President’s Update – Corey Hull, AICP
As I write this last update, it is hard not to think about the things that the Georgia Chapter of the American Planning Association has accomplished during the past two years. As part of our annual tradition of meeting one another at different locations throughout the state like Douglasville, Columbus and Woodstock we were able to meet new colleagues and learn from countless others about new ways of thinking about making our communities better places. We were also able to host the South Carolina Chapter for a popular joint conference that allowed us to see beyond our borders.
Our Chapter has continued to build on relationships with other professions spearheaded by our efforts with two Plan4Health grants, that brought us closer together with our state and local health professionals. Planning is meant to be comprehensive and inclusive of all viewpoints, but too often we get wrapped up in the details to engage others around us. I challenge the members of the Georgia Chapter to reach out to your colleagues in your local health departments or other non-traditional local partners and engage them in your next local planning effort, you may be surprised at what knowledge and resources they bring to the table.
Our Chapter is leading other states in exploring new ways to engage retired professionals and legacy planners who have contributed greatly to our profession. I am looking forward to continuing to work with the APA Chapter President’s Council on ways to engage this growing section of our membership.
The recent change in membership dues structure for the Georgia Chapter will create an opportunity for our future Chapter leaders to place this organization on a strong foundation to deliver high quality services to our membership.
I look forward to the ideas that Jim Summerbell and other future leaders will bring this Chapter to continue to exceed our expectations and be an advocate for planning throughout Georgia.
Sincerely,
Corey Hull, AICP
Out-Going President of the Georgia Chapter of APA