Board Members

The 2023 APA Colorado Board is currently comprised of 27 members, 17 of which are voting members. Board member duties are outlined in the Bylaws of the Colorado Chapter of the American Planning Association.

APA Colorado Board Members:
	Maureen Paz de Araujo, FAICP CTP CEP President President@APAColorado.org Over three decades, Maureen has held leadership roles at public agencies and in professional practice, engaging in a broad range planning roles in both the public and privates. Her work has included environmental and transportation planning, traffic planning and analysis, campus planning, and urban design roles. She is currently a Senior Project Manager for Wilson & Company, focusing on transportation planning, traffic operations analysis and travel demand forecasting.
	Joni Marsh, AICP Past President PastPresident@APAColorado.org Joni currently serves as the Assistant City Manager for the City of Longmont. Joni has a MPA from Montana State University and has 24years of municipal government experience. Joni served on the Board as Secretary/Treasurer for two terms and is currently the CML Planning Section Chair. Aside from work, Joni enjoys riding at the barn with her horse, Daegan
	VACANT President Elect PresidentElect@APAColorado.org The positions of President Elect and Past President are not elected positions. Newly elected Presidents serve one year as President Elect before taking over the office of President where they will then serve for two years. The outgoing President serves one year as the Past President before rotating off the Board. The Presidential term is a total of four years: one year as President Elect, two years as Pres
	Julia Puester, AICP Vice President of External Affairs VPExternalAffairs@APAColorado.org Julia serves as the Assistant Community Development Director for the Town of Breckenridge where she helps oversee the Current and Long Range Planning, Building, and Workforce Housing and Childcare divisions. She has been in the planning profession for twenty four years, all within mountain communities in Colorado. She received her Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from CU Denver and her Bachelor Degree in Environmental Studies from CU Boulder.
	Alex Bergeron Vice President of Communications VPCommunications@APAColorado.org With over a decade of professional experience in Colorado, in both the private and public sectors, and prior experience in Rhode Island, Alex brings to the Board a perspective informed in part by his work with a very diverse set of client communities; including those which are urban in character, others more suburban, those known for their affluence, and some celebrated for their natural attributes.
	Josh Olhava, AICP Treasurer Treasurer@APAColorado.org Josh is currently a Principal Planner with the City and County of Broomfield. He has spent nearly a decade working in local and regional planning for communities in both Ohio and Colorado. Josh is proud to be a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners, a Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner, a former BizWest Forty under 40 honoree, and an Executive Board member for APA Colorado. He received his bachelor’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from Iowa State University and his master’s degree in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati.
	Mark Truckey, AICP Central Mountain Area Representative CentralMountain@APAColorado.org Mark Truckey currently serves as the Community Development Director for the Town of Breckenridge. He has worked for over 30 years in the planning field, with a special emphasis on long range planning for communities and in environmental initiatives. Mark worked for ten years in several jurisdictions in Washington State, where he developed and implemented comprehensive plans and water quality plans for several communities.
	Lesli Kunkle Ellis, AICP CEP North Central Area Representative NorthCentral@APAColorado.org Lesli has almost 30 years of planning experience and currently serves as Larimer County’s Community Development Director. She has planned for local and regional governments in Colorado, New Mexico, and Washington and has consulted with over 40 communities in the U.S. on long range plans and policies, codes, and open lands and conservation programs.
	Amanda Kannard Denver Metro Area Representative (1 of 2) DenverMetro@APAColorado.org Amanda Kannard is an urban planner, designer, and project manager with over seven years of experience in the planning field, and is currently a Senior Associate at Progressive Urban Management Associates (P.U.M.A.). Amanda works on a diversity of projects, from neighborhood, downtown, and corridor plans, to comprehensive community engagement efforts, to strategic visioning and organizational plans.
	Britt Palmberg, AICP Denver Metro Area Representative (2 of 2) DenverMetro@APAColorado.org Britt Palmberg, AICP, has served as a Project Manager and Planner for a variety of public and private sector clients as a consultant in Colorado and the Midwest since 2006. He has led a number of comprehensive plans, corridor studies, streetscape projects, and related assignments. He currently leads the planning practice for Rick Community Planning (part of Rick Engineering) here in Colorado, based out of Centennial.
	Katelynn Wintz, AICP South Central Area Representative SouthCentral@apacolorado.org Katelynn Wintz, AICP is a Planning Supervisor for the City of Colorado Planning Department. Although she focuses on development review at work, her passion for planning includes areas of interest ranging from comprehensive planning, bike/ped safety, affordable housing, food systems, and the intersections of gender and planning. Katelynn also volunteers on the Executive Board of APA's Women & Planning Division as the Director of Programs.
	Nicole Galehouse Northwest Area Representative Northwest@APAColorado.org Nicole Galehouse, AICP is a Principal Planner with the City of Grand Junction Department of Community Development. Urban planning has been her passion for the past 10 years, working in Florida and Colorado on projects including livability studies, golf course/brownfield redevelopment, large-scale community planning, and code revisions.
	James Dickhoff Southwest Area Representative Southwest@APAColorado.org Coming soon!
	Erin Fosdick, AICP Professional Development Officer PDO@APAColorado.org Erin Fosdick is a Principal Planner for the Town of Erie; she has 18 years of local and regional planning experience. Erin earned her Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado Denver in 2007. In her work, Erin specializes in long range planning and community involvement. She manages complex planning projects, including subarea planning, drafting and updating development codes, and participating in other special citywide projects.
	Shaida Libhart, AICP Legislative Affairs Representative \| Legislative Committee Co-Chair Legislative@APAColorado.org Shaida Libhart is an AICP-certified planner and Principal Associate with TEI Planning & Engineering, leading their Denver office. Shaida focuses on multimodal planning and developing plans that are holistic and focused on improving quality of life. Shaida believes that transportation is a driver of our communities and can that well-connected places with safe mobility options facilitate strong, vibrant communities. After spending several years in the public sector, Shaida developed knowledge and expertise in funding and implementation strategies.
	James Shockey, AICP Public Official Representative PublicOfficial@APAColorado.org James Shockey, AICP, currently serves as chairperson for the Grand Lake Planning Commission. He has sat on the Commission for over a decade and as chairperson for the last two years. James serves as the Community Development Director for the Town of Winter Park overseeing planning and building services. Outside of work, you can find him hiking, biking, and enjoying family time with his wife and daughter. Contact Me!
	Johnny P. Malpica EPP Representative EPPCommittee@apacolorado.org Johnny Malpica is a Planner I for the City of Colorado Springs Department of Planning and Development. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Planning, Public Policy and Geography, as well as a Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) from Rutgers University. Johnny has over six years of professional experience as a community-based educator and project coordinator. He is passionate about engaging diverse communities in creating inspiring, equitable, and sustainable places to live, work and play. Outside of working hours, you can find him hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding.
	Manish Shirgaokar Planning Faculty Representative FacultyRep@APAColorado.org Manish Shirgaokar is a transportation policy researcher and consultant. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley in 2012 and has taught at the University of Colorado Denver since 2019. Manish is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. His current interests include how transportation systems help or hinder the mobility of groups such as older adults, women, immigrants, and low-income households.
	Vacant Allied Organization Representative This position is currently vacant. If you're interested in applying, please contact Admin@APAColorado.org The Allied Organization Representative is open to any person who is also a member of another organization such as Western Planner, WTS Colorado, ITE, ITS Rocky Mountain, ASLA Colorado, ULI Colorado, etc. Membership in APA Colorado is not required; however, the allied organizational board must approve your apointment.
	Ivana Medina Student Representative StudentRep@APAColorado.org Coming soon! Ivana was elected as the 2022-23 Student Representative by the UC Denver MURP students in May 2022.
	Jennifer Woods, AICP Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chair EDI@APAColorado.org Jennifer Woods, AICP: Jennifer has enjoyed her 15-year planning career from various regions in the country ranging from the desert southwest to the Pacific northwest and the southeast. She earned a Bachelors in Business Administration from Texas Tech University and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University, during which time she also served in the Peace Corps in Albania. Jennifer loves to go camping and hiking with her family (where there is no cell phone service).
	Renae Stavros, AICP Great Places Colorado Committee Chair GreatPlaces@APAColorado.org As an urban planner, triathlete, runner, mom, wife, and municipal city planner, my days are busy and my time is valuable. I love spending time visiting new places, eating great food, and enjoying all that Colorado has to offer – that is what makes the Great Places in Colorado committee so much fun! I will forever be searching for the best place to go on ‘date night’, the best place to take the family for an evening of entertainment, and the best place to find a little bit of piece and quiet (usually on long trails in the mountains that are not heavily traveled).
	Kris Valdez, AICP Healthy Communities Committee Representative & Co-Chair Healthy@APAColorado.org Kris Valdez, AICP, Senior Community Planner with Community Planning Strategies, is an experienced senior planner with over 25 years experience in the field for both public and private sector clients. During Kris' professional career, her analytical and organizational skills were utilized in managing some of her employers' most significant and controversial projects.
	Scott Bressler, AICP Legislative Committee Representative \| Committee Co-Chair Legislative@apacolorado.org Scott is a Senior Transportation Planner at AECOM with over 15 years of planning experience. He received his Bachelor Degree in Urban Studies from Metro State University of Denver in 1998 and his Master Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado, Denver in 2005. Throughout his career, Scott has primarily worked on transit projects in Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, and Utah; evaluating a variety of modes including light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit, demand response, and traditional bus service.
	Susan Wood, FAICP Membership Committee Chair Membership@APAColorado.org Susan A. Wood, FAICP, is a Planning Project Manager, Environmental, with more than 15 years in transit planning, preceded by more than 10 years in land use planning where she worked for local governments in the Denver Metropolitan area. At the Regional Transportation District (RTD), she oversees project clearance and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
	Karl Barton, AICP Sustainability Committee Representative & Co-Chair Sustainability@APAColorado.org coming soon!
	Dana Hoffman Sustainability Committee Co-Chair Sustainability@apacolorado.org I am a city and transportation planning professional focused on sustainable transportation, infrastructure/utility planning, and climate action planning with a strong focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
	Morgan Hester, AICP, CNU-A Youth In Planning Committee Representative & Chair YIP@APAColorado.org Morgan is a Planning Supervisor for the City of Colorado Springs, focused on policy and public education. She most recently comprehensively updated the City of Colorado Springs’ zoning and subdivision code and established the first Neighborhood University for the City in collaboration with CONO (Council of Neighborhood Organizations).
	Abbey Aguirre Chapter Executive Director Admin@APAColorado.org Abbey joined APA Colorado in 2023 as the new Chapter Executive Director. Prior to joining APA Colorado, Abbey worked with several other non-profits as an Association Manager. She received her Bachelors Degree in Marketing from Colroado State University. Outside of work, Abbey enjoys camping, reading, and attending sporting events.