2025 APA Iowa Annual Conference
October 8-10, 2025
FFA Enrichment Center, Ankeny, Iowa
Recipients of the 2025 APA-Iowa Chapter Awards
Each year, APA Iowa asks its members to nominate plans, projects, and individuals deserving recognition by the professional organization. Award nominees can be recognized in nineteen categories ranging from public outreach to distinguished leadership.
Based on an independent review by a jury of professional planners, the following were selected to receive APA-Iowa Awards in 2025.
Award: Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan
Awardees: City of Mason City, City of Clear Lake, Cerro Gordo County, North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corporation, and RDG Planning & Design
Plan: North Iowa Corridor Joint Comprehensive Plan
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Award: Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan
Awardees: City of Bondurant, Confluence, Leland Consulting Group, and Kirkham Michael
Plan: Building Bondurant Comprehensive Plan
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Award: Implementation Award
Awardees: City of Bondurant, and RDG Planning & Design
Plan: City Park Master Plan Implementation
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Award: Best Practice Award
Awardees: City of Bondurant, Group Creatives, and Confluence
Plan: Art, Culture, & Wayfinding Plan
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Award: Best Practice Award
Awardees: City of Pleasant Hill
Plan: 2024 Tornado Recovery and Hazard Mitigation Planning
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Award: Resilience & Sustainability Award
Awardees: City of Dyersville, and Eocene Environmental Group
Plan: Rooted in Resilience: Dyersville's Nature-Based Approach to Flood Mitigation
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Award: Grassroots Initiative Award
Awardees: Eocene Environmental Group, Arts Court Visual and Performance, and Jones County Economic Development
Plan: Site Revisioning Plan: 107 North Garnavillo Street, Anamosa, Iowa
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Award: Urban Design Award
Awardees: City of Waukee, SVPA, and Confluence
Plan: Waukee Civic Campus Master Plan
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Award: Urban Design Award
Awardees: City of Bondurant, and ISG Inc.
Plan: Silo Commons Concept Plan
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Award: Economic Development Planning Award
Awardees: City of Clear Lake, Surf Ballroom & Museum NICCM, and RDG Planning & Design
Plan: Surf District Plan
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Award: Transportation Award
Awardees: Des Moines Area MPO, Toole Design, Confluence, HR Green, and HDR
Plan: Des Moines Area MPO Comprehensive Safety Action Plan
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Award: Exemplary Student Project Award – Planning Process
Awardees: City of Center Point, and ISU Community Planning Studio Fall 2022
Plan: City of Center Point Comprehensive Plan and Capital Improvement Plan
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Award: Exemplary Student Project Award – Planning Process
Awardees: City of Urbandale, and ISU Department of Urban Planning & Development
Plan: Sustainable Urbandale Action Plan
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Award: Exemplary Student Project Award – Applied Research
Awardees: City of West Burlington, City of Burlington, and University of Iowa's Initiative for Sustainable Communities
Plan: West Burlington and Burlington Transportation Opportunity Plan
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Award: Exemplary Student Project Award – Contemporary Issues
Awardees: City of West Burlington, City of Burlington, and University of Iowa's Initiative for Sustainable Communities
Plan: West Burlington and Burlington Arts and Culture Plan
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Award: Exemplary Student Project Award – Contemporary Issues
Awardees: City of Oskaloosa, University of Iowa's Initiative for Sustainable Communities, and Pathfinders RC&D
Plan: Oskaloosa Downtown Master Plan
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Award: Planning Advocate Award
Awardee: Brent Hinson, ICMA-CM
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Award: Distinguished Leadership Award
Awardee: Liesl Seabert, CEcD, AICP
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Award: Student Poster Contest 1st Place
Awardees: Sam Postma & Hirad Dabbagh - Iowa State University
Poster: Designing an Idyllic Suburb: Grimes Corridor Beautification Guide
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Award: Student Poster Contest 2nd Place
Awardees: Karan Kianfar & Claire Hamilton - Iowa State University
Poster: Longitudinal Transportation Equity & Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the DSM MPO, 2013-2023
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Award: Student Poster Contest 3rdPlace
Awardee: Shariha Boshra Diya - Iowa State University
Poster: Understanding the Relationship of Parent-Taught Driver Education (PTDE) Participation and Socio-Economic Variables in Iowa
Presentations from the Conference
Welcome and State of the Chapter
Madeline Sturms, AICP, APA Iowa Chapter President
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Keynote: Innovation: Rethinking Planning Through Global Inclusion
Dr. Lisa Coleman, President, Adler University
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Keynote: Planning with the Future
Petra Hurtado, Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer, National APA Senior Staff
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Keynote: Generations in the Workplace
Libby Roberts, ATW Training Solutions
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Community Resilience: Building Back Beyond What Was
Bethany Wilcoxon, Senior Advisor, McClure
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Politics in Planning: Navigating Power, Policy, and Public Trust
Madeline Sturms, Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director, City of Pleasant Hill
Sara Kurovski, Mayor, City of Pleasant Hill
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BOOSTing Rural Revitalization: Cross-Sector Leadership and Asset-Based Solutions
Sacha Wise, Empower Rural Iowa Director, Iowa Economic Development Authority
Mindy Stalker, Executive Director, Union County Development Association
Craig DeHoet, President, Woodward Economic Development Association
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Gary Taylor, AICP, Professor and Extension Land Use Specialist, Community & Regional Planning, Iowa State University
Luke Seaberg, Extension Education Specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
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Practical Uses of AI For Planners
Marcus Coenen, AICP, PTP, Senior Planner, Des Moines Area MPO
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Getting to Multi-Modal: A Story on our Reclasses One-Way Pair, Central Avenue and White Street
Justine Hull, Traffic Engineer, City of Dubuque
Jennifer McCoy, Senior Traffic Engineer, Bolton & Menk
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Final Report on the Online Guide to Iowa Zoning Project
Gary Taylor, AICP, Professor and Extension Land Use Specialist, Iowa State University
Jay Maxwell, Data Analyst and GIS Specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Tabassum Zaman, Master’s Student, Community & Regional Planning, Iowa State University
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How can YOU Engage Youth in the Planning Process?
Shannon Gapp, Senior Planner, MSA Professional Services, Inc.
Emily Huston, Assistant Planner, MSA Professional Services, Inc.
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Empowering Communities and Students through Scenario Exercises: Energy Transition Planning in Algona, Iowa
Jiwnath Ghimire, Assistant Professor, Community & Regional Planning, Iowa State University
Eyad Taamallah, Graduate Research Assistant, Community & Regional Planning, Iowa State University
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A Generation of Partnerships, Planning, and Progress in Uptown Marion
Laura Kessel, AICP, Urban Planner & Designer, RDG Planning & Design
Pat Dunn, Landscape Architect, RDG Planning & Design
Nicole Behrens, AICP, Association Planner, City of Marion
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Legislation and Policy for Iowa Planners 2025
Steven J. Van Steenhuyste, AICP, Director of Development Services, City of Mason City
Tom Cope, Partner at Cope Murphy & Co.
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Comprehensive Safety Action Planning: A Central Iowa Perspective
Marcus Coenen, AICP, PTP, Senior Planner, Des Moines Area MPO
Andrew Collings, Executive Director, Mid-Iowa Planning Alliance
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Harvesting Opportunities in Bondurant’s Grain District
Danielle Probst, AICP, Planner, I & S Group
Maggie Murray, AICP, Planning & Community Development Director, City of Bondurant
Scott Turczynski, Founder and Leader Developer, The 101 LLC
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Addison Williamson, AICP Candidate, Associate Planner, Des Moines Area MPO
Jenna Gilliam, Assistant Planner, MSA
Emani Brinkman, AICP, Associate Planner, City of West Des Moines
Alivia Hoodjier, Assistant Planner, City of Grimes
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Strategic Doing for the Next Generation: Action Today for Impact Tomorrow
Liesl Seabert, CEcD, AICP, Program Manager, Institute for Decision Making, University of Northern Iowa
Jennifer Horn-Frasier, Principal, Bluebird Sky LLC
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Comprehensive Plans Updates: Not Always a Generational Change
Cory Scott, AICP, Urban Planner, Senior Partner, RDG Planning & Design
Adam Lindenlaub, Assistant Director of Community Development, City of Cedar Rapids
Steven Van Steenhuyse, AICP, Director of Development Services, City of Mason City
Taylor Beswick, AICP, Senior City Planner, City of Bettendorf
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Implementation Through Collaboration: Cedar Rapids Downtown Vision and Action Plan
Caleb Knutson, Executive Director, Cedar Rapids Downtown
Noah Zeker, Planner, City of Cedar Rapids
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Carlton Basmajian, Associate Professor, Iowa State University
Alex Pfaltzgraff, Assistant City Manager and Development Services Director, City of Grimes
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Return to Nature: Mason City’s Willow Creek and Riverwalk
Steven J. Van Steenhuyse, AICP, Director of Development Services, City of Mason City
Kristy Sagdalen King, Assoc. AIA, Principal, Bergland + Cram Architects
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Beyond the Blueprint: Handling Conflict and Controversy in Planning Dialogues
Anuprit Minhas, AICP, Senior City Planner, City of Des Moines
Christine Gordon, AICP, Housing & Community Development Manager, City of West Des Moines
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Economic Development 101: What Every Planner Should Know
Liesl Seabert, CEcD, AICP, Program Manager, Institute for Decision Making, University of Northern Iowa
Bruce Hansen, Vice President Business Development, Iowa Area Development Group
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Organizing Hope: Storytelling as a Planning Practice
Dian Nostikasari, Associate Professor, Drake University
Amal Barre, Co-founder, Just Space Collective
Jane Rongerude, Professor, Iowa State University
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Future-Forward Planning: Prioritizing Environmental Health for a Sustainable Community
Allison Roderick, Environmental Health Officer, Planning and Zoning Assistant, Webster County
Aimee Kramer-Deveraux, Water Environmental Technology (WET) Training Coordinator,
Des Moines Area Community College
Tammy McKeever, Environmental Health Consultant, Bureau of Environmental and Local Public Health, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
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Community Spotlights: Bright Ideas in a Flash
Madeline Sturms, Assistant City Manager, City of Pleasant Hill
Liesl Seabert, Program Manager, Institute for Decision Making, University of Northern Iowa
Marcus Coenen, AICP, PTP, Senior Planner, Des Moines Area MPO
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Charlie Cowell, AICP, APA Iowa Chapter Professional Development Officer
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Intermediate Public Engagement: New Tools for a New Generation
Maya Struhar, Urban Planner, RDG Planning & Design
Molly Hanson, Conservation and Community Outreach Specialist, RDG Planning & Design
Zhahn Bose, Designer, Urban Planner, RDG Planning & Design
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Ethics Refresher
Jerry Anthony, PhD, FAICP, Associate Professor, University of Iowa School of Planning & Public Affairs
Erik Lundy, Deputy Director of Neighborhood Services, City of Des Moines
Conference Sponsors
