APATX17 conference was a huge success and set the bar for future conferences. Want to know what was hot at APATX17? Or what the APATX Board is working on? Click here to read the Chapter President's update and learn more about what you should expect in 2018.

Chapter President's Update

Following the APATX Chapter Conference in November, recently elected Texas Chapter officers assumed their new roles with the Chapter Board. To help members become familiar with the new elected officers, a fun and interesting “Get to Know Us” program was developed. Now you’ll finally know which one of the officers sings Spice Girls during karaoke. Get to Know Us!

The full Board of Directors Roster has also been updated for the 2017-2019 year.

Last year, the Texas Chapter recognized six places that illustrated most effectively what it means to be a “great” places, including design, functionality, sustainability, character, quality, and community participation. These included Downtown McKinney, HomeTown in North Richland Hills, Main Street in Fredericksburg, Georgetown Town Square, the Concho RiverWalk in San Angelo, and the Tabernacle in Springtown. The Call for 2018 Places in Now Open! There is no application fee and it is a simple 300-500 word application. Visit www.greatplacesintexas.com for more information. Deadline is Friday, February 2.

Houston Section Director, Gary Mitchell, AICP, was recently elected by the Section Directors as the Section Representative. The Section Representative is a Section Director who will sit on the Chapter Executive Committee to represent the interests of the nine Section boards. Mitchell is the President of Kendig Keast Collaborative and has professional planning experience at the city, county and regional levels since 1989. Mitchell was elected to the Houston Section Board of Directors in 2015. Joshua Owns, AICP, Houston Section Past Director, held the position of Section Representative from 2015 to 2017.

In 2014, the Texas Chapter amended its bylaws to create the Emerging Planning Leaders (EPL). Since its inception, this committee has been chaired by Kendall Wendling, AICP, who has led the creation of the EPL Mentorship Program, Lattes and Leaders, and the Legacy Project. Beginning this month, Monica Rainey will assume the role of EPL Chair on the APA-Texas Chapter Board of Directors.  Monica is wrapping up her final semester as a planning graduate student at Texas A&M University and will soon begin working at Kimley Horn in Fort Worth as a Transportation Planner. This position is appointed by the Chapter President.

Texas A&M’s Professional program, Master of Urban Plannin (MUP) established the David Pugh Scholarship after David’s retirement. The scholarship is awarded annually to a first year student who demonstrates a spirit of service within and outside the program. It is generally considered the highest honor that a first year student can receive. A David Pugh Award (non-financial) award is also given to a graduating student to recognize outstanding contributions to the program.

The Pugh endowment has not reached the minimum; however, it continues to produce a modest income that can be awarded. For those that would like to donate to the Pugh Scholarship, please see your options below.

Online gifts can be made via credit card here and follow the instructions below.

Select the following options using the dropdown menus:
I would like to give to: "College of Architecture "
​Department: "Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning"
​Select Account: "The David Pugh Scholarship"

Checks payable to "Texas A&M Foundation." Can be sent to Shannon Van Zandt (MUP ‘97) or Larry Zuber at 3137 TAMU-College Station, TX 77843-3137.

Anyone who might have a question or need help in making a gift can contact Shannon Van Zandt (svanzandt@tamu.edu or 979-204-5125) or Larry Zuber (lzuber@txamfoundation.com or (979) 324-7539).

The APA National Planning Conference (NPC) will be held in New Orleans from April 21-24, 2018. Registration is now open online, along with Hotel Reservations. The APA Texas Chapter Reception will be held on Monday, April 23, 2018, from 7-9pm at Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar and Restaurant, 701 Tchoupitoulas Street.  The Texas Reception will be followed in the same location by the Chapter Presidents Council (CPC) Reunion and Dance Contest, from 9pm-12am. Watch for further information on the Texas Chapter website at www.txplanning.org.

The Texas Public Health Association invites all APA Texas members to the 94th Annual Education Conference (TPHA AEC 2018), hosted by the Waco McLennan County Public Health District. Conference sessions include: Public Health Decision Making in Hurricane Harvey, Aging and Public Health, Leveraging Federal Funding to Promote Active Transportation and Recreation in Downtown Waco walking tour. CM credits will be provided.

Conference Registration

Last year, APATX issued an RFP for Conference Sites targeted along the I-35 Corridor from San Antonio to Waco, West Texas from El Paso to Amarillo, and the Rio Grande Valley/Texas Coast from McAllen to South Padre Island. The APATX Board narrowed the locations down to Waco, El Paso, and McAllen to host our 2019 and 2020 conferences. These past few months, members of the board have been visiting these sites. The Executive Committee will select the locations at their February 2 meeting.

Bridgett White, AICP, for the Express-News, December 27, 2017

Bridgett White, AICP, Director of the City of San Antonio Planning Department, wrote an op-ed piece about the recent APA Great Places in America designation for the Pearl in San Antonio. Read the piece on the mySA website.