ILAPA News BURST! President's Greeting

President's Greeting by Karen Stonehouse, AICP

	NOTES FROM APA NATIONAL IN PHILADELPHIA The National APA Conference in Philadelphia was a smashing success – 6,200 people attended! Check out the highlights at: https://www.planning.org/conferencecoverage/2007. I went to Philadelphia two days before the official start of the conference, in order to participate in various “leadership meetings.” Chapter Presidents, Division Chairs, National APA and AICP Board Members and Staff, Student Representatives, Planning Officials, and many others were there – I met dozens of people and got saturated with information. We discussed many national-level initiatives (such as “branding” of the APA as a whole, to improve public knowledge and understanding of the organization) and learned about innovative things other Chapters are doing. Illinois’ Chapter Administrator, John Paige; Professional Development Officer Roseann O’Laughlin; and Past President Mark Koplin also attended some leadership meetings for our Chapter. We will provide more information on topics from these meetings in upcoming newsletters and on our Chapter web site (www.ilapa.org). I would like to thank the Illinois APA members who participated in the Delegates Assembly, at which members from each APA Chapter worked to refine and adopt APA’s new Policy Guide on Community andRegional Food System Planning (https://www.planning.org/policyguides/food.htm). Our delegates from Illinois were: John Paige,AICP; Pattsi Petrie, AICP; Jonathan Prouix, AICP; and Nancy Ooerbeck, AICP. Illinois’ own Deanna Glosser, APA Divisions Council Secretary-Treasurer and former ILAPA Secretary, helped to draft the policy guide. CERTIFICATION MAINTENANCE On April 13, 2007, the AICP Commission approved a plan for Certification Maintenance (CM) which includes requirements for continuing education for certified planners. Keep a list of the CM training you receive starting on April 14, 2007! The online credit-tracking at www.planning.org will be closed for renovations for a period of time beginning May 22. The adopted CM program is somewhat different from earlier versions you may have seen; you can read the program description and see a list of frequently asked questions at www.planning.org/certification/maintenance.htm. AICP members will receive updates on the program through email as details are resolved. Please send your questions about CM to AICP@planning.org. There are many details of the program that have yet to be resolved. One of my main concerns is making sure that Chapter members have access to affordable training opportunities. Please share your ideas for Illinois training with me and/or Roseanne (pdo@ilapa.org). FULL STEAM AHEAD TO PEORIA! OCTOBER 12-14, 2007 Plan to join your colleagues for the 2007 Illinois Chapter APA annual conference in Peoria! This city just keeps getting better; it will be a beautiful setting for learning and fun. Update your planning tool box and earn most of your required AICP certification maintenance credits in two days of sessions with multiple tracks. Put the date on your calendar now! This year, the Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects will be our partner in the conference, bringing a wealth of welcome expertise in designing places that are in harmony with ecology. (Oh, and it’s great to have help with conference logistics, too!) The new Illinois Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism is also putting together some very useful sessions. ILAPA & ASLA are asking for submittals from those interested in making a presentation at the conference or have topic or session ideas. Those interested should download this form. To keep up to date on the latest conference news, visit the conference website at http://www.ilapa.org/conf2007.html. Any questions or concerns can be directed to our conference co-chairs, Craig Hullinger and Ben Vyverberg. You will kick yourself if you miss this conference! OTHER CHAPTER NOTES ILAPA is always looking for volunteers. We are currently working on a list of volunteer opportunities that will be posted on the ILAPA website. Big events in the future to start thinking about is the 2008 ILAPA annual conference and the 2009 Burnham Celebration. Email our chapter administrator, John Paige, at admin@ilapa.org if you can help.

	Karen Stonehouse, AICP Independent Planning Consultant Phone: 773-983-9836 Fax: 773-283-2050 president@ilapa.org