By Elizabeth “Libby” Tyler, FAICP, Director, August 28, 2026
I hope you are enjoying these warm late summer days in NorCal, which seems to be the only time those near the Bay can break out the T-shirts and shorts. My husband Rob and I just returned from a very hot but amazing trip to Spain, where we saw the total solar eclipse along with many other jubilant eclipse viewers in Zaragoza, Spain. We came home to greet a full house with both our sons, their wives, and three little grandsons—all visiting from the East Coast. Needless to say, jollity and chaos ensued.
Speaking of being busy, this is always a big time of year for the section. We had our annual “Fun” (i.e., no agenda) Board meeting at Tilden Park – thanks to the arrangements of Director-elect Jeff Bond, AICP, and our new Young and Emerging Planners Co-director Chang Xu, AICP. Next up will be our Annual Awards Ceremony, happening on September 17th at Fluid510 in Oakland. Don’t miss out on this annual gala where we get to see our fellow planners and celebrate the amazing work that is being done—tickets are on sale now.
Hats off to our amazing Awards Program Director, Carlina Rose, and our Events Co-directors, Channing Bickford, AICP, and Olivia Mendoza, for all the work they have put into making this event a success.
Also coming up is a fantastic series of professional development webinars with Certification Maintenance (CM) credits for AICP members, organized by our new Professional Development Director, Aarti Shrivastava, AICP, and other members of the Professional Development POD on our Board. The first webinar is scheduled for September 24 (12–1 p.m.) and is titled “What’s New with ADUs.” Additionally, coming this fall will be a leadership skill-building 4-part seminar series organized by former Director Florentina Craciun, AICP; a session on recent CEQA exemptions legislation; ethics training; and more.
Finally, I hope you have all completed your registration for this fall’s Chapter conference being held at LA Live in Los Angeles, October 3–6. I can’t think of any more vibrant area to learn about what is going on in the California planning field. Click on the link below for all the conference information and to register.
In the past few months, we have seen some of our key Board members transition off the Board. Professional Development Director Martin Reyes, AICP, recently relocated to the Los Angeles Chapter. Closer to home, our Administrative Director, Adrienne Mau, AICP, resigned a few months early to care for her recently arrived baby daughter. These Board members deserve a huge thank you for their outstanding contributions to the organization. We will soon be recruiting for a new Administrative Director for a fall election. Please consider this and other opportunities to contribute to the Northern Board!
This will be my last Director’s Notes column as Director-elect Jeff Bond, AICP, will be taking over as Director on January 1, 2027. It has been a tremendous pleasure and honor to serve as your director these past few years. Thank you so much for the opportunity! However, I will remain very involved as Immediate Past Director throughout 2027 since our revised Bylaws alternate the duties of the Director-elect and Immediate Past Director positions to allow for a shorter leadership pathway.
As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions for Northern, please reach out. I would love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected]