By Libby Tyler, FAICP, Section Director-Elect
Over 25 members of the Northern Section Board gathered for our annual retreat on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at the very hospitable offices of WSP in downtown San Francisco. The purpose of the Retreat was to get to know each other better, to recap our successes from the prior year, and, most importantly, to plan for member services and events in 2024!
Director Michael Cass kicked off the meeting with a Land Acknowledgement statement. We then tucked in a healthy breakfast of bagels, donuts, and coffee, and a very fun “Planner’s Punch” icebreaker compiled by Ryan Adamson and Afshan Hamid, AICP. For this, everyone introduced themselves and drew a unique and thought-provoking question from a large punch bowl. My question was “Do You Believe in Ghosts?” Not a question I’ve often been asked!
Next, Michael Cass and Treasurer Justin Meek, AICP presented a budget for 2024. Our prior years’ spending has been reduced due to pandemic impacts, so the new year budget recognized the need to ramp-up our programming and to reflect the increased costs of doing business.
Our POD breakout sessions followed, including the newly formed Young and Emerging Planners POD which has replaced the Membership Engagement POD. During this breakout we discussed our 2023 accomplishments and identified specific goals and actions for 2024. The POD groups reported out on the results of the breakout later in the day.
The Leadership portion of the meeting kicked off the Section’s Strategic Planning effort for 2024. Strategic Plan Committee Co-Chairs Afshan Hamid, AICP, and Jeff Bond, AICP, led the group in small group discussion on our accomplishments for the 9 Initiatives that were adopted in 2023. If you are interested in participating in the 2024 Strategic Planning Committee, please contact Co-Chairs Afshan Hamid, AICP, and Jeff Bond, AICP.
Following a delicious Peruvian lunch procured by Martin Reyes, AICP, PE, we played a bracingly competitive Bay Area Trivia game put together by Martin and Michael Wooley-Ousdahl, AICP, with the winning team earning prizes from Nikoniko Gifts, a very cool gift shop run by Martin’s partner.
We wrapped up the day with a discussion of the Chapter Conference for 2025 which will be hosted by the Northern Section. The call for volunteers for the Conference has been released and members are strongly encouraged to get involved!
Our 2024 Retreat was very productive and tremendous fun. Thanks are due to our dynamic retreat planning committee, which included Ryan Adamson, Afshan Hamid, Olivia Mendoza, Martin Reyes, and Michael Wooley-Ousdahl, along with Libby Tyler and Michael Cass. Thanks are especially due to Ryan Adamson and WSP for hosting us at their offices.