Technology Division Elections 2009: Candidate Statements
Members should have received a link to the online ballot in their email. If you have not received a ballot, please notify Jocelyn Hittle. Please follow the link and VOTE for your new leadership by February 13th! Candidate statements are below.
Chairperson:
The Chairperson shall (1) preside at all Division meetings, (2) prepare an annual program and budget for approval by the Executive Committee, (3) develop a long range plan, (4) appoint committees and a newsletter editor, (5) assess the need for research, government relations, and contacts with related organizations, (6) serve on the Divisions Council, and (7) be responsible for complying with the requirements specified in the APA Corporate Bylaws.
Candidate Statement:
Jennifer Evans-Cowley, PhD, AICP is currently the Vice-Chair of the Technology Division and previously served as the Education Chair. She initiated the scholarship paper competition and the awards program in her role as education chair. She will be co-teaching the Technology Division’s Mashup webcast in 2009. She also serves as the Small Town and Rural Planning Division’s representative to the Technology Division.
Evans-Cowley is an Associate Professor and Section Head of City and Regional Planning at The Ohio State University. She conducts research on the use of e-government by local governments and the role of technology in enhancing planning efforts. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including two technology focused Planning Advisory Service reports. She has a B.S. in Political Science and M. in Urban Planning from Texas A&M University, a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of North Texas and a PhD in Urban and Regional Science from Texas A&M University.
As Chair of the Technology Division she hopes to continue many of the efforts currently underway with the Technology Division and to promote new opportunities to provide services to members. In particular, she hopes to expand the continuing education programs offered through the division.
Vice-Chairperson:
The Vice-Chairperson assists the Chairperson and coordinates committee activities. In the event of the absence or resignation of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson becomes the Chairperson.
Candidate Statement:
I am honored to be considered for the position of Vice-Chair of the Technology Division of APA.
My professional experience has been as a Technology Planner based in the Washington DC Metro where I work on and blog about GIS, Technology and Planning solutions for the public sector. Earlier, I worked as a GIS Planner and Website Administrator in Virginia and West Virginia. My work has involved implementing GIS solutions, conducting GIS outreach, promoting GIS in regional and rural mitigation planning, and improving public policy by making its planning more participatory.
My volunteer experience for our division since 2004 includes working forExecutive Committee Meetings, Leadership Retreats, Award Selections, Conference Booths, Webinars, and Newsletters. During this time, I served as our division's Secretary/Treasurer, managing finances, and developing productive relationships within and without.
These experiences help me thoroughly understand the workings of our division. If elected, I will continue performing all required duties with integrity as per our By Laws. Also, since GIS is arguably the fastest evolving field in planning, I will continue exploring the many ways in which GIS can improve “smart planning”, and how our division can highlight and serve as a test-bed for your innovative GIS ideas and best practices.
I am grateful for this opportunity to continue offering my leadership and organization skills to our division. I earnestly believe that most of most work is collaborative, and as such, I look forward to continue working with our leadership for our members' professional and personal development, starting with the 2009 National Conference.
The Treasurer:
The Treasurer shall (1) receive and disburse Division funds, (2) maintain financial records which can be audited, (3) prepare an annual financial report which shall be sent to the APA staff, and (4) assure that all required filings are sent to the APA staff.
Candidate Statement:
Dr. Amiy Varma has over eighteen years of experience in transportation research, education, and practice. He has worked on a $ 40 million thermal power plant project in India and served as research and teaching assistant at Vanderbilt University and Purdue University. He is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at North Dakota State University. He is a registered professional engineer, a certified planner, and a professional transportation operations engineer. He has worked on projects sponsored by North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT), South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT), Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT), The World Bank, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA-ND-EPSCoR, and ND-NSF-EPSCoR. He has also served as consultant to Battelle Memorial Institute, and Dye Management, Inc. Much of his research involved use and development of mathematical, analytical, statistical, operation research, simulation, and GIS tools and techniques for transportation and planning applications and analyzed policy issues.
In 2002 he was selected a member of a 3 member panel to look into SeaTac’s billion dollar comprehensive landside development program. Dr. Varma regularly reviews papers for journals of ASCE, TRB, and ITE, and for Transportation Science and Journal of Transportation Research Forum in the areas of transportation safety; airport planning, design, operations, and safety; freight transportation, sustainable development, transportation planning and operations. He has published in Transportation Research Record, Transportation Research, ITE Journal, and several proceedings. He has made several presentations at conferences sponsored by ASCE, TRB, ITE, WCTRS, APA, and others.
He has served as Chair of Education Committee of APA’s Information Technology Division since 2005 and has chaired the Awards Program of the Division for last two years. He has participated in leadership meetings and is aware of the responsibilities of a treasurer through these interactions. He looks forward to continuing to serve the Division as treasurer in coming years.
Schedule
- 02/13/09 Deadline receipt of ballots
- 02/25/09 Results announced to members and posted on Division’s website
- New leaders will take office at the Division Annual Business Meeting during the APA National Planning Conference in Minneapolis, April 25-29, 2009.
Appointed Roles
The appointed roles of Division Coordinator, Education Chair and Policy Chair are vacant. Please contact Jennifer Evans-Cowley if you are interested in any of these positions.
