President’s Message – November

As the calendar turns to November, I know many of us may be winding down projects or trying to find ways to schedule that one last public meeting before the holidays take over. During this time, your GPA Board and Programs Committee are finalizing plans for the Spring 2025 conference as well as executing contracts for the Fall 2025 Conference in Athens, October 8 – 10, 2025.

The Georgia Chapter is the host of this year’s APA Legislative Summit, December 4-5 in Atlanta. The Legislative Summit shines light on APA policy efforts including the housing supply accelerator and resilience. If you are interested in getting more involved in the Georgia Policy and Advocacy Committee, reach out to Whitney Shephard. The Policy and Advocacy Committee (PAC) meets regularly during the state’s legislative season, which kicks off in January.

As we missed the opportunity to convene in person, the Chapter will be hosting a virtual annual meeting in December. Stay tuned for the date and time. We look forward to catching up virtually. We will defer action on the bylaws until we meet in person next year.

If you haven’t yet taken the time to join a GPA Committee and get actively involved, do it today. We are a better Chapter when we have more hands and minds working together.

Programs Committee  |  Kyethea Clark, VP-Programs
Chapter Services  |  Megha Young, VP-Chapter Services
Professional Development  |  Christina Pastor, Professional Development Officer
Financial Committee  |  Sidney Douse, Treasurer
Policy and Advocacy  |  Whitney Shephard, Chair
Awards Committee   |  Adam Hazell, Chair
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion  |  Erin Thoresen, Chair
Mentor Committee  |  Mollie Bogle, Chair
Climate Action  |  Marilyn Hall, Chair
Emerging Planners of Georgia  |  Emily Lasser, Emerging Planners Group Chair
General Questions about GPA  |  Kristen Wescott, President

I give thanks for all of you who work every day to help our communities plan for today and tomorrow.

Best Regards,
Kristen Wescott