Candidate for Vice President for Professional Development Dennis Smith, FAICP

As an FAICP planner, I strongly support the AICP certification process and believe planners need meaningful opportunities to expand their knowledge, strengthen existing skills, remain current on emerging issues, and continue growing throughout their careers. As Professional Development VP, I recognize the role is more than serving as a CM facilitator.

Throughout my career, I have supported continuing education from multiple perspectives. During my time with PBS&J and later Atkins, I helped establish and promote the firm's role as an AICP CM provider, organized CM eligible sessions, and opened trainings to planners from other firms and agencies. While at FDOT, I helped coordinate conference participation for agency planners statewide and worked to ensure TransPlex educational offerings qualified for CM credit. More recently at FSU, I have supported CM accreditation efforts through workshops and professional training programs.

I have also supported mentoring and helped sustain the Capital Area Section MAPS mentoring program with FSU, first as a mentor, then as the university facilitator. Through my work on the APA Florida Conference Committee, I have helped create student engagement opportunities through poster and multimedia competitions. My goal is to help prepare planners to lead in a rapidly changing environment.

What are the three most important challenges facing APA Florida?

First, the continued expansion of state preemption has weakened local problem solving and reduced the role of community based planning. This makes effective outreach and engagement training increasingly important. Second, the profession must continue demonstrating its relevance by better communicating how planning supports sustainable, economically viable, resilient communities. Third, planners must adapt responsibly to rapidly emerging AI and technology tools. While these technologies are here to stay, the profession must learn how to use them effectively while maintaining transparency, protecting intellectual property, preserving public trust, and ensuring ethical application within planning practice and public decision making.

What do you most want to accomplish during your term?

First, I would like to encourage more agencies, organizations, universities, and allied groups to become CM providers so planners can more easily obtain credit for high quality professional training they are already receiving. Second, I would like to strengthen section based educational programming by encouraging additional live trainings and helping sections share successful ideas and approaches with one another. I would also like to expand mentoring and student engagement opportunities connected to professional development so emerging planners become more involved in APA Florida and better connected to the profession earlier in their careers and professional growth.

How would you make sure your efforts are successful?

Having worked in the public, private, and academic sectors, I understand that organizations approach professional development differently. Because of that, I believe success depends on strong personal relationships and direct engagement. Through my years in APA Florida, conference service, consulting, FDOT, and academia, I have developed a broad professional network that can help expand the CM provider base and identify organizations interested in offering additional educational opportunities. I also believe in personally working with section leadership across the state to help build stronger connections between sections, promote successful training ideas, and encourage additional section based educational programming.