SMPS ALASKA
OCTOBER LUNCHEON:
Public Involvement Panel

Public Involvement scenarios are often the most direct way an A/E/C firm interacts with the community on areas of their expertise. Learn from local Public Involvement Professionals about the connection between Public Involvement and Business Development, and how to make the most of each Public Involvement opportunity.  

Speakers Include:

• Katherine Wood, HDR
  
• Anne Brooks, Brooks & Associates
• Van Le, AICP, R&M Consultants
• Rachel Steer, DOWL

If you have a question you would like to ask the panel, please e-mail it to Rose Hanson (programs@smpsalaska.org) by Thursday October 12.

Learn More About Our Speakers:

Katherine has 15 years’ experience providing public involvement planning, communications strategy, management, and facilitation for infrastructure development projects in Alaska. Katherine’s expertise has resulted in increased public confidence and defensible processes. For Anchorage International Airport Master Plan Update, Katherine led a highly successful PI program that received the 2014 Public Outreach Award from the American Planning Association, Alaska Chapter and the Northwest American Association of Airport Executives 2016 Corporate Award of Excellence. She is a member of the IAP2, developed HDR’s best practice document for environmental justice and limited English proficiency (LEP) outreach techniques and presented on EJ/LEP at several national conferences. Recent clients include Alaska DOT&PF, AIDEA, AMATS and BlueCrest Energy.

Anne established Brooks & Associates in November 1993 to provide a variety of technical support to architectural and engineering firms doing business in Alaska. The firm’s current emphasis is on public participation — bringing the public's voice to projects that will affect them. Anne has more than 17 years of experience working with stakeholders around the state, particularly on transportation projects including on the Parks Highway, Glenn Highway, and Seward Highway. Anne is adept at compiling documentation of public issues and translating technical documents and graphics for the lay public, and has successfully led public involvement on numerous controversial projects.

Van is a Certified Senior Level Planner and a Certified Public Involvement Specialist through the International Association for Public Participation. She is a former Municipal Planner with 14 years of experience in the public and private sectors and is experienced in effective and open communications for a diverse set of stakeholders in Alaska. Van has proven leadership for planning and executing public outreach campaigns and communicating project objectives, capital improvement funding and project milestones to residents, agencies, business stakeholders, community groups, municipal staff and elected officials. She specializes in land use compatibility, code analysis, community development, multi-modal transportation planning, regional planning and project management, as well as area-specific master plans. Van also specializes in Systematic Development of Informed Consent (SDIC) and Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) public outreach methods. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and actively serves on the AMATS Complete Streets Committee, ITE Alaska Section Active Transportation Committee and on the Board of the Alaska Chapter of WTS – Women in Transportation Seminar. Van holds a M.S. in Environmental Science from Alaska Pacific University and a B.A. in Urban Geography from the University of British Columbia. 

Rachel is DOWL’s senior public involvement lead. She was born and raised in Anchorage and is well known in the skiing community with roles on the Kincaid Project Group and the Alaska Winter Olympians Foundation. Rachel has run public involvement for several high-profile DOWL projects, including the Glenn Highway/Muldoon Road Interchange and Northern Access to UMed. She is currently working on the Seward Highway: O’Malley Road to Dimond Boulevard and Midtown Congestion Relief projects.