Board Responsibilities

The Board is responsible for organizing TAPA events, such as local planning conferences, awards ceremonies, social happy hours, volunteer opportunities, and CM & AICP training. The board also promotes planning in the community and encourages professional development within the industry.

Terms are two years in duration and require attendance at monthly board meetings and participation in Chapter activities. Elections occurred in 2024 for the January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026 term.


TAPA 2025-2026 Executive Board

President

Micah Wood, AICP

Micah is the Town Administrator for the Town of Thompson’s Station. Before being elected Vice President in 2023, he served as the Middle Tennessee Section Director from 2016 to 2022. Having more than 18 years of planning experience, he has worked for the Local Planning Assistance Office, the City of Franklin, the City of Columbia, and Volkert, Inc during his career.

tapapres@gmail.com


Vice President

Jeffrey Tyndall, AICP

Jeffrey is the Director of the Clarksville Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission.

tapavicepresident@gmail.com


Secretary

Susan Steffenhagen, AICP

Susan is the Community Development Planner for the Town of Thompson's Station, and a proud Georgia Tech and University of Memphis grad. She served as TAPA's Mentor Match Program Coordinator for a few years, prior to taking her current role as Secretary. Susan's experience is in the transportation, energy, and federal funding spaces, and she's previously worked at the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), and Milepost Consulting.

tapasecretary1@gmail.com


Treasurer

Amy Brooks, AICP, CPM

Amy holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree with an emphasis on transportation and land use planning from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Political Science from Maryville College. She is a member of the American Institute for Certified Planners, a nationally Certified Public Manager, and a graduate of East Tennessee Regional Leadership. Prior to her position at Planning, she worked as a researcher for small nonprofits, transit consultant, and as a planner at the regional and local levels in Northern California.



Legal Advisor

Sam Edwards

Sam is graduate of CHMA, MTSU, UT, and NSL. He is a planner, attorney, bureaucrat, and lobbyist. Sam has held such roles as former planner with TDOT; Executive Director for the Wilson County/Lebanon Planning Office; Regional Planning Director, Deputy Ex Director, Legal Council, Chief Legal Council, and Ex Director of GNRC.


Immediate Past President

Jessica Harmon

Jessica serves as the Assistant to the City Manager of Kingsport and was a Senior Planner for Kingsport and Bristol. She is also an adjunct instructor for East Tennessee State University. Jessica served as the Chapter Vice President from 2020 to 2022 before being elected President in 2023. She was also the Section Director for the State of Franklin Section from 2012-2016 and has also served as the Chapter Secretary before that.


Student Representative

Coming Soon

Coming Soon



Professional Development Officer

Ian Preston, AICP

Ian manages professional development activities for TAPA’s membership and serves as the CM provider for the Chapter. Ian also distributes resources for individuals preparing for the AICP exam and hosts in-person AICP information sessions at the Chapter’s Spring and Fall conferences. Ian has served as the Professional Development Officer for TAPA since 2022.

ian.preston@greshamsmith.com


Lobbyist

Bill Terry, FAICP

Bill Terriy is currently working as an independent consultant in comprehensive planning, growth planning and land use controls. Prior to forming Bill Terry & Associates, Bill was the Planning Director for the City of Goodlettsville. Bill is a charter member of the American Planning Association and a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP). He serves as the TAPA Chapter Lobbyist and is a member of Tennessee Planning Leadership Council.


National Legislative Liaison

Rick Gregory, AICP

Rick is the National Legislative Liaison for TAPA.



Section Directors

West Tennessee

Cameron Cooper, PLA

Cameron is an Urban Designer and Planner with Kimley-Horn in Memphis, TN. Cameron holds a Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture from Mississippi State University, and a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from the University of Memphis.

Middle Tennessee

Ian Preston, AICP

Ian is a Planner for Gresham Smith in downtown Nashville. Ian holds a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Memphis and an Environmental Studies BA from Rhodes College.

Chattanooga

Justin Tirsun

Justin is the Vice President of Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise in Chattanooga, TN. Justin holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Design from Texas A&M University, and a Master of City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University.



State of Franklin

Jessica McMurray

Jessica is the Community Development Planner for the City of Kingsport. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from East Tennessee State University-Johnson. In addition to serving as the State of Franklin section president, Jessica is also TAPA's Mentor Match Program Coordinator.

Knoxville

Kiersten Cedeno, AICP

Kiersten is a Planner at Lose Design in Knoxville, TN. Kiersten holds a BFA in Architecture from Savannah College of Art and Design, as well as Master degrees in Community and Regional Planning and Real Estate Development from Clemson University.