2026 Award Winners Congratulations!
APA Virginia was thrilled to recognize the following 2026 award winners at our Annual Conference in Danville this July. Congratulations to the places and people shaping our Virginia communities for the better.
Holzheimer Award - Economic Development
Town of Colonial Beach - Downtown Connectivity Plan
Old Dominion Award - Innovative Approaches
Under 100,000
Prince Edward County - PEC 2045: Forward Together Comprehensive Plan
Old Dominion Award - Innovative Approaches
Over 100,000
City of Richmond - TRACE-E: Tracking Realtime Action on Climate Equity
Commonwealth Connectors Award - Transportation
Town of Blacksburg - Transit Center
Virginia Plan of the Year: Under 100,000
Town of Vinton - Vinton 2050 Comprehensive Plan
Virginia Plan of the Year: Over 100,000
City of Norfolk - NFK2050 Comprehensive Plan
Sustainable Virginia Award - Resilient Community of the Year
Lancaster County - Windmill Point County Maritime Recreational Campus
Jamestown Award – Locality of the Year
Under 100,000
Town of Scottsville
Jamestown Award – Locality of the Year
Over 100,000
City of Chesapeake
Larson Award - Distinguished Professional
Will Cockrell & Paula Loomis
Bluebell Award - Virginia’s Equity & Inclusion Advocate of the Year
Anita McMillan
President's Award
Andrew Hopewell & Renee Burton
University of Virginia - Graduates
Jasmine Lee-Hyun Bender
University of Virginia - Undergraduates
Elizabeth Haori Handte
University of Virginia - Faculty
Professor Tim Beatley
Virginia Commonwealth University - Graduate
Marisa Perez
Virginia Commonwealth University - Undergraduate
Kira Miller
Virginia Commonwealth University - Faculty
Dr. Meghan Z. Gough
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg - Graduate
Anhad Viswanath
Virginia Tech, Arlington - Graduate
Daniel Friedburg
Virginia Tech - Undergraduate
Emily Shoup
Virginia Tech - Faculty
Dr. Diane Zahm
APA Virginia Annual Conference Thank you for joining us in Danville!
We hope you had an enjoyable time in Danville with APA Virginia and found the Conference valuable. Our conference team and board members were thrilled to see everyone networking, learning, and planning for the future of Virginia!
Annual Report 2025 Annual Report
The 2025 APA Virginia Chapter Annual Report is now released! Discover the projects, programs, and milestones that shaped our year. Legislative recap, CPAP overview, message from the president, committee news, budget report, and more inside.
Legislative APA Virginia's 2026 Legislative Agenda
Visit our State Policy and Advocacy page to view our 2026 Legislative Agenda and other important information about our Legislative Committee.
APA Virginia Bylaws Amendment Bylaws
At the April 11, 2025 Board meeting of the Virginia Chapter of APA, the Board recommended forwarding to the membership a proposed bylaw amendment. The changes are largely reflective of current practices of the Board with the most significant new component related to the ability to remove a Member Advocate. At the annual Chapter Meeting held at the conference in Portsmouth on July 22, 2025, over 92% of the votes were in favor of the amendment resulting in its passing. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Andrew Hopewell at president@apavirginia.com.
APA Virginia Board APA Virginia Board Statement on DEI April 11, 2025
The Board of the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association met on Friday, April 11th, for our quarterly meeting and took some time to discuss the Chapter's position on diversity, equity and inclusion. It was an emotional conversation as the topic has been front and center of conversations in the political environment of 2025. Here's the Board's statement on its position stemming from that conversation.
Mentoring Opportunity Community Scholar Mentor
APA Virginia is searching for a Virginia planner to serve as a mentor to Virginia Tech’s Community Scholar for the 2024-25 academic year. Each year, the Chapter partners with Virginia Tech for the Community Scholar program, which supports an urban planning student with a scholarship, mentorship, and recognition at the annual conference. This is an opportunity to share your professional experiences with an emerging planner studying at Virginia Tech's National Capital campus in northern Virginia. If you or someone you know would like to participate, please contact Dr. Paroma Wagle at paroma@vt.edu.
Learn More About Professional Development Through APA Virginia
