A Message from MPCA President Danny Winborne
MPCA Corner
Held at the beautiful historic Kent Island Resort, the 40thth Annual Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) conference, 40 Years of Change, 40 Years of Opportunity, was a greater success than we could have imagined!
Our second in-person conference post-pandemic, the 2023 event exceeded all expectations both in terms of venue, attendance, and the outstanding breadth and quality of training sessions and panel presentations. All told, upwards of 150 people participated over two and a-half days – a nearly 50% increase from previous years!
With special plenary sessions and breakout sessions ranging in topic from the role of local governments and planning commissions in addressing forever chemicals (PFAs) in local groundwater supplies to greater inclusion of Native American perspectives in local planning, those who attended learned about past successes, the challenges we still face, and the many opportunities available to communities across the state.
The MPCA Executive Committee sincerely thanks our distinguished guest speakers: Chris Corchiarino, County Commissioner of Queen Anne’s County; Sharon Dobson, Chairperson, Queen Anne’s County Planning Commission; and Keynote Speaker Rebecca L. Flora, AICP, LEED, ND / BD+C, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP).
The Executive Committee also extends its thanks to the many session panelists, tour leaders, sponsors (MDP, Queen Anne’s County, Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association (MD APA), EPR PC, Mead & Hunt, and the Brick Industry Association); MDP Local Assistance and Training staff members, Joe Griffiths and Kristen Humphrey; conference attendees; the staff of the Kent Island Resort; and most importantly, to our wonderful hosts from the Queen Anne’s County.
A special thank you and shout out goes to Sharon Suarez, AICP, who led an exceptional interactive professional ethics workshop on day three. She developed a wonderfully informative role-playing exercise that illustrated common ethical conundrums in relatable (and sometimes humorous!) terms.
Sharon also led participants through a comparative review of the codes of ethics for multiple planning adjacent professions, which stimulated a terrific discussion. Sharon navigated the sometimes-bumpy ride that comes with being at the center of a dual in-person and virtual /online session with grace and wit.
We recently updated our conference webpage with slides for all sessions and video recordings of the Day Two sessions, the Planning Commissioner Training Course, and the Ethics session.
Next year’s 41st annual conference also promises to be exciting as, for the first time, it will be held in partnership with MD APA. More information will be coming soon.
The MPCA strives to present unparalleled educational, networking and training opportunities to planners throughout the state, fully supported by a strong and dedicated membership. I am honored to be the President of such a vibrant organization!
Sincerely,
Danny Winborne
MPCA President
Maryland Planning Blog