Executive Board

Division Chairperson

Margaret Wallace Brown, AICP, CNU-A

Margaret Wallace Brown is the Director of the City of Houston’s Planning & Development Department. The position oversees the City’s land- development regulatory functions and neighborhood planning programs, including historic preservation, as well as the City’s GIS office. Director Wallace Brown serves as Finance Executive for APA Women & Planning and the Historic Commission. 

Beginning as a Program Manager, she has served in the City’s Planning Department for thirty-seven years. She began her career as an interiors architect for Interfin Corporation after obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Houston. 

In addition to AICP, she also holds a Charrette System Certification from the National Charrette Institute, accreditation from the Congress for New Urbanism, and is a Certified Public Manager from Sam Houston State University Continuing Education. In 2022, she was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award of the Hines College of Architecture and Design at the University of Houston.

Vice Chairperson

Patrice Ruffin Dowdell

Patrice Ruffin Dowdell, Esq., AICP, currently serves as Assistant City Manager with the City of Brookhaven, Ga. In this role, she is primarily responsible for promoting accountability, strategic execution of services, and effective and efficient municipal operations. In addition, Ms. Ruffin Dowdell is responsible for policy implementation and enterprise-wide initiatives such as community engagement and sustainability.

Her almost 20 years of experience includes work with local communities and clients in the southeast. In 2020, she was recognized by Engineering Georgia magazine as one of the Top 100 Influential Women in Georgia Engineering as a professional dedicated to sustained improvements to the state in the areas of planning, design, construction, governance, education, and public service.

Ms. Ruffin Dowdell has earned a juris doctor degree from Georgia State University College of Law as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in urban and regional planning from Alabama A&M University. She is also active in several professional organizations, including the American Planning Association which recognized her exemplary service to divisions, division initiatives, and APA with the 2016 Terry F. Holzheimer, FAICP Leadership Award.

Immediate Past Chair

Don Roe

Don Roe has been the Director of Planning & Urban Design for St. Louis, Missouri for ten years. Pursuing a degree in Environmental Design for University of Colorado Boulder, followed by a Master's in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan. Notable interests include affordable housing, GIS, design, engagement, outreach, and development. 

Director of Administration

Bridgett White

Bridgett White is the Director of the City of San Antonio's Planning Department. She joined the City in 2015 and holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to her tenure in San Antonio, Bridgett worked in Arlington, Texas, and with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments in Detroit, Michigan.

Bridgett's aspiration for APA City is to not only continue collaborating with fellow planning professionals to advance the principles of the planning profession but also to gain valuable insights from others while addressing the myriad challenges faced by cities of all sizes. Additionally, she aims to work closely with other members of the City Planning and Management Division to foster a more robust and collaborative division that actively engages with other APA Divisions.

Director of Finance

Josh Clements, AICP

Josh Clements is the Planning Director of the City of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Previously, Josh was the Planning Director of Altoona, Wisconsin and Community Development Specialist for UW-Madison. Josh currently serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the City Planning and Management Division. 

In addition to his Executive Role at APA City, Josh serves on the APA Chapter President’s Council Executive Committee as the Liaison to the AICP Commission, and is the immediate Past-President of the APA-WI Chapter. Josh is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and serves on the School Board of the Eau Claire Area School District. Josh equally enjoys exploring the world’s great cities and neighborhoods, parks, and wilderness areas.