President’s Message – August 2025

Happy Back to School!

The countdown has begun, and the Fall Conference in Athens, October 8-10, will be here before we know it. Thank you to all who submitted conference sessions. We look forward to resuming our fall tradition at the Classic Center in a few weeks.

Thank you also to all of you who responded to the membership survey, which closed at the end of July. We’ll be reviewing and reporting back and taking action on what you’ve shared with us.

GPA’s Climate Action Group has been active this summer, hosting a happy hour on July 10 at New Realm brewing on the Beltline and a tour of the Clayton County Water Authority’s Newman Wetlands on August 1. If you have interest in learning more about the Climate Action Group and how you can get involved, reach out to Ansley Belton.

Take Action!

All are invited to the District 3 GPA / Georgia Section ITE Lunch & Learn about the Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan on August 14 at the Promenade Central. Learn more and register here.

Mark your calendars for the Georgia Tech School of City and Regional Planning and GPA Reception for Friday, September 5 at Georgia Tech, 5:00 pm.

Vote! It’s that time of year to elect the Georgia Chapter and American Planning Association board members. Keep an eye on your inbox – the ballot will be sent out to members on August 6. Meet our candidates.

If you were asking yourself, How do I get some cool APA swag? APA has launched Refer a Friend to join APA (and GPA at the same time) through August 22, 2025. If your referral joins APA, you’ll receive a $50 APA Shop gift card as a thank you.

Represent Georgia at the 2026 National Planning Conference in Detroit (April 25-28). APA will be accepting proposals and proposal reviewers through August 20, 2025.

If you are AICP certified, the reporting period for Certification Maintenance (CM) credits ends on December 31, 2025. Check your CM balance today. If you are in search of CM credits, the Fall Conference will offer a wide variety of sessions to meet your CM requirements. Don’t forget to check GPA’s events page, and take advantage of the Planning Webcast Series hosted by the Ohio Chapter. Finally, APA publishes many in-person and virtual events on their website. 

What can we do to make GPA better? Let me know!

Warmest regards,
Kristen Wescott