APA Indiana Board of Directors

Philip is a Senior Planner and Project Manager for American Structurepoint, a planning and engineering consultancy based in Indianapolis. Prior to that position, he served as the Mobility Manager for the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority. He also is an adjunct faculty member for IUPUI’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, as well as the Department of Geography. Before settling on transportation planning as his primary interest, he worked in economic development, affordable housing and community development, alternative transportation, and land use planning, and has worked in both the public and private sectors. Philip earned his BA from Grinnell College (Iowa), then earned his Master’s in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill); eventually, he earned his Ph.D. in Geography from Indiana University (Bloomington). He, his wife, and their three children reside in Indianapolis.

Tom is the Director of Transportation for the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission. This marks a return for him, having served as a Regional Planner for NIRPC from 2008 to 2012. For the past 6 years, he served as the Planning Director for the Town of Munster, Indiana. Prior to Munster he worked for 5 years in local and regional planning in Illinois. Tom has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and Theology from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He lives in Highland with his wife and daughters.

Darrin is a Solar Development Manager for Lightsourcebp. Previously Darrin served as the Zoning Administrator and Floodplain Manager for Henry County. In his role as Henry County Zoning Administrator Darrin updated the county’s building and planning processes, initiated and completed the development of the county’s new comprehensive plan, and brought two additional towns under the County Planning and Building Department. Darrin has resided his whole life in Henry County except for the time he attended Purdue University. In his free time Darrin enjoys walking, listening to podcasts, remodeling his turn of the century home and spending time with his wife of 20 years, and two children. Darrin also serves on the Town Council for the Town of Spiceland and as a member of the New Castle/Henry County Economic Development Corporation.

Nathan Schall is a principal planner for Allen County, his home county, since 2018.  He primarily serves as staff to the Fort Wayne and Allen County Plan Commissions.  He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI (2016) and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Ball State University (2018).  He also is the secretary for the Bloomingdale Neighborhood Association and has served on various boards in the past five years.  Nathan enjoys the outdoors, a good local hangout, and learning how to work on his 1926 house that is 4 doors down from his childhood home.  He is also a chorus member in the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

Abby serves as the Executive Director of the St. Joseph County Area Plan Commission. She received her bachelor’s degree from Goshen College and her Master’s degree from Ball State University. She previously worked for the City of Elkhart, the City of Goshen and interned at the City of Michigan City, MACOG and the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities and spending time with her husband and son.

Ty serves as the Plan Director for Marshall County. He received his Bachelors of Urban Planning and Development (BUPD) and Masters of Urban and Regional Planning Degrees from Ball State University. Ty recently worked in the fast paced Charleston, SC Metropolitan Area of Berkeley County, where he managed a several thousand acre Planned Unit Development and the creation of an automotive manufacturing nexus. During his education he interned for the then Town of Fishers and Madison County Council of Governments. Before heading south Ty was afforded the opportunity to teach the summer accelerate course as the representative for the Urban Planning Department at Ball State. He is glad to be back in the Hoosier state and working to develop a community so close to home. Ty is new to the concept of free time, but enjoys coaching travel and high school soccer for a local municipality where he gets to see the next generation grow and begin to critically think before they start their future education and careers.

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Chris is a Senior Urban Planner at Abonmarche, an engineering, surveying, and architecture firm in South Bend.  Prior to that position, he served as the Plan Director for Elkhart and Lagrange County covering 16 years.  Chris’ interests are in Regional Planning, Transportation Planning, Local Governance, Public Policy, Demographic Analysis and Entitlement Planning.  Chris earned his BA from Elmhurst College (now University) in Urban Studies & Geography/Environmental Planning, then earned his Master of Public Administration from Indiana University at South Bend.  Chris and his wife, Dr. Lauren Godlewski, live in Elkhart, Indiana and their daughter Cali attends Northern Michigan University and is studying Environmental Studies & Sustainability.

Liz Stitzel is the Executive Director for the Clinton County, IN, Area Plan Commission. She serves the unincorporated areas of the county and four member communities that have joined together in the Area Plan for services. While she did not enter planning from a traditional educational background, she has been determined to learn and successfully passed her AICP test. Liz has worked for Clinton County, Indiana, since 2007 and became Director in 2019. Outside of work, Liz’s favorite things include reading, riding horses, and spending time with her kids.

Rachel Christenson is a Project Manager/Planner for HWC Engineering. Prior to working with HWC, she worked in the public sector as the Planning Director for the Town of Pendleton, a Senior Planner at the Madison County Council of Governments, and a Landscape Designer/Land Acquisition Specialist with Lake County Parks and Recreation. Rachel earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (’06) and Certificate of Public Administration (’20) from Ball State University. She became AICP in 2013 and has been an APA and APA-IN member since 2011. During her career, Rachel has served in several leadership roles. She was part of the Leadership Academy of Madison County Class of 2016 and was selected to the Anderson Herald Bulletin’s 20 under 40 in 2017. Past board service includes the Anderson/Madison County Visitors Bureau, Main Street Pendleton, and the Indiana Urban Forest Council. Rachel is currently a board member and treasurer of the South Madison Community Foundation.

Chad Reischl is the Director of Planning for the City of Jeffersonville, Indiana. He received his Masters of Urban and Regional Planning degree in 2011 from the University of Colorado - Denver with an emphasis in urban place making and community development. With a 20-year career that spans the disciplines of architecture, landscape design, and planning, Chad brings a comprehensive, design-based vision to the communities he works with. He has worked on numerous long-range and near-term planning projects that promote community health, resilience, sustainability, and quality of place. While much of his career has focused on long-range planning, community design, and project management, his promotion to Director of Planning with the City of Jeffersonville in 2019, has broadened his focus to include current planning as well. In 2020, he led his planning team through a year-long process to update the City’s 20+ year old Zoning and Subdivision Control Ordinances and is now working on a comprehensive plan update for the City. Chad is a strong advocate for the intersection of urban planning and urban forestry, and has worked to plant nearly 600 trees in Jeffersonville since 2016. He is also an avid hiker and serves on Align Southern Indiana’s “Trails Team” which is working to create the first regional trails plan for a five-county region of Southern Indiana.

Maitri is a City Planner for the City of Terre Haute. She is a professionally trained architect and a planner. She coordinates the city’s planning efforts, design, grant writing, and infrastructure projects.  Urban design and community planning are her areas of interest.  She began her professional career in commercial architecture and campus planning, focusing particularly on large-scale projects.  She received her bachelor’s degree in architecture from India and a master’s degree in community planning from the University of Cincinnati. She holds certification in GIS (Geographic Information Systems). She enjoys traveling and exploring new destinations with her family. Hiking and photography are her passion.

Sanglim Yoo is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning at Ball State University. Her research interests lie in sustainable environmental management and planning by focusing on the quantification of interactions of humans with the environment especially in urban areas using spatial statistical approaches. Her specialty includes spatial analysis of urban socioeconomic and environmental issues with the application of Geographic Information Systems, big data, machine learning, and other quantitative analysis methods. At Ball State University, she received multiple immersive learning awards for her immersive learning project “Browntifles to Brightfield: Solar Potential Analysis of Brownfields in East Central Indiana”. She is currently the graduate director of the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) at Department of Urban Planning. 

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Lisa is the Senior Urban Design at American Structurepoint, Inc. Her specialties include planning communication, planting design, urban habitats, graphic design, universal design, and video production. She has both a bachelors and masters of Landscape Architecture degree from Ball State University and a Master of Science in Natural Resources, with a specialization in Ecological Planning, from the University of Vermont. Lisa is an AICP, a licensed landscape architect, and a LEED Accredited Professional.

Bob currently serves as Director of Vermillion Rise Mega Park. Bob was previously Manager of Planning and Development Services for Lochmueller Group. In this role he worked with communities to develop effective planning pursuits to address challenges and leverage opportunities to create better communities. Bob has previously worked for local economic development organizations, city and county governments and also regional planning agencies. He enjoys hiking, canoeing, cycling and related outdoor recreation pursuits. Bob holds an MPA and a BS in Public Administration from the School of Public & Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington Campus.

David Heinold is the City Planner for the City of La Porte Office of Community Development & Planning responsible for physical planning of the community since May 2021. David previously worked for Minnehaha County, South Dakota as staff planner, which is located in the southeastern part of the state. He was responsible for managing growth and development in a region with a strong agricultural economy for over eight years. He graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor of Urban Planning and Development in December 2012. He is thankful for the opportunity and glad to be back in the community he was born and raised for 20 years of his life. David is passionate about providing opportunities for citizens to become involved in the planning process and hopes to reach as many people as possible in community engagement efforts over the years ahead. He spends his free time taking his 11 year old dog, Max, for walks around the neighborhood and different areas of the city. He is also an avid bicyclist who likes to go on new adventures whether gravel, road, mountain, or commuting to different parts of the city.

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Taylor Firestine is a Walk & Bike Program Coordinator at Health by Design. In this role, Taylor collaborates with a range of industry professionals in transportation planning, civil engineering, public policy, public health, and nonprofit management. Chief among his responsibilities, Taylor works to build awareness, understanding, and capacity to address health equity through responsible land use and multimodal transportation accessibility. Taylor serves as co-chair of the American Planning Association (APA) Indiana Chapter’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. In his spare time, Taylor volunteers as an Adopt-A-Block Captain with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and as a member of the Keystone-Monon Neighborhood Plan Steering Committee. Taylor is a lifelong Hoosier and holds a BA in Urban Planning and Development and a Master of Urban Design, both from Ball State University's College of Architecture and Planning.

Deborah Luzier, AICP –has had more than 25 years of experience in both public sector and private sector planning. She graduated from Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning before jumping into municipal planning. At the public sector level, she has served in various roles, including County Planning Director for Boone County and Assistant County Planning Director for Greenwood. Deborah left the public sector to work as a Transportation Planner for Wilbur Smith Associates where she assisted with the I-69 planning efforts to connect Indianapolis with Evansville. Deborah currently works for GRW in Indianapolis as a planning consultant and specializes in writing and updating land use codes for communities throughout Indiana. While at GRW she has also served as interim Planning and Building Department Staff for small communities and drafted numerous Comprehensive Plans and Redevelopment Plans throughout the Hoosier State. Deborah is a former President of the Indiana Chapter of the American Planning Association and a current member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. She serves as part of the team that publishes Indiana’s Planning and Zoning Laws Annotated book (aka The Blue Book) as well as the current author the Subdivision Control Ordinance chapter of APA-IN’s current Citizen Planner’s Guide.

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Adam serves as the Planning and Building Director for the City of Shelbyville, the county seat of Shelby County, located within the Indianapolis Metropolitan area. He received his Bachelors of Urban Planning and Development from Ball State University in 2016. Adam joined the team at The City of Shelbyville directly after graduation, first as the City’s Deputy Planning Director, then in 2018 was promoted to Director. During Adam’s tenure, the community has taken massive steps to reinvest into its historic downtown, expand recreational offerings, and develop a regulatory environment which is welcoming to development. Adam and his fiance, Maria, live in Shelbyville and enjoy giving back to their community through work with community organizations.

Senior Urban Planner - Abonmarche