway with APA, AICP, and ACSP, and I welcome the opportunity to engage in conversations that will streamline the work, success, and membership value of each of our entities.

Updated May 2026