APA Maryland Chapter Election Information

On March 15, APA-Maryland began our call for nominations for our 2018 election cycle.  APA-Maryland’s elections are now held in concert with the National APA election cycle, and are administered by APA-National. Because of a recent change in the APA-Maryland bylaws, we now have staggered two-year terms for all of our officers. This year we will be holding elections for the positions of Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Officers elected to each of these positions will be in office for two years, from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020.  The Chapter has nominated three candidates, one for each open position. Information on nominated candidates is below:

VICE-PRESIDENT

Peter G. Conrad, AICP
Deputy Director, Howard County Planning and Zoning

Peter's Bio: I have worked at the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) since the July of 2017.  In my role as Deputy Director, I’m responsible for public participation and outreach in addition to acting as special projects manager – specifically the Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan, coordinating the PlanHoward Citizen Academy and the Route 1 Master Plan.  Prior to Howard County, I worked as the Director of Local Planning Assistance at the Maryland Department of Planning, leading a team of regional planners providing technical assistance to local governments.  Before working at the state, I held several positions at the Baltimore City Department of Planning including community and environmental planner and GIS coordinator.  I earned my Master Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin and am active in my neighborhood and church communities.

Peter's Position Statement: I currently serve as Chapter Vice President and organized a January 2018 CM event featuring the Ellicott City Master plan process.  Prior to that I led the analysis and planning for the MD chapter’s transition to our new membership fee structure and was on the selection team for hiring our chapter staff.  I have been an active member of APA for many years.  Beside serving working with the MD APA Chapter I have been active with the Technology, Intergovernmental and Hazard Divisions.

I support enhanced programming for our chapter, with events targeted to meet the very diverse interests of our membership.  Planning education, both for the public, elected officials and for the practicing planner, has always been part of my giving back to the profession.  


TREASURER

Lauren E. Good, AICP
Project Planner, KCI Technologies Inc.

Lauren's Bio: Lauren E. Good holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science as well as Urban Affairs and Planning from Virginia Tech, with Concentrations in Planning & Policy and Legal Studies and a Minor in Real Estate.  She also holds a Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Ms. Good is a Project Planner with KCI Technologies Inc., specializing in Government Planning and Consulting Services.  She worked for the Town of Windsor, CT for five years as the Assistant Town Planner and GIS Coordinator.  She also held a position as a Long Range Planner II with Anne Arundel County, MD for three years.  Prior to joining KCI to assist in the creation of a Planning Department, she also briefly held the position of Senior Planner with AECOM.  Lauren has been a planning consultant for three years and serves as the Project Lead for many government clients in Maryland and Delaware.  Current key projects include comprehensive land use planning and implementation, Downtown Development District/downtown revitalization planning and implementation, land development review applications, survey development and analysis, community outreach, GIS services, zoning and subdivision ordinance analysis and development, grant administration, construction administration, and sustainability planning.

Lauren was first elected as the Maryland Chapter’s Treasurer in the 2015, beginning her two-year term in January 2016.  During the 2017 Annual Meeting, this term was lengthened to three years in order to accommodate the new staggered election cycle.  Prior to being elected Treasurer, Lauren served as the first Chair of the Emerging Planners Committee for over a year when she was asked to assume the vacated Statewide Member-at-Large position on the Executive Committee.

Lauren's Position Statement: I am honored to be nominated again as Treasurer for the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association.  MD APA was where I first sought a connection to the professional community upon moving back to the Delmarva area and I have found many lasting personal and professional relationships within the organization.

As Treasurer, my first issue of focus was to ensure that all of the Chapter’s records were up-to-date, digitized, and secure.  This allowed for information to be available at all times and will promote continuity of operations planning upon my succession.  In addition to day-to-day activities, the remainder of my current term will be spent formalizing Executive Committee policies concerning the Chapter’s budget and finances, as well as putting processes in place that will allow related functions to run more smoothly and efficiently.  I will also be working closely with other members of the Executive Committee to begin planning the 2019 Biennial Conference.

I thank you for your continued support and, if reelected, will continue my involvement and utilize my experience to further the mission and vision of the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association as your Chapter Treasurer.

SECRETARY

Holly A. Tompkins
Development Review Principal Planner, Queen Anne’s County

Holly's Bio: I am the Development Review Principal Planner for Queen Anne’s County and have been with the county for nearly 13 years.  My roles encompass project management, land use & environmental planning, growth management, and multi-department coordination.  My breadth of experience includes zoning ordinance interpretation, project administration, Adequate Public Facility studies, comprehensive and community-wide planning analysis, employee management and supervision, and extensive document/legal writing.  Before coming to QAC, I was with both private and public planning entities in the Northern Virginia area, where in 1999 I graduated with a Master’s of Planning degree from the University of Virginia.

Holly's Position Statement: I was elected the MD APA Secretary in December 2015 and am serving a 3 year period under the new staggered office term as voted upon during the Annual Meeting in 2017.  Prior to becoming Secretary, I served on the MD APA Newsletter editorial team for 2 years where I guided a full redesign and upgrade to the newsletter.  I have been a member of APA in MD for many years and formerly a member in VA.  My mission for MD APA is to help keep the organization moving forward, growing the membership, enhancing programming, and continuing to improve outreach by serving on the Communications Committee to improve the chapter’s website, social media, and various levels of events, meetings, and conferences.


PETITION PROCESS

Any Chapter member in good standing with both the Chapter and the APA may petition to be put on the ballot. Associate members are not eligible for nomination by petition. The petition shall indicate the Office being sought and shall be signed by at least ten (10) Chapter members. The deadline for filing a petition is no later than 5:00 PM on July 9, 2018. All petitions must include both position statements and biographies to be considered complete. Petitions will be forwarded to APA-National on July 10, 2018. The actual, signed petition with original signatures must be submitted, copies or scans are not acceptable. For more information, email contact@apamaryland.org.


PRESIDENT-ELECT VACANCY

The Chapter also have a vacancy in our President-Elect position. The President-Elect automatically becomes President at the end of the current President’s term. The current vacancy means that, when elected, the President-Elect will not serve a full term before becoming President on January 1, 2020, but will then serve a full two-year Presidential term. Because of the importance of this position, any potential nominee will be expected to participate fully and vigorously in Chapter activities before being put up for nomination. Interested parties should send an email to contact@apamaryland.org for more information.


2018 ELECTION SCHEDULE

The remainder of the 2018 election schedule is below:

June 15: Member list for ballot distribution prepared, for members eligible to vote in the election.

July 9: Firm deadline for Chapter to receive petition candidates, and their position statements/bios.

August 7: Ballots available online, reminders emailed to all chapter/division members.

September 7: Firm deadline for receipt of ballots from membership.

September 14: Survey Ballot Systems certifies election results and prepares report to National for dissemination to Chapters/Divisions.

January 1, 2019: Newly elected leaders take office.