Candidate for Vice President for Membership & Outreach Services Corinne Arriaga, AICP

My commitment to APA Florida has centered on building connections, creating opportunities for engagement, and helping members find meaningful ways to contribute to the profession. Over the past several years, I have served as an Area Director, Professional Development Officer, Conference Committee member, Co-Chair of Mobile Tours and Workshops, and Co-Chair of the Planning for All Committee. Through these roles, I have worked to connect members with professional development opportunities, strengthen volunteer engagement, and create welcoming spaces for planners from diverse backgrounds and career stages.

Professionally, I serve as Chief Transportation Planner for the City of Sarasota, where I lead multidisciplinary teams, build partnerships among stakeholders, and facilitate public engagement efforts that bring people together around shared goals. My background in outreach, communications, leadership development, and relationship building has taught me the importance of listening to people, understanding their needs, and creating opportunities for them to stay engaged.

These experiences have prepared me to serve as Vice President of Membership and Outreach Services by helping APA Florida attract new members, strengthen member retention, expand leadership pathways, and ensure every member feels connected to and valued within our chapter.

What are the three most important challenges facing APA Florida?

First, recruiting and retaining members in an increasingly busy and competitive professional environment. Second, ensuring members across Florida, regardless of geography, career stage, or specialization, feel connected to the chapter and see value in their membership. Third, building a strong leadership pipeline by engaging students, emerging professionals, citizen planners, and volunteers early in their careers. Addressing these challenges requires intentional outreach, meaningful engagement opportunities, and clear pathways for members to become active participants and future leaders within APA Florida.

What do you most want to accomplish during your term?

I want to strengthen the member experience by creating more opportunities for engagement throughout the year and making it easier for members to find their place within APA Florida. I would like to expand outreach to students, emerging professionals, citizen planners, and underrepresented groups while helping members connect with committees, sections, and leadership opportunities that align with their interests. My goal is to increase both member engagement and retention by ensuring members see APA Florida not only as a professional organization, but as a community where they can learn, contribute, and grow.

How would you make sure your efforts are successful?

Success starts with listening to our members. I would work closely with sections, committees, and chapter leadership to understand member needs, identify barriers to participation, and measure engagement. I would establish clear goals related to membership growth, retention, volunteer involvement, and outreach efforts, then regularly evaluate progress. By building partnerships, empowering volunteers, and creating consistent opportunities for connection, I can help ensure our outreach efforts translate into meaningful engagement and long-term membership growth for APA Florida.