APA Texas Advocacy – What’s Next for Planning in Texas Communities?

"Chris J. Sanchez is a legislative professional with over 16 years of experience in Texas politics and has completed nine legislative sessions. Sanchez currently serves as a Senior Partner and co-owner of Salient Strategies, a full-service government affairs firm based in Austin, Texas. During his career, he has accumulated experience … Read More

"Chris J. Sanchez is a legislative professional with over 16 years of experience in Texas politics and has completed nine legislative sessions. Sanchez currently serves as a Senior Partner and co-owner of Salient Strategies, a full-service government affairs firm based in Austin, Texas. During his career, he has accumulated experience in some of the most senior levels of government in Texas, including with the former Chairman of the prestigious Sunset Advisory Commission and a House Appropriations subcommittee Chairman. Sanchez has passed legislation that has impacted some of the most critical industries in Texas, including transportation, cybersecurity, and health care. The relationships he has cultivated through his legislative successes have made him well-known amongst policymakers and Capitol insiders. Additionally, he has been involved in grassroots political activities for over a decade and has a strong background in political messaging and fundraising. Originally from Alvin, Texas, Sanchez has resided in Austin since 2002 and is a 2006 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, where he received a degree in Government" Read Less

"Karen S. Walz FAICP is the Principal in Strategic Community Solutions LLC, a professional consulting firm that helps clients build successful and sustainable communities. Ms. Walz has over 45 years of experience in strategic planning, public engagement, facilitation, comprehensive planning and plan implementation. Her work experience includes East and West … Read More

"Karen S. Walz FAICP is the Principal in Strategic Community Solutions LLC, a professional consulting firm that helps clients build successful and sustainable communities. Ms. Walz has over 45 years of experience in strategic planning, public engagement, facilitation, comprehensive planning and plan implementation. Her work experience includes East and West coast communities, as well as Texas, the Midwest and Western U.S. Clients include cities, counties, metropolitan regions and non-profit organizations. Client communities range from towns of a few thousand people to cities with over one million residents and counties covering 13,000 square miles. Ms. Walz served as the Project Manager for “Vision North Texas”, a coalition of private, public and non-profit organizations carrying out a regional visioning initiative for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Karen S. Walz received a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction in Environmental Earth Sciences from Stanford University and a Master of City and Regional Planning from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Karen Walz was inducted as a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2006. Ms. Walz’ work has been recognized by numerous awards and commendations." Read Less

Co-Chair, APA Texas Advocacy Craig Farmer, FAICP is president of Municipal Planning Services, LLC, consulting with numerous cities, counties, councils of governments and metropolitan planning organizations in Texas. Previously, he managed planning, public works, engineering, storm water, building inspection and transportation departments in the cities of Lubbock, Carrollton, Grand Prairie, … Read More

Co-Chair, APA Texas Advocacy Craig Farmer, FAICP is president of Municipal Planning Services, LLC, consulting with numerous cities, counties, councils of governments and metropolitan planning organizations in Texas. Previously, he managed planning, public works, engineering, storm water, building inspection and transportation departments in the cities of Lubbock, Carrollton, Grand Prairie, McAllen and Weatherford. He also was a consultant with the firms of Freese and Nichols, Inc., Dunkin Sefko, Mitchell Planning Group, LLC and City Hall Essentials, LLC. He is a Fellow in the College of the American Institute of Certified Planners, served on the National Board of Directors of the American Planning Association (APA) and the Board of Directors of the Texas Municipal League. Eighteen of his projects won Texas Planning awards including comprehensive plans, downtown plans, zoning and subdivision ordinances, and redevelopment projects. Economic development experience includes nine Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones, eight Public Improvement Districts, and significant involvement in the SpaceX Industrial Park in McGregor, Lone Star Horse Racing Park and the Texas Trust CU (former Verizon) Performing Arts Theatre in Grand Prairie and the $500+ million Overton redevelopment project adjacent to Texas Tech University. In 2019, APATX named him a “Legend in Texas Planning.” Craig holds a Bachelor-of-Business Administration from The University of Texas and a Master-of-Urban and Regional Planning from Texas A&M University. Read Less

Karen Wolf, FAICP, has dedicated her career to public stewardship and advancing the benefits of planning. She is the President of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Commission after serving 2 terms as the AICP Commissioner from Region V. She served as the Chair of the AICP Ethics and … Read More

Karen Wolf, FAICP, has dedicated her career to public stewardship and advancing the benefits of planning. She is the President of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Commission after serving 2 terms as the AICP Commissioner from Region V. She served as the Chair of the AICP Ethics and Exam Committees and is the former Secretary of the AICP Commission. Karen has served on numerous AICP task forces, including the CM Equity Credit Task Force, which recently established the new Equity credit requirement. She is co-chair of the Washington APA Chapter FAICP Nomination Committee. She recently retired from King County, Washington where she served as a trusted advisor to elected leaders for more than 30 years. She has demonstrated her commitment to planning through mentoring planners new to the profession, as well as volunteering her time and teaching graduate students. Karen is also an affiliate instructor at the University of Washington (UW) in both the departments of Urban Design and Planning and Civil and Environmental Engineering. She serves on the UW Professional Council for Urban Design and Planning. She has a Masters in Urban Planning and a Bachelors in Economics, both from the University of Washington. Read Less

Ms. Miller, AICP began her career at the City of Austin, as the master planner for the redevelopment of Mueller Austin. In New York City, she led the development of a plan for the Brooklyn Waterfront that resulted in the creation of a multimillion-dollar greenway. Post 9/11, Miller served the … Read More

Ms. Miller, AICP began her career at the City of Austin, as the master planner for the redevelopment of Mueller Austin. In New York City, she led the development of a plan for the Brooklyn Waterfront that resulted in the creation of a multimillion-dollar greenway. Post 9/11, Miller served the recovery effort by assisting with region-wide efforts to involve the public in reimagining the City’s future. After Hurricane Katrina, Ms. Miller relocated to the Gulf Coast to build the capacity of local organizations recovering from the storm. Since joining Halff in 2019, Miller has been working with planners, landscape architects and engineers to promote Resilience, helping communities grow more sustainably while mitigating hazards, assessing and adapting to floods. Her team spans Florida to Texas, and they are currently engaged the development of several regional flood planning efforts with the Texas General Land Office. Read Less