Equity in Planning Workshop

Edna Ely-Ledesma is an assistant professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-director of the Kaufman Lab for the Study and Design of Food Systems and Marketplaces. The corpus of her research, teaching, and mentoring focuses on understanding the development of the …

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Edna Ely-Ledesma is an assistant professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-director of the Kaufman Lab for the Study and Design of Food Systems and Marketplaces. The corpus of her research, teaching, and mentoring focuses on understanding the development of the smart, green, and just 21st century city, in particularly the cultural landscapes of immigrant populations, micro-economies, and their development of a new understanding of city place. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Science from Texas A&M University, a Master of Architecture and a Master of Urban Design from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University. She is a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellow. In 2017 she was the Emerging Scholar of Race & Gender Fellow in the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, and in 2018 she was the Carlos E. Castañeda Postdoctoral Fellow for the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

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Hernan Guerrero Applewhite, Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental and Urban Design at Florida International University. Read More

Hernan Guerrero Applewhite, Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental and Urban Design at Florida International University. Read Less

Miguel Angel Vazquez, FAICP, is an optimistic, dynamic, and multi-faceted community planner passionate about creativity and collaboration. With over two decades of experience providing community development and professional planning services to the private, public, and military sectors, Miguel Angel stands out as one of the nation's first planners hired by … Read More

Miguel Angel Vazquez, FAICP, is an optimistic, dynamic, and multi-faceted community planner passionate about creativity and collaboration. With over two decades of experience providing community development and professional planning services to the private, public, and military sectors, Miguel Angel stands out as one of the nation's first planners hired by a public health department. As a planning and health integration expert at the Riverside University Health System-Public Health, Miguel works with non-traditional partners to strengthen the bond between planning and health. He is a highly active member of the American Planning Association (APA) and is involved in the APA Latinos in Planning Division. Miguel is a founding member and immediate past APA Arts and Planning Divisions Chair and has recently created the APA Health Equity Interest Group. As a recognized leader in his field, Miguel serves on the steering committees of Planners4Health California and the Planning for Health Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership (PHEAL) project. He is the immediate past President of the California Planning Roundtable. The APA and its affiliates have acknowledged his work and leadership with several prestigious awards, including the 2018 APA President's Award and the 2020 APA California Distinguished Contribution Award. He also received the 2021 Dale Prize from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Miguel graduated from California State University, Northridge, earning a bachelor's in Urban Studies and Planning, and is pursuing a Master's in Public Health degree at Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow. He is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a Fellow at the California Leadership Academy for the Public's Health. Miguel was born and raised in Mexico City and became an American citizen in 2002. He calls Riverside home, where he lives with his wife and sons. Miguel Angel loves to travel and meet new people from diverse backgrounds and is keenly interested in all things associated with creativity. Read Less

Susan A. Wood, FAICP, is a Planning Project Manager, Environmental, with the Regional Transportation District RTD), the transit provider for the Denver, CO metropolitan area. Susan has 17 years in transit planning, preceded by more than 10 years in land use planning where she worked for local governments in the … Read More

Susan A. Wood, FAICP, is a Planning Project Manager, Environmental, with the Regional Transportation District RTD), the transit provider for the Denver, CO metropolitan area. Susan has 17 years in transit planning, preceded by more than 10 years in land use planning where she worked for local governments in the Denver Metropolitan area. At RTD, she oversees project clearance and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and coordinates with state departments, agencies, and local governments. Susan represents RTD as a Governor-appointed director on the board of the Regional Air Quality Council; serves on the Water and Land Use Planning Alliance and the Planning for Hazards Steering Committee. She holds a MURP degree from the University of Colorado at Denver and a B.S. degree in Geology from Baylor University. Within APA, she previously served on the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, and on the Legislative and Policy Committee, where she co-chaired APA’s Planning for Equity Policy Guide. Previously, she served as the APA Board Director, Region V, on the Chapter Presidents Council Executive Committee, and on the Social Equity Task Force. For APA Colorado, Susan is a past-Legislative Committee chair and past-president of the Chapter. Read Less

Cynthia, a graduate of Ball State University, is the Director of Planning for Rundell Ernstberger Associates (REA), with over 28 years of experience. Cynthia manages complex, multi-discipline planning and urban design projects both in the US and abroad. Most of Cynthia’s work focuses on economic development, revitalization, aesthetics and regulations. … Read More

Cynthia, a graduate of Ball State University, is the Director of Planning for Rundell Ernstberger Associates (REA), with over 28 years of experience. Cynthia manages complex, multi-discipline planning and urban design projects both in the US and abroad. Most of Cynthia’s work focuses on economic development, revitalization, aesthetics and regulations. Cynthia works with clients, stakeholders, and community leaders to create plans that transform neighborhoods physically, socially and economically. Cynthia is a certified planner and has expertise in comprehensive and land use planning, transportation and corridor planning, neighborhood planning, zoning/ subdivision regulations, and the development of implementation strategies. Cynthia’s strength is building consensus, creating understandable linkages between policy, design, and regulations and other implementation mechanisms. Besides her US based work, Cynthia has led projects in the Middle East focused on creating cities and neighborhoods that were integrated, secure, and contained a mix of jobs, residential, retail, parks, schools, mosques, and gathering areas. Cynthia is a Past President of the American Planning Association. Read Less