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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 02 July 2009 04:42 |
Welcome to the APA Mississippi Chapter website. You will notice changes and improvements to the site that I expect you will find both informative and useful. Some of these changes include the addition of Executive Committee minutes and upcoming meeting dates, contact information for various committees, the chapter newsletter and upcoming events, etc.
Another change is in the conference events. In July, the MS Chapter will return to the Gulf Coast for a summer conference. Since Hurricane Katrina, we have had only the annual conference in the fall. This year marks a change back to two annual events. I hope you have made plans to attend July 16 - 17th in Biloxi. Two of the conference speakers include Christopher Duerksen, AICP, Clarion Associates and Stephen D. Villavaso, FAICP, Villavaso and Associates. Stephen is also the President of the Louisiana Chapter of APA. These speakers bring extensive planning knowledge and experience and we are fortunate to have them presenting on sustainable development and planning law. Other topics include housing, historic preservation, demographics, transportation and planning commissioner training.
If you are interested in taking the AICP Exam, Ed Shambra, AICP, PDO, City of Biloxi, Regina Melson, Central Regional Represenatative and Moe Chuwdhury, PhD, AICP, Jackson State University are facilitating an AICP Exam Preparation Workshop on the morning of Saturday, July 18th. This will be a great opportunity to learn the basics of exam preparation, take a practice exam and discuss the exam components with other planners. We appreciate Ed and Moe for providing this professional development training.
The annual conference is set for October 22 – 23rd and will be held in north Mississippi. If you have a session you would like to present, please contact a member of the Executive Committee. Additional details about this event will be made available in the near future.
October is National Community Planning Month and your community can hold events that promote planning and raise the visibility of the role of planners and planning. Some ideas for celebrations include proclamations, open houses, walking tours, op ed articles in newspapers, identifying great places in your community and school outreach projects. The Community section of APA’s website is the resource for graphics, posters, sample proclamations, fact sheets and more.
As always, thank you for your participation and support. If you have not been actively involved in the Chapter, I challenge you to become involved, voice your opinion and help move planning forward in Mississippi. It is our responsibility to promote the importance of planning with our elected officials, citizen planners and youth. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Chapter President. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
- Kara W. Drane |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 02 July 2009 17:54 |
