2025 Conference Program 

We are thrilled to announce our 2025 Conference Theme:

"The Times Are A-Changin': Navigating Virginia's Evolving Planning Landscape"

"Navigating the Noise: Smart Planning for Community-Centric Data Centers and

Energy Facilities Development"

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency 

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The increasing demand for data centers and energy facilities has raised concerns about their noise impact on nearby communities. This session will explore noise-related challenges and effective abatement strategies, using real-world case studies to highlight best practices. Topics include advanced acoustic studies, mitigation techniques, and the integration of community feedback. The session will also discuss state-level regulations and their implications for local planning. Attendees will gain tools and knowledge to address noise issues proactively, supporting smart planning and sustainable development that balances industry needs with public concerns.

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Courtney Powell, AICP

WGI

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Jack Cramer

ATCS

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​Nicola Ianeselli

WGI​​

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"Collaboration Keys for Successful Energy Projects"

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency 

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Growing communities require reliable energy to power development, industry and public services. Expanding existing infrastructure and developing new electric transmission facilities are critical for creating a sustainable energy resource plan. However, building or expanding electric transmission lines and substations often conflict with public sentiment, zoning ordinances or plans for future development. To mitigate some of these challenges, several key practices can be incorporated into a project process to improve collaboration and minimize conflict with project developers, community leaders, and local government. This presentation will share lessons learned from electric transmission projects that have been approved by local governments and key collaboration strategies for project success. 

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Daniel Fraser, PE

POWER Engineers, Inc.

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Sam Baxter

POWER Engineers, Inc.

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"Crafting a Natural Infrastructure Resiliency Plan for Hampton VA" 

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency 

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The Hampton Natural Infrastructure Resilience Plan was created by through a partnership between the Green Infrastructure Center Inc. (the GIC) and the City of Hampton’s Resilience Division. The plan utilized new data created by GIC and merged it with city resilience needs to create detailed strategies to use natural infrastructure to build resilience. Key data, such as the finding that over the next 20 years, nearly 500 acres of parkland are projected to be inundated or impacted by sea level rise, and thus planning for new parks and adaptive  infrastructure should begin now. Session participants will learn how to utilize natural infrastructure to create more resilient communities of the future today.

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Karen Firehock, AICP

Green Infrastructure Center Inc. ​

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​Lauren Doran, PLA

Green Infrastructure Center Inc.

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Anna Hammond

City of Hampton, VA

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​"Cohort-Based Community Capacity Building"

Housing, Community, and Economic Development

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This session is relevant in providing examples for early stage Main Street efforts to build an organizational foundation that is inclusive at all levels. VMS staff will introduce the Mobilizing program, discuss how they are engaging their communities and implementing the Mobilizing curriculum, with escalating services that build on each other. Both urban and rural communities are participating and VMS staff will compare and contrast different typologies and points of constraint. Portsmouth, Va. is currently enrolled in the 2025-2026 Mobilizing Main Street cohort.

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Courtney Mailey

DHCD

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"Connecting Culture, Heritage and Planning in Richmond, VA"

Housing, Community, and Economic Development

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Lead City staff will share a brief synopsis of preservation planning or lack thereof in the City of Richmond and the growing community desire to protect a sense of space and community.  City staff and the consultant team will share how the project unfolded, starting with the two-phase approach which lent flexibility to the project design to enhance community engagement activities, and how the input from the community was used to directly influence development of the plan.  

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Kimberly Chen

City of Richmond

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Paige Pollard

Commonwealth Preservation Group

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"Bridging Departments: A Rural Approach to Short-Term Rental Compliance"

Housing, Community, and Economic Development

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Shenandoah County discovered over 500 unpermitted short-term rentals (STRs) operating in its community—yet only 40 had applied for permits. To address this, the county launched an online STR permitting system that streamlined coordination between the Commissioner of Revenue, Economic Development, and Community Development Departments. By funding third-party compliance oversight through an STR zoning permit fee, the county ensured enforcement costs were covered by STR operators, not taxpayers. This session will explore how localities can integrate compliance, tax collection, zoning, and health inspections into an effective regulatory framework. Attendees will gain insights into STR enforcement strategies, interdepartmental coordination, and the broader housing market impacts of STRs in both rural and urban communities.

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Lemuel Hancock, MLA

Shenandoah County

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Missy Hockman

Shenandoah County

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Jenna French

Shenandoah County 

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"Big Ideas to Local Action: Town and County Collaboration in Planning"

Public Engagement

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Woodstock, as the County Seat, is a model for how a community can strategically plan for investment while reinforcing its role as an economic and civic hub. Both Woodstock and Shenandoah County have developed comprehensive plans that focus on investing where infrastructure and people already live rather than promoting unchecked expansion. This session brings together town and county planning staff to discuss how these plans align and how localities can support each other’s efforts to create stronger, more connected communities. Presenters and panelists will explore how Woodstock’s four Big Ideas and Shenandoah County’s six Big Ideas work together to shape the future, ensuring that growth enhances rather than undermines existing places. The discussion will highlight how coordinated land use decisions, shared infrastructure planning, and collaborative economic development strategies turn planning vision into action.

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Lemuel Hancock, MLA

Shenandoah County

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Aaron Grisdale

Town of Woodstock

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Tyler Hinkle, AICP

Shenandoah County

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​"Know Before You Grow – Linking Land Use and Infrastructure Capacity in Goochland"

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency ​

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This session tells the story of Goochland County’s growth management challenges of the last 5 years and how a new direction towards data-driven planning and policy analysis is helping the County make progress and build trust with the public and decision makers. Goochland is among the state’s fastest growing counties, and fears abound on the impacts of growth and development on the County’s traditional rural landscape. In response the County is taking steps to reinforce its growth management policies that call for focusing growth and development in the far eastern edges of the County closest to urban Richmond and Henrico County. To better understand the implications of this policy, and how to support growth in this area while maintaining the western rural areas, the County and its consulting team created a new tool called the Development Impacts Estimator Tool. The tool helps the County evaluate the impacts on infrastructure capacity of any number of land use scenarios in the prime economic development area. This quick response and transparent tool has earned support and built trust among the public and decision makers. 

 

Steve Schmidt, AICP, PE 

Timmons Group

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Jeremy Goldstein

​3TP Ventures

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Ramzi Farhat

Goochland County

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"Planning for Land Conservation and Environmentally Conscious Development"

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency ​

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Open space preservation and sustainable development are increasingly important priorities as our climate changes. The City of Chesapeake has been incorporating these considerations into our 2045 Comprehensive Plan update by improving our Conservation character district and creating a new overlay district to improve development on environmentally sensitive land. From considering features like tidal wetlands and ecosystem corridors to leveraging exciting new datasets during the discretionary development process, Chesapeake is thoughtfully planning for the future. 

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​Charlie Jones

​City of Chesapeake

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"A New Standard for Resiliency Planning: Engineering Solutions to Combat Flooding in Portsmouth"

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency ​​

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Sea level rise and flooding pose a substantial risk to the City of Portsmouth and its largest employer, the Department of Defense. Increasingly prevalent and unexpected flood events create disruption for naval employees trying to reach their jobs, limits access for residents who live in surrounding neighborhoods, and ultimately impacts the long-term growth plans of the Navy and economic resilience of the City. To address critical infrastructure challenges across these corridors, the City pursued a grant-funded initiative for the DoD’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) that integrates traffic engineering, coastal engineering, and stormwater management solutions. During this session, attendees will learn how to mitigate flood risks by incorporating future climate impacts, including sea level rise (SLR) and intensified rainfall, into stormwater management designs and improve stormwater infrastructure to enhance roadway resilience and access. They’ll learn about new techniques and tools for assessing the impacts of sea level rise, applying GIS technologies to present critical data to stakeholders and the public, and seeking out and securing funding for resiliency planning initiatives, all within the unique context of an interconnected naval community.

 

J.D. Hines, PE, ENV SP

VHB

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"What's That Noise?"

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency ​​

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This quick take will focus on presenting best practices and examples of how to revamp a noise ordinance to address the new noisemaker - data centers. In the past noise has generally been a police responsibility focused on parties that got too loud. Now data centers have moved in and some are putting up quite a ruckus. Noise ordinances and zoning regulations can help address the impacts of these new industrial uses, particularly in proximity to residential areas, schools, libraries, parks and other areas where a little peace and quiet goes a long way.   As data centers begin to pop up across the Commonwealth planners need to be prepared to address this growing issue.

 

David McGettigan, AICP

​Prince William County Government

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"Small Town and Rural Revitalization – Planning for Successful Brownfield Redevelopment"

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency ​​

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Brownfields often play a critical role in community revitalization. They are not only in big cities and towns, but also small and rural communities. Many brownfield sites are located in areas left behind by declining industry, population loss, fiscal stress, and represent disadvantaged communities that lack resources or capacity to pursue grant funding, especially smaller towns in rural contexts. This session will identify ways to help planners and communities realize redevelopment opportunities and provide vision for new economically viable uses for old abandoned, often dilapidated, and underutilized properties and tie those to broader community goals.

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Karen Weber

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

 

Timothy Stromberg, PLA, ASLA

Stromberg Garrigan & Associates, Inc.

 

Sean C. Garrigan, AICP

Stromberg Garrigan & Associates, Inc.

 

"Visibility, Not Glare: Effective Lighting for Safety, Health, and the Environment"

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency ​​

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Light pollution has accelerated, increasing globally at nearly 10% per year in the last decade, especially with the advent of LED technology. This session will explore distinctive attributes of LED and explain the Five Principles for Responsible Lighting.  Planners have a critical role to play in guiding localities to lighting choices that mitigate effects such as light trespass, glare discomfort, compromised vision from glare, health risks, disruption to flora & fauna, and losing the night sky. Lighting should be addressed in Comp Plans, lighting ordinances need overhauls to match the new technology, and most urgently, communities need to do diligence and take responsibility for how conversion of streetlights to LED happens. Members of Norfolk’s Citizens for Responsible Lighting will describe their experience of protesting overbright new streetlights and working with city officials and Dominion to find solutions.  A raft of the latest resources will be offered, including standards, research, and newly released ordinance templates. 

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Sara Hollberg, AICP

Self-Employed Planning Consultant

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Laura Greenleaf

Self-Employed

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"Design with Nature - Nearly 60 Years Later"

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency ​​

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After more than a half century since its original publishing, Ian McHarg’s pivotal work on ecological and anthropological based land use planning and design is still a major influence on the planning profession. Many of the approaches advocated in this work have been embodied into most planning policies and processes, including the ubiquitous municipal comprehensive plan and permitting under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The speaker, as a student and teaching and research assistant to McHarg, will highlight several examples of how his firm has employed and evolved McHarg’s fundamental principles in its current work (along with some reminiscent stories about working for McHarg). Others in attendance that studied under McHarg or are disciples of his philosophy are encouraged to add their appreciation and experiences to the conversation. 

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Sean C. Garrigan, AICP

Stromberg Garrigan & Associates, Inc.

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"Planning for Transportation in a Growing Diverse Community"​

Transportation

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The intent of this session is to discuss Prince William County's Transportation Planning efforts based on recent changes to the County's Planning documents to include the recent adoption of the Prince William County Comprehensive Plan in 2022 to include the addition of the use of Transects to allow to plan for different densities with associated level of mobility improvements. Prince William County is the second largest County and the most diverse County in the Commonwealth. As a result, planners are tasked with responding to changing land uses and transportation needs throughout the County.​

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Paolo J Belita, AICP, PTP, RSP1

Prince William County Department of Transportation

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​Alex Venegas, AICP, CPM, CZA

Prince William County Planning Office

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Kevin Wyrauch, AICP

Prince William County Department of Transportation​

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​"Tactical Urbanism for Transportation Safety: Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper Program in Richmond"

Transportation

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Richmond’s Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility (OETM) is pioneering a Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper (LQC) approach to transportation safety, implementing rapid, low-cost solutions inspired by tactical urbanism. This session will explore how OETM developed the LQC set-aside program to deliver equity-driven, short-term safety improvements while permanent infrastructure is pursued. Using Richmond’s Mosby Street/Mechanicsville Turnpike corridor near MLK Middle School as a case study, presenters will discuss project selection, implementation challenges, community engagement, and early results. Attendees will learn how to navigate funding, bureaucracy, and design constraints to create immediate, impactful safety interventions. By the end of the session, planners will gain insights into how they can apply LQC strategies in their own communities to enhance pedestrian safety and mobility in an equitable and cost-effective way. 

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Kelli Rowan, AICP

City of Richmond (Contractor)

 

Thomas Ruff, PE, PTOE, AICP

Timmons Group

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"Make Memorable PowerPoints"

Upskilling

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Using core principles of cognitive retention, design your presentations to be memorable and make an impact on your audience. As planners, our presentations to various boards, governing bodies, stakeholders and the public can include life changing decisions. Even when discussing important and impactful topics, everyone’s brain is subject to distractions. Make sure your audiences’ brains are focused on you and your message, and not focused on all the distractions life offers. Discover how subtle formatting changes in PowerPoint can make a big difference in capturing the attention of your audience. 

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Michael Todd, AICP

Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

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"Hot Takes: What NOT to Do During a Comprehensive Plan"

Public Engagement 

 

Comprehensive plans are critical roadmaps for cities, but let’s be honest—sometimes the process is an absolute mess! Between navigating political landmines, longstanding community conflicts, city friction, engaging a skeptical community, and somehow still producing a technically sound and actionable plan, planners often find themselves in impossible situations. This session takes an honest look at what NOT to do when managing a comprehensive plan. Using real-world examples from Virginia and beyond, we’ll share the biggest lessons learned in navigating, community engagement, polarizing politics, budgets, interpersonal dynamics, and the emotional toll of being the liaison between the city and the people. With hot takes, planning scars, and a lot of lessons learned, this session will leave you with practical insights to avoid common pitfalls and deliver a plan that is both implementable and community supported.

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Renee Burton, AICP

City of Danville 

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Kendra Hyson, ASLA

SmithGroup

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Mausharie Valentine, AIA

SmithGroup

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​"New Ruralism: Towns, Villages, and Hamlets in the Countryside"

Public Engagement 

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For many millennia, towns, villages, and hamlets have connected people and the countryside, serving as centers of community, commerce, and daily life. However, modern development pat-terns have weakened their role. This session brings together students from UVA’s Townscape Planning for Rural-Urban Partner-ships course and Shenandoah County planning professionals to explore strategies for strengthening these places. Students will present research and proposals on urban form, natural resource connections, value per acre, and the strategic placement of development, along with street master plans that reimagine the future of these places. County staff will discuss why these places matter and how the comprehensive plan supports their long-term sustainability. Attendees will gain insight into planning, investment, and design strategies that ensure these communities remain thriving places of settlement, commerce, and social life.

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Tyler Hinkle, AICP

EPR, PC

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Lemuel Hancock

Shenandoah County

 

Chase Cartwright

Student, University of Virginia 

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"Faith-Based Property Ownership in Virginia: Quantifying Potential Impact of Statewide “Faith in Housing” Legislation"

Housing, Community, and Economic Development Track

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HousingForward Virginia was commissioned by Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy to help quantify and locate faith-owned parcels in Virginia. The goal of this investigation was to help inform policy related to the development of affordable housing on these parcels. Senate Bill 233, which aimed to grant religious organizations certain powers to overcome local zoning barriers for affordable housing development on their own land, was continued in committee by the Virginia Senate during the 2024 General Assembly Session.

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In response, a coalition led by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy was formed to explore future legislative strategies. This research project provided essential data on the scope and scale of faith-based property ownership across Virginia to guide and substantiate new policy proposals.

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Eric Mai

HousingForward Virginia

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"Stormwater Strikes Back"

Environment, Sustainability, and Resiliency

 

As urban areas become denser and stormwater regulations grow increasingly stringent, conflicting mandates are emerging between stormwater management requirements and the goals of urban zoning codes. This session will provide a foundational understanding of stormwater principles, equipping participants with the knowledge needed to navigate these challenges. We will explore how evolving regulations, while essential for environmental protection, can inadvertently hinder the development patterns that cities and towns strive to achieve. Through real-world examples and practical insights, attendees will gain a clearer perspective on the intersection of stormwater policy and urban planning. The discussion will highlight strategies for balancing regulatory compliance with the need for vibrant, well-designed urban spaces.

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Daniel C. Hyer, PE

Line and Grade

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Kendra Moon, PE

Line and Grade

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Jeremy Goldstein, AICP

Line and Grade

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​"Innovation District Plan, Portsmouth, Virginia"

Housing, Community, and Economic Development 

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The City of Portsmouth has adopted an Innovation District Plan aimed at revitalizing the High Street corridor, specifically from the intersection of High Street and Effingham Street to its junction with the Martin Luther King Jr. Connector. This initiative seeks to transform the area into a vibrant, mixed-use community that fosters economic growth and innovation. 

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Rhonda L. Russell, AICP

City of Portsmouth, Virginia 

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Brian Donahue

City of Portsmouth, Virginia

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Jason Epley, AICP

Benchmark Planning 

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Michelle Wren

Portsmouth Partnership

 

 

"Yes in God’s Back Yard (YIGBY):  Repurposing Faith Properties for Housing"

Housing, Community, and Economic Development 

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Communities across Virginia commonly face a challenge:  when churches and other houses of worship experience declining congregations and financial resources, what will happen to their properties?  These buildings require reinvestment, yet with diminishing usage, their congregations have hard decisions to make.  Kicking the can down the road can lead to deferred maintenance and ultimately loss of important community anchors. This affects neighborhood vitality and therefore becomes a matter of concern for local government.  Fortunately, redevelopment for housing can be part of the solution. This can be a win-win situation, since affordable housing generally fits well with the mission of faith communities, generates income, and meets a critical local need.

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This session will explore the origins and scope of the problem, the process congregations follow to build consensus and identify a path forward, how to analyze redevelopment potential, common land use and neighbor relations issues, the role of partnerships and how to structure them, and the approach that Virginia Housing takes to support these projects.

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Matthew Bolster, AICP

Virginia Housing

 

Rick Reinhard

Niagara Consulting Group

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"Right-Sizing your Affordable Housing Strategy: Housing Calculator and Policy Audit"

Housing, Community, and Economic Development

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This session will combine a presentation about affordable housing policy with an interactive workshop where participants can audit the affordable housing policies in their own communities (or the communities they work with). The presentation will include two projects 3TP Ventures staff have led in the area of affordable housing:  the Pinellas County, FL Affordable Housing Toolkit and the Housing Calculator tool. Participants can use checklists to audit their own affordable housing policies, and will be invited to share their experiences with promoting affordable housing in their communities.

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Amanda Klepper, AICP

3TP Ventures

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Alan Steinbeck, AICP

3TP Ventures

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Jeremy Goldstein

3TP Ventures

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"From Data to Dialogue: Crafting Compelling Community Stories"

​Public Engagement

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Unlock the power of storytelling in community planning with this dynamic session. Planners will learn how to transform raw data into compelling narratives that resonate with community members and stakeholders alike. Participants will discover fun and gamified ways to engage the community, gather meaningful data, and build trust in the planning process. This session will emphasize the art of storytelling, teaching planners how to craft narratives that reflect the community's voice and experiences. Attendees will explore iterative methods and varied questioning techniques to draw out rich, actionable insights. Join us to master the art of storytelling through data and feedback, and create a more inclusive and responsive planning environment.

 

Mausharie Valentine, AIA

SmithGroup

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Kendra Hyson

SmithGroup

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​Catherine Clarke

SmithGroup

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Renee Burton

City of Danville

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"Not Your Mother’s Planning Training: Tips for a Fun, Interactive Approach to Planning Commissioners Trainings"

​Public Engagement

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In the New River Valley, the region’s local government staff and the Regional Commission come together to host an annual Planning Commissioners training. This innovative event brings together collective local expertise, guest speakers, and a little fun sprinkled in, to increase the knowledge and capacity of the region’s Planning Commissioners. Past training topics have included interactive scenario discussions on conflict of interest, meeting etiquette, and FOIA, and deeper dive presentations on topics such as large scale solar, affordable housing, and cannabis. Chances are your region has everything it needs to host a successful training like this. Come hear some great tips on how to bring your Commissioners together for a time of fun, peer learning and fellowship.

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Jennifer Wilsie, AICP

New River Valley Regional Commission

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Justin Sanders, AICP, CZA, CTM

Montgomery County

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"Presentation Superpowers: Unlock Your Potential"

Upskilling

 

The session will equip planners with practical presentation skills that enhance their ability to communicate effectively, persuade stakeholders, and ultimately increase their influence. Key takeaways will be to discover your audience's Kryptonite (and use it for good), master the story arc by weaving narratives that captivate, wield visuals as your super-tools, channel your inner hero through confidence and command attention, and activate your superpower through practice and refinement.​

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Earl W. Anderson, AICP, CZA

County of York, Virginia

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Jeanne Sgroi

County of York, Virginia

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"From Co-Worker to Boss, Navigating Professional Success: A Panel Discussion"

Upskilling

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Getting a promotion is great, but that does not mean it is without its challenges. You can be one of the team one day and leading the same team the next day. In this panel discussion we will touch on the highlights of taking on a leadership role within your organization, and touch on some of the difficulties encountered when transitioning to a new role. The panel will discuss lessons that have been learned and how future leaders can navigate the challenges of maintaining healthy relationships while effectively leading staff.

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Brittany Colyer

City of Suffolk

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Jennifer Cobb, CZA

City of Suffolk

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"Wheels of Influence: Decoding Public Input and Privilege in Transportation Planning"

Transportation 

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Do you ever find that neighborhood "representatives" do not really represent the opinions of the neighborhood? Or they only represent certain neighbors? How do you show decision makers that the few loud voices opposing your project aren't the voices of the majority? Alexandria has used several innovative techniques for community engagement, like data collection and visualization, storytelling and connections to council-approved plans to achieve our first zero-fatality year in 2023 and reduce serious crashes by 65%. 

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Christopher Ziemann, AICP

City of Alexandria

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Alex Carroll

City of Alexandria

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"Free, Fast, and Funded: TRIP’s Role in Fare-Free Bus Service and Upgraded Stops"

Transportation 

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How did Alexandria achieve record bus ridership two years in a row? And how is the City responding to this? By using state funds to make buses free and to make waiting for the bus more comfortable and accessible! The Transit Ridership Improvement Program (TRIP) through DRPT funds both operations and capital projects, and Alexandria has been able to leverage these funds to successfully provide free transit city-wide, and to update many of the stubbornly deficient bus stops by adding inexpensive quick fixes, amenities like benches and real time signage. We are also planning bigger improvements like shelters and bus bulbs with TRIP funding, and have created a data visualization dashboard for the public to review our successes. 

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Christopher Ziemann, AICP

City of Alexandria

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Silas Sullivan

City of Alexandria

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"Partners for Economic Opportunity"

Housing, Community, and Economic Development

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The Port of Virginia is a key economic driver for growth and development in the Commonwealth. Beyond its role as a container handling facility, the Port acts as a convener of stakeholders and a partner in developing innovative solutions to further the movement of freight outside its gates. This panel will highlight the Port's partnerships in land use planning, transportation, and industry expertise to further local, regional, and state priorities.

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Chris Gullickson

The Port of Virginia

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"Affordable Housing Toolbox"

Housing, Community, and Economic Development

 

Follow Prince William County’s story as it strives to address the affordable housing crisis in a rapidly growing and racially and economically diverse area experiencing both greenfield and infill development. Prince William County was long considered one of the more affordable communities in Northern Virginia. However, rising home prices and a tight housing supply are now pushing residents and workers to look outside the county for a home. This session will look at tools Prince William County has implemented and is exploring to expand housing affordability, including lessons learned in developing those tools. Housing, including affordable housing, is an economic development and community empowerment tool that touches many areas of planning including transportation, equity, and community success. This session takes a holistic look at affordable housing tools available to Virginia localities.

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David McGettigan, AICP

Prince William County Government

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Tanya Washington, AICP

Prince William County Government

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Anthony Alston

Prince William County Government

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"Suffolk's Comprehensive Plan Update: Navigating Community Divisions"

Public Engagement

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Suffolk 2045: the City of Suffolk Comprehensive Plan is the fourth in a series of plans adopted by City Council over a 25 year period that are based on a focused growth approach to managing land use and development.  Within about 6 months of launching Suffolk 2045 it became clear that the level of public interest in this update and the degree of division within the community around comprehensive planning issues would be very different from previous updates.  Staff of the Planning and Community Development Department will present an overview of Suffolk 2045 which was adopted by City Council in December 2024.  The overview will identify key policy issues, community engagement strategies and challenges, as well as some of the key recommendations and priorities being considered for implementation.  Staff will also identify some of the factors that they believe may have contributed to making this a more challenging environment for preparing and adopting a comprehensive plan update.  The main goal of the session is to encourage a discussion about the evolving landscape for local government planning and how best to "navigate the changin' times".

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W. Keith Cannady, AICP

City of Suffolk

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Kevin Wyne, AICP

City of Suffolk

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Meg Pettinger

City of Suffolk

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"Planner's Advocacy Training Workshop: Empowering Planners to Influence Policy and Drive Change"

Public Engagement

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In today's rapidly evolving urban landscapes, planners play a crucial role in shaping the future of our communities. However, to effectively advocate for sustainable, equitable, and resilient development, planners must be equipped with the right skills and knowledge. This workshop aims to empower planners with the tools and strategies needed to become effective advocates for their communities. 

By the end of this session, participants will:
1.        Understand the importance of advocacy in the planning profession.
2.        Learn key advocacy skills, including communication, negotiation, and coalition-building.
3.        Gain insights into the legislative process and how to influence policy decisions.
4.        Develop strategies for engaging with stakeholders, including community members, elected officials, and other key players.
5.        Create an actionable advocacy plan tailored to their specific community or project.

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Shubha Punase, AICP, LEED Green Associate

M-NCPPC

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"Facilitation for Impact: Strengthening Community Engagement in Planning"

Public Engagement

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Planners are often tasked with navigating complex community dynamics while ensuring inclusive decision-making processes. This session, developed by the Institute for Engagement & Negotiation (IEN) at UVA, will explore practical facilitation techniques that help planners engage diverse stakeholders, build consensus, and drive action in local and regional planning efforts. Through real-world case studies— the RAFT (Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool), Chesapeake Bay stakeholder engagement, and Virginia’s solar workgroup —attendees will learn how structured facilitation can enhance community engagement. The session will provide planners with tools and strategies to design more effective, equitable, and participatory planning processes that address emerging challenges in Virginia’s evolving landscape.

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Tanya Denckla Cobb

University of Virginia Institute for Engagement & Negotiation

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Ian Baxter

University of Virginia Institute for Engagement & Negotiation

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Meredith Keppel

University of Virginia Institute for Engagement & Negotiation

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"Engaging the Next Generation: Youth Participation in Planning and Environmental Projects"

Public Engagement

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Youth engagement is a powerful tool for shaping resilient, connected communities. This session explores how planners can integrate youth participation into decision-making processes through structured engagement strategies, hands-on activities, and real-world case studies. Attendees will learn how to facilitate youth involvement in projects such as trail development, public space reimagining, and climate resilience planning. Through a combination of lecture and interactive exercises, participants will gain practical tools to design meaningful engagement initiatives that go beyond token involvement. This session, led by professionals from EPR PC, equips planners with proven methods to create lasting youth participation that strengthens planning efforts and fosters long-term civic engagement.

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