Board of Directors

Advocacy for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has driven Sonja’s planning career and continues in her role as Co-Director of Diversity for CA Northern APA.

I earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Hampton University as well as a Master of Regional Planning
degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During my career, I’ve worked for municipalities,
planning consulting firms and affordable housing organizations. I have cultivated relationships with
professionals and politicians at the highest levels of local government and other realms. I forge relationships
across multiple strata. I attribute this to my ability to actively listen coupled with my sense of humor, kindness,
and foresight.

My strengths lie in the following:

• Land Use Planning and Management
• Zoning administration
• Community Advocacy/Community Engagement
• Project Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Team Building

During my eight years as a code enforcement planner with the City and County of San Francisco, I routinely
collaborated with a broad cross-section of the public, stakeholders, and public policy makers to fundamentally improve the functioning of the city. I coordinated the Department’s efforts as a representative to the Mayor’s Bayview Neighborhood Rescue Team, focused on one of the lowest-income and most dangerous sections of the city. Together, we endeavored to abate code violations to improve the quality of life for residents of the culturally rich but perennially-challenged Bayview. To accomplish my mission, I worked proactively with the departments of Building, Health, Police and Fire as well as the office of the City Attorney and the District Attorney’s Office. One of my most challenging tasks was managing the Medical Cannabis Dispensaries (MCD) program for the San Francisco Planning Department. This involved successfully settling numerous (and often emotional) disputes between dispensaries and neighboring residents and businesses.

As Senior District Planner, for the City of Newport News, Virginia I produced a long-range plan for the deteriorating industrial core of the city, balancing historic preservation with targeted economic development. As a Project Planner/Analyst at BTG, a private planning firm, I managed comprehensive plan updates for Gloucester County, Virginia including the Environmental, Economic Development, and Parks Elements. I also conducted a study of state mental health facilities using an economic input-output model. As Site Acquisition Manager for a major telecommunications company, I managed a team of three people to negotiate with property owners and local governments

I look forward to serving the California planning community to foster greater diversity, equity and inclusion in
our day-to-day and longer-term endeavors. Without question, building this aspect of our field can only serve
to improve our work and the perception of our profession to the public we serve.

Getting people moving is the reason Adrienne Heim works in the transportation field. Whether by bicycling, walking, or taking public transit, Adrienne believes that diverse modes of transportation drive economic sustainability and successfully connects people to crucial services.

Adrienne Heim, AICP is a transportation planner and public engagement professional with over 10 years of experience working on a variety of planning and community engagement projects in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Adrienne’s current work at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is within the Streets Division, Livable Streets unit focusing on improving safety and access for pedestrians and bicyclists and supporting San Francisco’s Vision Zero goals. In August 2022, Adrienne led an effort to secure a $23M federal grant for the Howard Streetscape Project located in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. Prior to her planner role, Adrienne worked in the SFMTA’s Communications Division, Public Outreach and Engagement unit for several years. She specifically worked on various capital and transit projects to build stakeholder relationships and ensure community members were engaged throughout the projects’ phases.

Outside of her reoccurring duties, Adrienne has taken an active role as a project team member to produce the SFMTA’s first racial equity action plan. She’s also revitalized and led San Francisco’s Citywide Public Engagement Network group, which brings together city departments to discuss public engagement and outreach tactics, and advocate for communications resources.