Area Representatives
In order to better serve its members, APA Colorado has designated six geographic areas within the state and provided for an Area Representative from each of these regions. Area representatives are elected to represent and serve Chapter members in each of the geographic districts, except that the Denver Metro Area has two representatives since that area holds the largest number of APA CO members. The six areas are:
- Central Mountain Area: Chaffee, Clear Creek, Eagle, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Lake, Park, Pitkin, Routt, and Summit counties.
- Denver Metro Area: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, and Jefferson counties.
- North Central Area: Boulder, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Philips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, and Yuma counties.
- Northwest Area: Delta, Garfield, Gunnison, Mesa, Moffat, Montrose, Ouray, and Rio Blanco counties.
- Southwest Area: Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Custer, Dolores, Fremont, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan, and San Miguel counties.
- South Central Area: Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Crowley, El Paso, Huerfano, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Las Animas, Lincoln, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo, and Teller counties.
An Area Representative shall be a member whose address of record is within the district represented. The Area Representatives are elected for a term of two years. On odd-numbered years, the Central Mountain, North Central, Northwest, and one Denver Metro Area Representative are elected. On even-numbered years, the South Central, Southwest, and one Denver Metro Area Representative are elected.
Area Representatives shall perform the following duties:
- Act as liaison between the members of the district and the Board and represent the interests and concerns of the district to the Board.
- Each Representative shall assist the President in planning and presenting Chapter programs which represent or are based on planning activities or problems in his or her district and/or is presented by resource persons from that district. The program, if at all possible, shall be presented at a Chapter meeting held in that district (for programs presented by Area Representatives) or at a time convenient to other public officials (for programs presented with the Public Official Representative).
- Coordinate and promote informal and formal meetings of the Chapter members from his or her district to discuss topics related to APA, the Chapter, or other planning activities.
Area Representatives
Alison Cotey
Alison is driven by the belief that designers and planners have a social responsibility to influence the dynamic between space and people as a means of creating more livable communities. With over twenty years of experience as an AICP certified planner, a Colorado licensed landscape architect, and an endorsed facilitator, she is comfortable working at a wide range of scales—from community plans to the design of social spaces—with the goal of bringing people together to celebrate the places they love. As a Senior Associate at Design Workshop, she brings a commitment to broadening the voices of partners, local leadership, and community members, increasing awareness and understanding of the complex factors shaping planning projects. She also serves on the Town of New Castle Planning Commission and brings her dual perspective as both a practitioner and public servant to her work.
Casidhe Shetter, MCP
Casidhe “Cas” Shetter is an emerging professional in the Denver Metro area. She works as a transportation and land use planner at Bohannan Huston, Inc. and has worked on a variety of planning projects throughout Colorado and New Mexico.
Much of her planning philosophy and heart for rural communities has been shaped by her experiences during graduate school, where she worked with small, disenfranchised communities in the southern U.S.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Community Planning from Auburn University.
Alyssa Knutson, AICP
Alyssa Knutson is an AICP-certified planner that earned her Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado Denver in 2013. Since then, she has worked in the planning profession in both the public and private sectors, which includes 8 years as a planner for the City of Fort Lupton and over 2½ years in her current position as a land use planner at Otten Johnson Robinson Neff + Ragonetti PC.
Prior to pursuing a career in planning, Alyssa worked in legal support in different legal settings. She has also previously served as a planning commissioner for the City of Glendale, Colorado, a board member of the City Park West Registered Neighborhood Organization, and as a chair for the alumni association of her undergraduate alma mater, Colorado State University. She looks forward to serving as a Denver Metro Area Representative and providing opportunities for Denver area planners to come together in meaningful ways to discuss planning issues, successes, and experiences.
Donald Threewitt, AICP
As a planning professional with 20 years of experience across city, county, and state levels, I understand the unique and complex challenges facing Northern Colorado—rapid growth, water scarcity, natural hazards, and a wide range of seemingly competing community values. These issues demand thoughtful, collaborative, and locally responsive solutions.
Now more than ever, planners in our region need spaces to connect, share ideas, and support one another in navigating shifting local, state, and federal policy landscapes. As Deputy Director of Community Development for the City of Greeley, I oversee long-range and current planning, engineering development review, building, landscape architecture, and civil inspections in one of the fastest growing municipalities in the country. I’ve seen firsthand the power of collaboration and the value of building relationships across sectors and experience levels.
Mentorships and apprenticeships are fundamental to preparing a new generation of planning professionals, and Northern Colorado could cultivate a more robust pathway to attract students and emerging planners into the area. At the same time, folks with a wealth of regional institutional knowledge have been retiring or approaching the end of their professional careers, and we can all learn from their perspectives. Developing a forum to share experience, knowledge and inspiration from our more seasoned planners would benefit us all. These ideas are not necessarily original, and I’m not uniquely qualified to shepherd them.
I serve as a facilitator and connector—someone who amplifies your voices, promotes mentorship and knowledge-sharing, and strengthens the planning community in Northern Colorado.
Niki Galehouse, AICP
Niki Galehouse, AICP is a Senior Planner with KLJ Engineering, having recently left the public sector, most recently as the Planning Manager for the City of Grand Junction. A Florida native, she feels at home in Colorado's mountains, where her passion for urban planning has flourished. She led Grand Junction’s comprehensive Zoning and Development Code update and a process review to improve development review efficiency. Niki brings a collaborative, solution-oriented approach to helping communities modernize land use regulations, implement comprehensive plan goals, and create more predictable, effective development processes. Niki holds a Bachelor of Science in Sustainability & the Built Environment from the University of Florida and a Master of Urban & Regional Planning from Florida Atlantic University.
Chelsea Royston, AICP
Chelsea Royston is a Senior Planner for the City of Manitou Springs. Chelsea studied Environmental Design at the University of Colorado, Boulder and went on to earn her master’s degree in political science with an emphasis in Public Policy. Chelsea began her career in public service as a Best and Brightest Intern and has been engaged with communities across southern Colorado ever since.