Executive Committee

Tippe Morlan currently works as the Senior/Long Range Planner for the City of Saratoga Springs. She volunteers as the APA Utah Chapter President and the Director of Membership for APA Asian & Pacific Islander Interest Group. With a background in community development, sociology, and resort town planning, she is passionate about the crossover between tourism and planning. She received a BS in Public Policy, Management, and Planning from the University of Southern California, a MS in Sociology from Brigham Young University, and a specialized MBA in Tourism Administration (MTA) from George Washington University. She has worked for Park City, Lehi City, and Eagle Mountain City in the past. When Tippe  is not working, she can usually be found exploring cities around the world.

Meagan Booth is a Principal Planner for Salt Lake City. Her previous employment experience includes Farmington City and the City of Holladay, and she enjoys working in the public sector. She interned in Taylorsville City, where she grew up, focusing on neighborhood renovation. In 2015, she graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning. Community participation, urban design, urban ecology, grants, tactical urbanism, open space, trails, recreation, rural communities, and active transportation are some of her interests. As an APA Ambassador, she donates her time, skills, and talents to raise public awareness of planning and promote the profession to students in grades K–12. In 2021, she served as an APA Chapter Delegate, cooperating on zoning reform with planners and lawmakers, and she also participates in the APA Women’s Mentorship Program.

Spencer W. Brimley is the Community and Economic Development Director for Clearfield, Utah.  has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Urban Planning, from Arizona State University and a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Development from the University of Utah.  Before joining Clearfield he was a Planner with Salt Lake County. 

As a the Planner and Community Development Director for Clearfield City, Spencer has gained a growing range of experience in current and long planning processes and issues. In his efforts to make project reviews easier and more consistent, Spencer loves to have a process for everything he does to assure him and his staff are focused, efficient and consistent.  Spencer’s extensive experience in development review has allowed him to develop planning objectives and zoning standards with an understanding of how they will impact real projects. Spencer enjoys people and loves to make new friends and to network, especially on the golf course. Spencer is married and has four fun-loving and busy kids.  He is married to the most wonderful woman in the world and is extremely grateful to her for all her love and support that has allowed to find success at every turn.

Mike is the Assistant Director of Community Development in Duchesne County. His experience is in the public and private sector, serving areas along the urban-rural fringe in Utah and Virginia. Mike’s planning specialties include land use planning, master plan development, transportation and transit planning, and stakeholder collaboration. He holds a Master of Science in Bioregional Planning and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Utah State University. He is a native of Alpine, UT.

Kirsten Whetstone spent ten years as a City Planner in Fort Collins, Colorado learning and implementing intricacies of the Permit System approach to zoning and community development before moving back to Utah to learn the challenges of resort town planning. Kirsten was a Senior Planner in Park City, Utah for 25 years. Kirsten believes planners are visionaries, problem solvers, historic preservationists, protectors of community character, creative code writers, community engagers and advocates and balancers of varied community interests.

In 2019, Kirsten jumped on an opportunity to refocus on regional, rural town, agriculture preservation, and new urbanism planning for Summit County Community Development, Planning and Design. Kirsten is president of the Utah Chapter of the American Planning Association. She was previously vice president and also chaired/co-chaired Utah APA Programs Committee for many years and coordinated the 2017 Utah APA Fall conference committee.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and a master’s in Town and Regional Planning from Utah State University. Kirsten hails from New Mexico, Land of Enchantment, and is an avid trail runner, Nordic skier and traveler who enjoys exploring canyons and mesas of southeastern Utah with her husband, Richard Bullough, and son, Garrett.

Judi has been the APAUT Chapter Executive Manager since 2010. With a professional background in community planning, Judi now manages the community of planners in Utah. Active in her community, Judi has served as a Utah County Planning Commissioner, Alpine Business Association President, and currently serves as Alpine City Councilwoman. When not planning, you will find Judi with her family skiing or throwing a frisbee for her schnauzer Coco.

Jason Boal is a Certified Planner (AICP) and Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) in the Salt Lake City offices of the law firm Snell & Wilmer. Previously, he was the Deputy Director of Development Services for Ada County, Idaho. Prior to that, he was the Planning & Building Director in Teton County, Idaho and Victor City, Idaho. He also worked as a Planner in Latah County, Idaho and Heber City, Utah, after getting his start in the planning profession with Epic Engineering P.C. in Heber City, Utah. Jason taught land use courses as an adjunct professor at both Boise State University and the University of Idaho. He has served in several positions of leadership for APA Idaho, most recently he was the Legislative Committee Chair. Jason received a Bachelor of Science in Geographic Information Systems from Brigham Young University and a Master of Science in Bioregional Planning and Community Design from the University of Idaho. In his spare time Jason enjoys traveling with his family, backpacking, fishing, camping, playing hockey as well as restoring/building cars and motorcycles.

Brian Carver is Community and Economic Development Director for the Bear River Association of Governments. For the past 15 years, he has supported regional and local planning efforts in rural communities of Northern Utah for issues such as capital infrastructure investment, affordable housing, and transportation. Prior to his service with BRAG, Brian worked for the Utah Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, serving as staff to the Utah Quality Growth Commission and assisting with local government planning program development, community outreach, and Geographic Information System support. He earned a degree in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning from Utah State University in 2001. He lives in Hyrum, Utah with his wife Stephanie. They have three children.

BreAnna is a citizen planner with the Planning Commission in North Salt Lake City. Her interest in citizen planning began when she saw the various ways in which citizens and planners interface with a community, and that both are needed for communities to thrive. Empowering citizen planners to excel in their roles and effect change in their communities, through education, training, mentoring and collaboration motivates her to serve on the board of the Utah chapter of the American Planning Association.

Michael Florence works as the planning and economic development director for Lindon City where he enjoys helping this great community realize their planning goals. Previously, Michael was employed with the City of South Salt Lake as their Community and Economic Development Director. He received his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Utah in 2008 where he graduated with Pi Alpha Alpha honors. His experience includes planning for commercial and residential development, redevelopment, master planning, and economic development. Michael’s personal interests include horseback riding, fly fishing and spending time with his wife and four children.  

Scott Hess is the Planning Director for North Ogden City, Utah. He leads a department whose work covers General Plan development, short range planning, business licensing, building permit review, and economic development. He brings fifteen years of experience spanning positions in Municipal, County, and Regional Planning. In his free time he enjoys spending time outdoors, and riding bikes around the neighborhood with his wife and three daughters. He holds a B.S. in Urban Planning and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Utah.

Jordan Katcher is an Initiatives Facilitator within the Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution Program and also an Associate Instructor within the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah. From a rural community in northwestern Pennsylvania, she deeply values community cultures, collaboration, and inclusivity. She has lived in ten states (Florida, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Virginia, New Mexico, North Dakota, West Virginia, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah), and in southern Germany. She completed her B.A. in Anthropology and English from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Community & Regional Planning from the University of Oregon.

Ted Knowlton is the Deputy Director at the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC.org). Ted is an expert at coordinating transportation, land use, and economic development. Prior to joining WFRC, he worked with the non-profit organization Envision Utah as well as in private consulting. His experience includes efforts in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City that have garnered two prestigious Daniel Burnham awards from the American Planning Association. In Utah, he facilitated the development of Wasatch Choice, the region’s official vision for growth and transportation. Ted has a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University, is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Utah, and is a distinguished Alumni of the College of Architecture + Planning at the University of Utah. He is a past president of APAUtah and serves on the City Council for North Salt Lake City.

Michael Maloy, AICP, is Planning Director for Herriman City and has more than 20 years of professional planning experience in urban and suburban communities. He has presented at local and national planning conferences, published numerous articles and book reviews, and mentored dozens of urban planning students. Since 2009, Michael has also been an adjunct instructor for the City & Metropolitan Planning Department at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Mark McGrath, AICP, is a special projects manager for the City of Taylorsville and an associate instructor at the University of Utah Department of City and Metropolitan Planning. Prior to his appointment at Taylorsville in 2000 he served as the City Planner for the City of Midvale for nine years. Mark is a graduate of the University of Utah and was certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) in 2000.

Stephen Nelson, AICP, is the Planning Director for Hurricane City and has served for two and half years. Prior, he was the City Planner for Nibley City. Hurricane City is a fast-growing City in Washington County and has one of the largest land areas for any municipality in Utah. Mr. Nelson has overseen and helped advise the City on growth policies and land use applications. In the past two years, Hurricane City has approved several Public Infrastructure Districts (PIDs) and now oversees the construction of significant infrastructure funded by PIDs.

Bruce is principal of Planning and Development Services, LLC, Salt Lake City providing various planning services to public and private sector clients located throughout Utah and the West. He is also an instructor of planning courses at the University of Utah, including Small Town and Resort Community Planning. Bruce advises state and local officials on statutory laws affecting planning and development matters and serves as a special projects manager for community (municipalities and counties) general plans and plan implementation. He also provides litigation support and expert witness testimony for public and private sector clients. Bruce serves Utah Chapter – APA as the Chapter’s Professional Development and Ethics Officer.

Susie Petheram, AICP is a Senior Planner and Associate with FFKR in Salt Lake City, Utah. She enjoys working with communities to implement context-sensitive planning standards that promote sustainable development patterns. Susie helps her clients understand the value of their context and culture in planning for sustainable and resilient futures. Her planning projects focus on the analysis, planning, and design of multi-jurisdictional regions, cities, neighborhoods, downtown districts, historic neighborhoods and transit station areas. Susie is a PhD candidate in Metropolitan Planning, Policy, and Design at the University of Utah, where she is studying the relationships between transit and neighborhoods.

Wilf Sommerkorn retired as the Director of Regional Planning and Transportation for Salt Lake County in 2019, where he served from 2014. Prior to that, he was Salt Lake City Planning Director from 2008 to 2014, and Director of the Davis County Community & Economic Development Department for 14 years. He was a planner in various positions with that Department from 1981. Wilf has also served as the Community Development Director for Centerville City, and as an adjunct professor of urban planning at the University of Utah, where he taught a class in The Politics of Planning, something every planner should know! Wilf has served as Legislative Chair for the Utah Chapter of the American Planning Association since 1990, where he has had a role in writing the state codes regarding land use. He was President of the APA Utah Chapter from 1986 to 1988. Wilf holds a BS in Physical Geography and Geology from the University of Utah, and an MS in Urban Planning from the University of Tennessee. Wilf now works with the non-profit Utah Land Use Institute as Deputy Executive Director, and also does planning consulting work through his firm, Sommerkorn Consulting. He is currently serving on the Kaysville City Planning Commission.

Todd Thorne is the Director of Building and Planning for Carbon County with over 10 years of experience working with rural communities in the eastern and central parts of the State. He enjoys working with small town planning commissions to help them solve issues that are unique to rural Utah. He has served as the Southeastern Regional Rep since 2019.