Recent Changes for the CNU-NTX Board of Directors
By Russ Sikes, President
Like any organization, CNU-NTX is ever-evolving. Since our founding in 2005, we have been fortunate to have the stability that comes from continued service of several of our founding members and the fresh ideas that come from new directors.
Recently changing his role, Dallas City Council member Scott Griggs, J.D. decided to become an “ex-officio” member, a non-voting position but one that allows him to continue as an advisor. Elected to the city council in May, 2011, Scott serves as the representative from District 3, which includes parts of Oak Cliff and West Dallas. Scott is also a patent attorney specializing in intellectual property issues for technology-based industries. These roles keep him ultra-busy.
Scott received a degree in Chemistry from Texas A&M University, then a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. A true polymath and autodidact, Scott holds the coveted urban planning credential issued by the Congress for New Urbanism, CNU-A, and is a skilled advocate of good urban planning and design.
New director and board secretary, Jane Mathews, LEED-ND, is both a trained landscape architect and a professional city planner. Her experience includes physical planning and urban design. She has completed a broad range of projects, including Transit-Oriented Development plans, Form-Based Codes, master community plans, streetscape plans, greenway master plans, and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure plans.
Jane is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Urban Land Institute. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture with a concentration in City and Regional Planning and subsequent Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington.
As chapter Secretary, Jane replaces Lyndsay Mitchell, who holds a master’s degree in Urban Planning and who helped build the chapter in the years after its founding. Lyndsay is stepping down from the board after six years of steadfast service and contributions that included active roles in governance, programming, and marketing of the chapter.
Joining the board this year is Richard Gertson, AICP, the Director of Community Development for the City of Mesquite. He has over 30 years of public sector experience, including service as the City Manager and City Attorney for municipalities in Oklahoma. He is a certified planner with the American Planning Association and a credentialed manager with International City/County Management Association.
Under Richard’s guidance, Mesquite has adopted form-based codes for several areas, including one in the city’s extra-territorial jurisdiction (outside the city but subject to subdivision rules and annexation) near where the further extension of the President George Bush Turnpike (SH 190) is expected. |
The New World
