04/18/2025

Updates from the 2025 National Planning Conference NCP25

Greetings, fellow flatlanders!

While I enjoyed my time in the picturesque Mile-High City for NPC 25, it is wonderful to be back home to the flatlands of Illinois. I have reflected on my time in Denver and wanted to take a moment to share some key takeaways:

1. The Illinois Chapter has got it going on! I had the pleasure of getting to know many of the Chapter Presidents and discuss the state of their chapters as well as the type of programming and services they offer their membership. Suffice it to say, the Illinois Chapter offers an extremely high caliber of events and programming! This leads me to my next observation…
2. We have the best Membership and Volunteers! Our membership and volunteers are our backbone and what make our Chapter standout as a quality, professional organization. Many of our planners presented, sponsored, and represented Illinois at NPC. And I know many more of you do the same daily here at home and I could not be prouder of your hard work. Thank you to all of our volunteers for the work you do for our Chapter AND in your communities. You are truly making great communities for all! We are persevering through uncertain times and doing well.
3. Speaking of uncertain times, National is listening. APA is hosting a series of listening sessions and wanting to hear from you. You answered our survey and it was clear that Illinois planners were carrying on our good work, but cautious and uncertain about how the actions at the federal lever were going to impact their jobs and communities. We passed those thoughts along to National, but if you have more to say or didn’t get a chance to take our survey, please visit planning.org/resources/federal and voice your concerns.
4. We know how network! Over 100 planners met up for the Illinois Reception to connect and reconnect with colleagues and classmates. A special thank you to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for co-sponsoring the event. We are lucky to have two accredited universities, growing future generations of planners. UIUC and UIC are an integral part of our professional organization and we are grateful to continue our partnership.
5. Lastly, we know how to celebrate. We are doing great things in our community and we are proud to share those wins. 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as President for this fine organization; it is truly humbling. Keep up the great work and I look forward to celebrating You, your wins, and your communities.

-- Stephanie

Stephanie Brown, AICP
APA-IL President (2024-2025)
stephanie@ilapa.org