VAPDC: Board Change Press Release

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - The Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions (VAPDC) recently named Coleman Speece, Southside Planning District Commission and Martin Nohe, George Washington Regional Commission as President and First Vice President respectively. Also elected were James A. Bladwin and Robert H. Wilson as Second Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer respectively. The elections took place at the Association's 2009 Summer Conference and Annual Meeting in Virginia Beach, VA.
     Prior to being named VAPDC President, Speece of South Boston, VA served as the Association's First Vice President. He currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Southside Planning District Commission and has been a commissioner since 2000. Speece also sits on the Board of Directors for the Lake Country Development Corp.; the Halifax Public Service Authority; the Community Arts Center Foundation and the Halifax Educational Foundation. He is a member of the South Boston Town Council. Speece is a graduate of Appalachian State University and has completed the Executive Program of the Graduate School of Business-UNC-Chapel Hill.
     Martin Nohe is a graduate of George Mason University with a degree in Economics, and Virginia's Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. He was elected to represent the citizens of the Coles Magisterial District on the Princess William Board of County Supervisors in 2003. Nohe serves on a number of boards and committees, is chairman of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. He served as chair for the Prince William Youth Services Board in 2001.
James A. Baldwin is a graduate of the College of William and Mary. He is the Executive Director of the Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission (CPPDC) in Lebanon, Virginia. Baldwin has been with the CPPDC since 1972, and served as the Director of Planning from 1982 to 2006. He is currently serving as president for The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, Appalachia Sustainable Development, and the Coalfield Water Development Fund.
      Robert H Wilson has served as the Executive Director of the George Washington Commission (GWRC) since July 2006. Prior to joining the GWRC Wilson served five years as Executive Director of the South Western Regional Planning Agency in Stamford, CT and President and CEO of Long Island Transportation Management Inc. Wilson is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, American Planning Association, and the Virginia Local Government Management Association. Wilson is a graduate of SUNY College at Cortland and holds a Master of Regional Planning degree from State University of New York.
      Planning District Commissions were established by the General Assembly in 1969. There are 21 PDCs and Regional Commissions in Virginia made up of elected officials and citizens appointed by local governments. The purpose of the Planning District Commissions is to encourage and facilitate regional solutions to problems of area-wide significance. This is done by promoting the efficient development of the physical, social, and economic policies of all districts by assisting local governments to plan for the future. The PDCs of Virginia have joined together to create the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions to share best practices, and further regionalism across the Commonwealth. For more information about VAPDC visit the Web site at www.vapdc.org.