Spring 2023 Newsletter!

FROM THE CHAIR

Welcome to 2023!

After spending the last four years as the Director of Communications for the Women & Planning Division’s Executive Committee, I am honored and excited to step into this new role as the Division’s Chair. I am extremely grateful for the trust you’ve put in me and for the opportunities I’ve had to learn from the incredible women who have served before me in this role, including our Immediate Past Chair, Corrin Wendell, AICP. 

I’m also excited for the year ahead -  our new Executive Committee roster is well balanced, with several new members, bringing new ideas and perspectives, and several members with experience serving on the committee. We already have some fantastic programming planned for 2023, and we will continue adding more! Here’s what’s in the pipeline, in the near-term:

March is Women’s History Month! Each March, the Division provides unique and engaging learning and professional development opportunities highlighting women’s contributions and connections to planning. 2023 might be our best year yet! Don’t miss our two planned webinars: Leading with Empathy and Invisible Women in Comprehensive Plans and keep an eye out for additional programming including a virtual networking event, APA publications, and member profiles. Other ideas to celebrate women in March? Connect with us on social media or send us an email!

NPC23 It’s hard to believe that another National Planning Conference is nearly upon us! WPD is delivering a full slate of educational and professional development opportunities this year in-person, in Philadelphia, and during the virtual conference. Please join us for Planner’s Day of Service, at our Division-sponsored sessions, or at our annual networking reception and annual business meeting (April 2, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Marriott Philadelphia, Salon D, 5th Floor) - open to all! I’m especially looking forward to hosting a mobile session this year - “Hidden History: Philadelphia Beyond the Founding Fathers.” We’re joining with Beyond the Bell tours and taking you back in time, exploring the important roles, contributions, and experiences of women, people of color, indigenous peoples, LGBTQ+, and the poor and working classes. Get your tickets early before this one sells out! 

In addition to providing our members with APA’s best programming and resources, the Women & Planning Division continues to forcefully advocate for equity, parity, and justice on behalf of women in the planning profession. In early February, the AICP Ethics Commission announced that George Homewood’s professional credentials, including AICP and FAICP designations, had been revoked for ethical misconduct, including harassment. The Women & Planning Division immediately issued a statement condemning this behavior, affirming the Division’s zero-tolerance, and reminding women that we are a resource for ANYONE experiencing harassment of any kind.   

After issuing that statement, we learned that APA and AICP deliberately chose to protect the perpetrator of this harassment by the language they used to describe the unethical acts committed by Mr. Homewood. Section 2(a) of the AICP Commission’s "Public Letter of Admonition" issued to to Mr. Homewood on January 18, 2023 states that, “the vivid descriptions of your sexually-oriented conversations...clearly constitute 'wrongful acts.” APA’s blog post describing the findings of the AICP Ethics commission states, “The vivid descriptions of inappropriate conversations… clearly constitute "wrongful acts.” The impacted individuals were not named, in either the letter or the blog post, leaving no other compelling reason for this change other than protecting the perpetrator, George Homewood. The Women & Planning Division does NOT support attempts to "water down" an event of this magnitude, a position we conveyed to APA and AICP leadership on February 4, 2023. The following requests were also included in that communication.

• Update the ethics findings in the February 1, 2023 blog post to match the Public Letter of Admonition and publicly issue a correction via email and social media.

• Issue a public statement from APA strongly condemning the actions of George Homewood and describing APA's support for individuals impacted by sexual harassment.

• Affirm APA's policy of zero tolerance for harassment of all kinds, against all people; if APA does not have a zero tolerance policy on harassment, move to immediately adopt one.

• Affirm APA's commitment to quickly responding to, and meaningfully investigating, all reports of harassment and confirm that this expectation extends to Chapters, Divisions, and all other subsects of APA.

• Describe the actions APA will take preventing harassment and facilitating reporting and investigation of claims. 

• Identify and share resources for individuals impacted by harassment (inside and outside APA).

• Describe the steps that will be taken to investigate reports that the Virginia Chapter of APA ignored or actively suppressed reported incidents of harassment.

• Accommodate anonymous reporting for ethics violations of a sensitive nature, preventing retaliatory actions against reporters and increasing the likelihood of reporting.

• Provide Ethics Officers who represent a wider range of genders and races, making it more comfortable for individuals reporting ethical (or criminal) violations.

To date, none of our requests have been met. We want to assure our members that we will continue holding APA and AICP accountable until substantive and meaningful changes are made. 

We also want to remind ANYONE experiencing harassment that we are here for you. 

In solidarity and with hope for a better future, 

Caroline Dwyer, AICP
Chair, Women & Planning Division

March is Women's History Month!

Call for Women's History Month Spotlights!

From Invisible to Empowered: Mainstreaming the Gender Perspective in Planning

WPD @ NPC23  

• Hidden History: Philadelphia Beyond the Founding Fathers
  • Saturday, April 1 | 1:30-4:30 PM
  • Mobile Workshop 
     
• Navigating Conflicting Discourses
  • Monday, April 3 | 8:30- 10:00 AM
     
• Getting Hired: Hear from a Hiring Manager
  • Monday April 3, 2023 | 11:30 AM-12:30 PM
     
• Leverage Parking for Community Benefits
  • Tuesday April 4, 2023 | 10:15-11:00 AM
     
• Project Management: An Essential in the Planning Toolkit - Virtual
  • Friday, April 28 | 12:30 -1:15 PM

Scholarship Opportunities! 

NPC23 Online Registration Funding Opportunity

AICP Dues and Fees Funding Opportunity

The Division is proud to announce a new way to help support our members working to achieve and maintain their AICP credentials. The purpose of this grant is to support members by providing certification assistance for the AICP Exam Spring Cycle.   

The 2023, AICP Spring certification registration is open April 3-27, 2023 (One Path to AICP). 

Only applicants with a 2023 Women and Planning Division membership will be considered. The deadline for this opportunity is March 17. 
 

WPD Merchandise Now Available!

Call for Volunteers!

Current Volunteer Opportunities

SOCIAL MEDIA COMMITTEE

The WPD Social Media Committee works together to provide frequent, relevant posts to our social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Please email women.apa@gmail.com if you are interested in participating in this Social Media Committee!

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE 

The WPD Membership Committee works together to plan and oversee general recruiting efforts; monitor the success of each recruiting method; and plan and execute annual membership drive and membership events with WPD and State Chapters. Please email women.apa@gmail.com if you are interested in participating in this membership Committee!