By Sajuti Rahman Haque, associate editor
The results are in from the Northern Section election held in November 2020.
On January 1, 2021, Michael Cass moves up to Director-Elect. Veronica Flores will continue as Administrative Director for a two-year term ending December 31, 2022.
As Director-elect, Cass plans to focus on supporting the new Section Director, Florentina Craciun, and guiding the Section Board as we traverse an unprecedented health crisis and political and social unrest to a post-pandemic world. He also hopes to assist the Board in capitalizing on the Section’s successes in 2020, including increased virtual presence, regional collaboration, and expanded emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Cass has been Northern Section Treasurer since March 2019 and was the East Bay Regional Activity Co-coordinator (RAC) in 2018 and 2019. A public sector planner for more than 16 years, Cass is principal planner for the City of Dublin. He previously worked as a planner for Lafayette and Concord. Separately, he serves as an advisory board member for Sustainable Contra Costa. Cass holds a BA in communications from St. Mary’s College of California, Moraga, and a certificate in land use and environmental planning from UC Davis Extension.
Flores, who has been the Section’s Administrative Director since November 2019, hopes to build on organizational changes made in 2020 to further Northern Section’s efficiency and effectiveness. Among her objectives are enhancing the Board’s accountability to Northern Section members and refining resources for new and veteran board members — all while continuing to focus on event planning and information sharing. Previously, Flores served as SJSU Student Representative to the Board and Co-director of the Young and Emerging Planners Group (formerly Young Planners Group). She also assisted with Northern Section’s Mentorship Program, Awards Gala, and state and national conference planning. Flores is a senior planner in the Legislative Affairs Section of the San Francisco Planning Department. She holds a master of urban planning from San Jose State University and a BA in sociology from UC Berkeley.