2026 Award Winners

Citizen Planner Award – Susan Jacobson, Clearwater County Economic Development Agency

Kenneth G. Waido Award for Planning Team of the Year – Clatsop County Land Use Planning Division

Planner of the Year Award – Michelle Clavadetscher, City of Box Elder, South Dakota

President’s Award – Clara Chaffin - City of Douglas, Wyoming

Rural Innovation Award – Imagine Alamosa County Comprehensive Plan - Alamosa County Land Use & Logan Simpson

Sheldon D. Gerber Merit Award for Excellence in Environmental Planning – Martin Montoya, Pam Denahy, Michael Hart - City of La Junta, Colorado

Student Planning Project of the Year Award - Ames Ekbatan, Simin Gholami (Advisor: Brent Chamberlain) - Utah State University

Stan Steadman Article of the Year Award – Dr. Tammi Laninga, Justin Patterson, Tara Newman, and Katie Cote, for the article, The Complete (Zoning) Picture: Collaboration is Key to Washington’s new online Zoning Atlas

Other Awards

“Loyalty and Legend” - Brad Stebleton, Los Ranchos, New Mexico

 “Above and Beyond” - Sandy Rohde, Halliday, North Dakota

 “Volunteer of the Year” - Loras Rauch, Atlanta, Georgia

 “Spirit of Service” - Andrew Bowen, Jackson, Wyoming

 “MVP-Most Valuable Planner”- Paul Moberly, Salt Lake City, Utah