The UDP Professionals Council (PC) is a volunteer group of planners in the greater Seattle region who mentor UDP students, primarily in the Master of Urban Planning (MUP) program. Each first-year MUP student is paired with a PC member, based on common interests. The PC mentor can help students network, identify an internship, provide career advice, and much more. In addition to individual mentoring, the PC holds events for students throughout the school year, including studio tours, speaking panels featuring prominent planners, social events, and a thesis celebration at the end of the academic year. The PC helps with the transition from student to practitioner. The proof of their effectiveness is in the results: in a recent survey, ~90% of our alumni respondents reported securing a planning-related job within one year of graduation. The Professionals Council is a unique resource among planning programs, and is recognized by the Planning Accreditation Board as a model for the nation. Please read below to learn more about our Professionals Council members.
The Professionals Council has created a fund to recruit MUP students with diverse backgrounds called the Urban Design and Planning Endowed Equity Fund.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EQUITY FUND
Professionals Council Events
The Department of Urban Design and Planning Professional Council (PC) hosts a number of events each year. This is an opportunity for students to connect with thier PC Mentors and events can range from neighborhood tours to resume clinics to office tours.
These events are often limited to MUP students but the Professional Council also host a quarterly lecture series which are available to the larger community.
Meet Your UDP Professionals Council
Ben Bakkenta
Director of Regional Planning
David Blum, AICP
President, Montgomery Gulf Corp
Transit Oriented Development, Real Estate Development
Scott Bonjukian
Steve Butler, FAICP
MRSC (Municipal Research & Services Center)
Comprehensive and suburb planning, implementation techniques (both regulatory and non-regulatory), urban design, and public engagement
Michael Chen
Mackenzie
Current Planning, Development and Entitlement
Richard Conlin
Conlin Columbia
Affordable Housing; Sustainable Development; Resilience/Emergency Management;Policy Development/Implementation
Sara Cubillos
Seattle Public Utilities – Strategic Advisor in the Drainage & Wastewater Division
Emerging Leader – Capitol Hill Housing PDA Board
Environmental Justice, Movement building, equitable engagement, creative facilitation, infrastructure investments
Marty Curry, AICP
UW affiliate faculty, and Curry Consulting
Community Planning, Civic engagement; Infrastructure planning for sustainability and resiliency
Nancy Eklund
City of Tukwila-Community Development Department
Comprehensive planning, health and the built environment
Nicole Faghin, MCP, JD, LEED AP
Washington Sea Grant
Shoreline and Coastal Management
Anne Fritzel
Housing planning, education, Short Course
on Local Planning, Smart Growth
Spatial Planning-Urban Design, Housing, Transit Oriented Development
Ted Gage
Planning consultant – Community comprehensive planning, tourism
Development, tribal planning, inter-agency coordination
Kristina Gallant
City of Bellevue
Code Implementation, Housing,
Economics, Data Analysis
Lisa Grueter, AICP
BERK Consulting, Inc.
Comprehensive Planning, Environmental Planning, Capital & System Planning
Katy Haima
City of Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development
Community Planning and Urban Design
Todd Hall
Principal Planner
Erika Harris
SEPA Leader and Environmental Planning Work
Jess Harris
Green Building Program Manager
Paul Inghram, FAICP
Puget Sound Regional Council
regional planning, growth management, housing, transit oriented development, open space conservation
Arun Jain
City of Bellevue
Decision support tools, methods and means to cope with complexity, uncertainty and urgency
Mike Katterman
City of Bellevue
Community development, growth management, regional policy
Jenn Kester
Planning Manager
Rick Krochalis, AICP
Former Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration (retired)
Environmental planning; transit systems development; capital project management; planning agency leadership
Doug Larson
Denise Lathrop
AICP, City of Des Moines
Community, Transportation and Environmental Planning, and Food Policy
Al Levine
Retired, formerly Deputy Executive Director, Seattle Housing Authority (1998-2013) and Affiliate Faculty
Affordable housing, mixed income communities, Transit Oriented Development
Rebeccah Maskin
King County
Regional Planning, Long Range Planning, Data Analysis, and GIS
Kevin McDonald
Andy Micklow
King County Council
Regional Planning, Policy Analysis, Gender
Rachel Miller
MAKERS architecture and urban design
Urban Design
Lizzie Moll
Seattle Department of Transportation
Transportation Planning
Christopher Ndifon
Land Use Planner
Ike Nwankwo
Formerly with Department of Commerce (retired)
Growth Management Planning
Miranda Redinger
Jesse Reynolds, AICP CFM
King County Department of Local Services
Subarea and Comprehensive Planning, Spatial Planning, Hazard Mitigation, Community Engagement
Mandi Roberts, AICP. RLA
Principal with Otak, Inc.
Urban Planning and Design—smart growth solutions, station area and subarea plans, corridor and streetscape planning, design guidelines and standards, public space planning/urban design
Katie Sheehy
Seattle Office of Planning & Community Development
Equitable Development, Race and Social Justice
Janet Shull
City of Bellevue
Urban design, community planning, sustainability, economic development and master planning
Rob Strauder
Jamie Stroble
Liz Underwood-Bultmann, AICP
Puget Sound Regional Council
Regional Planning and Growth Management
Karen Wolf, FAICP
Affiliate Instructor, UW UDP & CEE
Regional and Long Range Planning; Annexations
Updated: November 2022