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About

CIP’s Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is composed of dedicated volunteers from across Canada, who have been elected by CIP members to provide strategic leadership and oversight. 

This includes: 

  • Establishing and monitoring the Strategic Plan
  • Stewarding organizational resources and monitoring risk
  • Ensuring adequate governance systems are in place

It is the duty of each Director to represent the best interests of the entire CIP membership, regardless of their region or membership category.


CIP members can access board meeting minutes by logging into the Member Area.

Meet Our Board of Directors

DAN HUANG RPP, MCIP President
DAN HUANG RPP, MCIP President

What are your hopes for the future of the planning profession?

I hope that the planning profession continues to be a brave and bold advocate for positive change in communities across Canada, especially for Indigenous communities in achieving self-reliance. What other profession gets paid to be both dreamers and implementers?

What are a few of your favourite places?

Fan Tan Alley in Victoria, the Pearl District in Portland, and the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

Which person has most inspired your work in planning?

Larry Beasley and Ann McAfee for laying the groundwork in the City of Vancouver, and every elected official who has had to wrestle with competing values and interests in order to make the tough decisions needed to move their community forward.

Anything else we should know about you?

It’s been a few years now, but I used to don a kilt and play the snare drum in a pipe band. Maybe once again in the near future …

JENNA SCHROEDER RPP, MCIP Vice-President
JENNA SCHROEDER RPP, MCIP Vice-President

What are your hopes for the future of the planning profession?

I hope planners will continue to work with our partners in related professions to ensure safe, healthy communities for residents, create economic opportunities for business, and protect natural resources for future generations.

What are a few of your favourite places?

Calgary, Edmonton, the Rockies, Vancouver and Vancouver Island all hold a special place in my heart from road trips as a child with my parents and brothers. As an adult, I have added Waskesiu, New York, Costa Rica, Portugal, the Azores, the Scottish Highlands, and Giant’s Causeway to my list of special places.

Which person has most inspired your work in planning?

I have had the good fortune of being inspired by many amazing mentors and colleagues throughout my career. The person that most inspires my professional planning work is my nephew, Sam. My goal is to take everything I have learned and continue to learn to help build better communities for my nephew and all future generations.

Anything else we should know about you?

I love gardening. My specialties are tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. I also love tending to the numerous plants I keep in my house and office, and I am always on the look-out for unique additions to my collection.

DOUG DANIELS RPP, MCIP Treasurer LinkedIn
DOUG DANIELS RPP, MCIP Treasurer

What are your hopes for the future of the planning profession?

The planning profession has always been well-positioned to pivot to the changing demands and challenges of today’s world.  The world needs the planning profession to grow and mature, as a strong and unified leader – not only locally but on the national and international stage.  By having a strong planning profession, we can help facilitate the continuous improvement of communities and the quality of life for the people living in them.

What are a few of your favourite places?

I appreciate all for their uniqueness few places that stand-out are Calgary, Alberta, Kensington Market in Toronto, Mission District in San Francisco, and La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain.

Which person has most inspired your work in planning?

Frank Lloyd Wright inspires me to look at planning holistically. He reminds us that we can’t make decisions without considering the broader implications. Knowing that individual contribute to the bigger picture, enables results that improve upon and integrate with the existing environment.

Anything else we should know about you?

I recognize the importance of a planning profession, and I want to work with members and PTIAs to continue finding ways to create value for the planning profession and society as a whole.

JANICE BARRY PHD, RPP, MCIP Director LinkedIn
JANICE BARRY PHD, RPP, MCIP Director
Dr. Janice Barry (PhD, RPP, MCIP) is an Associate Professor and the Associate Director, Graduate Studies, for the University of Waterloo’s School of Planning. She held previous positions at accredited planning schools at the University of Manitoba, University of Sheffield (UK) and University of Glasgow (UK) and was educated at the University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning. She also worked as a protected area and natural resource planner for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources before embarking on her career as a planner scholar and educator.
Janice’s research and teaching practice is primarily focused on exploring the intersections between planning, Indigenous self-determination, and colonialism. She approaches this work from her positionality as a non-Indigenous person of mostly Irish ancestry and as someone who is deeply committed to exploring the possibilities for a just planning relationship with Indigenous peoples. As part of this work, she has worked in partnership to support and amplify the planning projects and aspirations of several First Nations in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario. She also conducts research and is widely published on the recognition of Indigenous rights in municipal and natural resource planning. She currently serves on OPPI’s Indigenous Planning Perspectives Committee.Expression of InterestMy interest in serving on CIP’s Board of Directors stems from my longstanding commitment to service and volunteerism, as well as a specific interest in furthering CIP’s commitment to reconciliation and equity, diversity and inclusion.

Having previously served on numerous university governance committees and the Board of Directors for a Winnipeg-based car co-op, I understand that serving as a director is not always glamorous. There will be financial documents to review, as well as policies and governance processes to develop. But this work is also essential in terms of enabling CIP to fulfill its role as a national advocate for the planning profession and as a service provider for its members; it also supports the work of CIP’s many member-volunteers. As outlined in the 2020 “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Roadmap”, this kind of governance work is key to achieving the changes that so many of our BIPOC colleagues want and need to see as we move towards a more diverse, equitable and inclusive planning culture.

Although the academic position on CIP’s Board does not represent the Association of Canadian University Planning Programs, I have a keen interest in strengthening the relationship with this group of directors of Canadian planning programs. I also have established contacts with planning educators and practitioners in the UK, Australia and New Zealand and would use the networks to inform ongoing conversations about the professional standards for the planning profession and accredited university programs here in Canada.

PAUL BELL RPP, MCIP Director LinkedIn
PAUL BELL RPP, MCIP Director

Paul has worked in both the public and private sectors, first as a community planner at the Red River Planning District and is currently a Project Director and Senior Planner at Narratives Inc in Winnipeg. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts, advanced major, in global political economy from the University of Manitoba (2014) and a Masters of Planning at Queen’s School of Urban and Regional Planning (2017) with a focus on knowledge-based economies and the impact this shift is having on urban development. His first foray into community planning started in his undergrad studies, exploring alternative community models and structures such as the Totnes Transition Town and community energy planning. This early work as inspired a lifelong interest in alternative approaches to planning and development.

At Narratives Inc., Paul’s work primarily focuses on equitable community development, land-use planning, and community engagement. Working almost exclusively with Indigenous Communities, Paul frames his work around the cultural, spiritual, and environmental aspects of a community to expand capacity and capability through inclusive engagement and planning processes. For Paul, facts and figures only tell part of the story, but our connections to the land and each other reveal the whole story, and that story should shape how our communities are developed.

As a former member of the Manitoba Professional Planning Institute Council and the Chair of the Public Outreach Committee, Paul successfully saw outreach increase over his two years on the board.

Expression of Interest

The opportunity to join the CIP Board of Directors at this exciting time for our profession is important to me. I am interested in lending my voice and experience to the strategic direction of CIP as we explore where our sector is going. As planning professionals, we are facing unique challenges in so many different areas – the climate crisis, political shifts, pandemics, and new technologies. We are uniquely positioned to tackle these issues as we are immersed in them every single day. As the truths of what happened at the Residential Schools in Canada continue to be revealed, planners have an important role to play in supporting the healing needed for Indigenous peoples, families, and communities. I want to join the Board of Directors to contribute to these discussions and work with planners across the country on the challenges we face.

AJ BIMM Director LinkedIn
AJ BIMM Director

What are your hopes for the future of the planning profession?

The persistence of inequities like uneven access to housing, environmental burdens, and economic opportunities, require an ongoing search of ideas and interventions. I believe that the planning profession will play an ever-important role in addressing these challenges. My hope is that along the way, we continue to enable more people to be involved in shaping the reality they want to create in their communities.

What are a few of your favourite places?

Some of my favourite places are the Leslie Street Spit in Toronto, the Heart Lake Conservation Area in Brampton, and Montreal’s Ruelles Vertes.

Which person has most inspired your work in planning?

I have really enjoyed working with Cheryll Case who has taught me the importance of relationship building with people and various stakeholders in the planning process. I have also been inspired by Ken Greenberg who encourages us not to think in silos and to work collaboratively across disciplines and departments to solve complex problems.

Anything else we should know about you?

AJ is short for Alexander Julian. I also enjoy being outside, discovering new places, and playing all kinds of sports, no matter the season.

BEATE BOWRON RPP, FCIP Director
BEATE BOWRON RPP, FCIP Director

Beate Bowron is a former Director of Community Planning for the City of Toronto with over 30 years’ experience in urban planning.  She is the President of Beate Bowron Etcetera, a small consulting company with extensive experience in participatory community planning, municipal management, local economic development, consensus building, and climate change adaptation. She works both in Canada and internationally.

Ms. Bowron is a seasoned facilitator and trained mediator, whose practice emphasizes consensus building to avoid costly litigation and tribunal processes. As a Director of Community Planning in the City of Toronto (1998 – 2003), she was responsible for all community planning functions in the ‘old’ City of Toronto, including a large variety of contentious development projects. She also headed the Municipal Mediation Pilot Project in the Office of the Provincial Facilitator in 1993/94. More recently, Ms. Bowron has been the project manager and public participation lead in a number of municipal ward boundary and Trustee Area reviews in Ontario.

As part of the Canadian Institute of Planners’ groundbreaking work in climate change adaptation planning, Ms. Bowron was responsible for climate change adaptation planning projects in the Atlantic Region and Nunavut, Canada’s Arctic. Her international experience, in a variety of consulting roles, spans China, Guyana, South Africa, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Ukraine. Projects have focused on public involvement, strategic planning, climate change, tourism development and sustainable, and resilient cities and regions.

LESLEY CABOTT RPP, FCIP, ICD D Director LinkedIn
LESLEY CABOTT RPP, FCIP, ICD D Director

Lesley lives and works in Whitehorse, Yukon. She has worked in communities in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northern Ontario, Northern Quebec, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. She has completed plans with the federal, provincial and territorial governments, First Nations, Inuit and Metis, municipalities, private industry, and countless community groups through her work in both the private and public sectors. She has an intimate understanding of the specific challenges faced by remote Northern communities and works to support decisions focused on long-term sustainability and resiliency.

In 2022, Lesley was honoured to be selected as a Fellow of CIP for her work with northern and Indigenous communities. Lesley has demonstrated consistent professional leadership, and in particular through her work with Indigenous people. She was a long-term Chair of the Yukon Land Use Planning Council and understands the importance of regional planning for the implementation of modern-day treaties and inherent rights. Over the course of her career, Lesley has provided formal and informal mentorship to many developing professional planners. She has been involved for many years in the Yukon Chapter of the Planning Institute of BC and served as the organization’s President 2019-2021.

Lesley is an experienced board member. She is certified by the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors from the Rotman School of Business, is the Chair of the Yukon Energy Corporation and a Board member of the Chu Niikwan Development Corporation (Kwanlin Dun First Nation). Lesley also sits on Stantec’s National Inclusion Diversity and Equity Council.

Expression of Interest

I want to bring a northern perspective to the Institute. Northern communities are at the front lines of climate change, affordable and adequate housing, reconciliation, opioid crisis, and healthy communities. We as planners embrace these challenges yet we are not always aware how these challenges are amplified in the north. They are small, often remote, with poor internet and cell services and limited resources to deal with the big challenges that are facing their communities:  climate change, energy and food security, housing, loss of sense of place and culture, reconciliation, and economic opportunities. I want Canadian planners to tilt their eyes and heads north and include a northern perspective when considering our profession and all we can be.

Our Institute has some work to do around the competencies. I want the Institute to facilitate robust and inclusive discussion and collaborate with all PTIA’s and our Universities to get to agreement on planning competencies. I have enjoyed being on the PIBC Board for the past 8 years and would like to contribute nationally.

LAURA HARTNEY RPP, MCIP
LAURA HARTNEY RPP, MCIP

Laura Hartney is a graduate of the Regional and Urban Planning Program at the University of Saskatchewan, with more than 30 years of diverse professional planning experience. Laura worked as a planning consultant, providing community planning services to municipalities and First Nations; as a planning director for a rural municipality in a rural-urban fringe; and as part of a provincial team that developed amendments to provincial planning legislation. Most recently, she worked for an urban municipality, leading teams that were responsible for planning the future growth of the city, working with regional partners to develop and implement a regional plan, and working with First Nations to facilitate the creation of urban reserves. Throughout her career, Laura has valued opportunities to take a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to serving clients and communities, create partnerships, and bring together diverse interests and find common ground. In 2021, Laura received the Fraser-Gatrell Award from SPPI and the James Pooler Award from the University of Saskatchewan for distinguished contributions to planning.

Expression of Interest

I would welcome the opportunity to represent planners and serve the planning profession as a CIP Director. I believe planners are well-positioned to help address complex issues in Canadian society such as reconciliation, equity, housing, and climate change – to name a few. We are trained in holistic approaches, recognizing that solutions to complex issues require the work of multiple disciplines. We are trained in rights-holder, stakeholder and community engagement, recognizing that the best planning is done with, not for, the communities we serve. While we have much work to do, CIP’s new Strategic Plan provides focus and a roadmap, and I would welcome the opportunity to bring my diverse planning experience, and the perspectives that come with it, to the table, and to learn from others there.

KEN MELANSON RPP, MCIP Director LinkedIn
KEN MELANSON RPP, MCIP Director
I am a professional planner, with over 18 years of experience in development and policy planning at the local, neighbourhood and city-wide levels including: creating Zoning/Land use regulations; undertaking public engagement; representing Municipalities at local appeal boards and making presentations to Council and the public. In recent years, I have managed teams of planning professionals to deliver sound planning decisions for a variety of City and local Municipalities. I have volunteered for the Alberta Professional Planners Institute both at the local level (Calgary events committee), as Councillor (2012 to 2017) and also with the Canadian Institute of Planners as co-chair of the 2017 Conference Steering Committee and 2019 Conference Co-chair (Ottawa 100 Year centenary).
DANIEL MERCER RPP, MCIP Director LinkedIn
DANIEL MERCER RPP, MCIP Director

A public servant for over 20 years, I am currently the Manager of Land Use Planning Services at Parks Canada. I am passionate about the role that land use planning can play at the federal level as well as in protected area conservation. I have previously held positions in several federal departments as well as at the municipal level and community development non-profit sector in Edmonton.

I also currently serve as a member of the CIP Honours Jury and was a Director of the Planning Students Trust Fund. I have generally focused my volunteer activities within the Ottawa River watershed, near my residences of Papineau- Cameron (Ontairo) and Gatineau (Quebec).

A graduate of the University of Guelph’s Rural Planning and Development program, I am a full member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, an urbaniste with L’Ordre des urbanistes du Québec, and an affiliate member of the Royal Town Planning Institute in the UK.

GORDON SMITH LPP, MCIP, FCSLA Director LinkedIn
GORDON SMITH LPP, MCIP, FCSLA Director

What are your hopes for the future of the planning profession?

I want our profession to embrace diversity as we continue to develop reputations as leaders in community building and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

What are a few of your favourite places?

Any place with snow, especially if it is ski-able, snowboard-able or skate-able,.  At the other extreme, my heart also lies in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana.  My roots to my family home, Port Hood Island in Cape Breton Nova Scotia, are also particularly deep.

Which person has most inspired your work in planning?

Michael Hough, who wrote the book, Cities and Natural Process on the integration of urban ecology into planning and design, that I studied at university and whom I had the honour and challenge to work with following graduation.  His approach to systems thinking and respect for natural processes continues to profoundly influence my practice.

Anything else we should know about you?

I am an avid skier, snowboarder, and sailor. I am a committed postal historian with a strong interest in Port Hood and Botswana.  These hobbies connect me to my favourite places. Check out my website at postalhistory.ca or my Instagram account #stampgraphics.

Board Nominations Process

The CIP Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the organization and serving its best long-term interests. To fulfill this role, the Board is expected to bring forward-looking, national, and strategic perspectives to CIP’s strategic plan and policies. 

All CIP Directors must meet the minimum set of qualifications if they are to play an integral part in CIP Board decision-making. The CIP Board believes that, collectively, it should have the specialized skills necessary to properly and proactively guide the organization within its legal and ethical responsibilities. 

It is important to note, that the CIP Board is primarily a policy-board (rather than a ‘working Board’), and as such, Directors provide an important role in shaping the policy and governance standards of the Institute; whereas, operational management is the primary responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer.