Board Members
Officers
Josh Olhava, AICP
Josh is a Sr. Community Planner and Sr. Project Manager at Ayres where he leads a dynamic planning team as part of Ayres' Western Development Services Division. With over a decade of public sector experience, he enjoys using his diverse skills and experiences to help communities overcome challenges and work to meet their goals. In addition to his role as Treasurer, Josh is actively involved with the Professional Development, Conference Planning, and Youth in Planning Committees. Outside of work, he enjoys staying active and spending time with his family.
Shelia Booth, AICP
Shelia is a consulting planning director with over 25 years of public and private sector planning experience. She served as the APA Colorado Chapter Administrator for 10 years before returning to a more active planning role. Shelia is passionate about using her wide range of planning skills to benefit the communities she works within and believes in engaging all players to find solutions to each unique problem. She is passionate about people and takes pride in helping communities envision and achieve their goals. With a committed focus to leave communities better than when she arrived, she emphasizes a commitment to distinction, originality, creative thinking, and consensus building.
Johnny Malpica, AICP
Johnny Malpica is a Planner I for the City of Colorado Springs Department of Planning and Development. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Planning, Public Policy and Geography, as well as a Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) from Rutgers University. Johnny has over six years of professional experience as a community-based educator and project coordinator. He is passionate about engaging diverse communities in creating inspiring, equitable, and sustainable places to live, work and play. Outside of working hours, you can find him hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding.
Christy Wiseman, AICP
Christy Wiseman, AICP, is a planner with expertise in community development, affordable housing, and regulatory reform. Christy was born and raised in Ohio and moved to Boulder in 2018 after attaining her Master’s in City and Regional Planning degree from Ohio State University. She has been a planner at both the local government level and state level in Colorado, enjoying the behind the scenes work to create and continually improve policies and funding programs. She currently serves as the City of Longmont’s Housing Investment Manager. Christy is also a member of the APA CO Legislative Committee.
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.
Appointed Voting Board Positions
Erin Fosdick, AICP
Erin Fosdick is a Principal Planner for the Town of Erie; she has 18 years of local and regional planning experience. Erin earned her Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado Denver in 2007. In her work, Erin specializes in long range planning and community involvement. She manages complex planning projects, including subarea planning, drafting and updating development codes, and participating in other special citywide projects.
Shaida Libhart, AICP
Shaida Libhart is an AICP-certified planner and Principal Associate with TEI Planning & Engineering, leading their Denver office. Shaida focuses on multimodal planning and developing plans that are holistic and focused on improving quality of life. Shaida believes that transportation is a driver of our communities and can that well-connected places with safe mobility options facilitate strong, vibrant communities. After spending several years in the public sector, Shaida developed knowledge and expertise in funding and implementation strategies. She brings these strategies into the projects she works on to create projects that are community-driven, feasible, and create positive change. Shaida loves spending time outdoors hiking, fishing, riding bikes, snowboarding, and enjoying all the sunshine that Colorado has to offer. Shaida holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Missouri – St. Louis.
James Shockey, AICP
James Shockey, AICP, currently serves as chairperson for the Grand Lake Planning Commission. He has sat on the Commission for over a decade and as chairperson for the last two years. James serves as the Community Development Director for the Town of Winter Park overseeing planning and building services. Outside of work, you can find him hiking, biking, and enjoying family time with his wife and daughter.
Carrie Makarewicz
Carrie Makarewicz, PhD is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Colorado Denver. She does applied research on the implications for individuals and families from the interactions among public investments, private development, planning processes, and public policies with a focus on transportation infrastructures, affordable housing, public schools, community development, and disaster recovery. Prior to academia, she worked as a city planner, consultant, and policy analyst.
Appointed Non-Voting Board Positions
Christina Noto
Christina (she/her) is originally from upstate New York and studied history at Gettysburg College. She began her career as a teacher in Washington, D.C., before moving to Colorado in 2022. Through her experience teaching, she became more passionate about the need for affordable housing. Christina is now pursuing a Master of Urban and Regional Planning at CU Denver and is expected to graduate in May 2026. In her personal life, Christina is a big baseball fan and map collector, she can often be found walking her friendly dog, Quincy.
Katie Guthrie
Katie M. Guthrie, AICP is a Senior Transportation Planner for Stanley Consultants. She has over 20 years of planning experience and works at the intersection of transportation and people. Katie focuses on policies, programs, and partnerships that support mobility and accessibility. She understands and strives to implement the strategic and often complex steps required to meet the needs of people walking, biking, and riding transit. She loves doing experiential outreach with youth and older adults, especially engagement related to their travel options.
Committee Chairs
Johnny Malpica, AICP
Johnny Malpica is a Planner I for the City of Colorado Springs Department of Planning and Development. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Planning, Public Policy and Geography, as well as a Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) from Rutgers University. Johnny has over six years of professional experience as a community-based educator and project coordinator. He is passionate about engaging diverse communities in creating inspiring, equitable, and sustainable places to live, work and play. Outside of working hours, you can find him hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding.
Shelia Booth AICP
Shelia is a consulting planning director with over 25 years of public and private sector planning experience. She served as the APA Colorado Chapter Administrator for 10 years before returning to a more active planning role. Shelia is passionate about using her wide range of planning skills to benefit the communities she works within and believes in engaging all players to find solutions to each unique problem. She is passionate about people and takes pride in helping communities envision and achieve their goals. With a committed focus to leave communities better than when she arrived, she emphasizes a commitment to distinction, originality, creative thinking, and consensus building.
Adam Rankin
Alex O'Connell
Jennifer Woods, AICP
Jennifer has enjoyed her 15-year planning career from various regions in the country ranging from the desert southwest to the Pacific northwest and the southeast. She earned a Bachelors in Business Administration from Texas Tech University and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University, during which time she also served in the Peace Corps in Albania. Jennifer loves to go camping and hiking with her family (where there is no cell phone service). She is currently employed by the Town of Hudson in southeast Weld County as the Planning Director and Interim Town Manager.
Email the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee
Kris Valdez, AICP, MURP Representative
Kris Valdez, a seasoned planner with over 25 years of experience in both public and private sector clients, currently serves as a Program Manager at the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Kris has demonstrated her proficiency in managing some of the most significant and controversial projects of her employers by utilizing her analytical and organizational skills. She is adept at evaluating and synthesizing complex information, crafting conservation easements, organizing genuine community engagement, conducting public presentations, providing exemplary customer service, budgeting, organization, and explicating intricate legal documents into everyday language.
Kris Valdez's vast experience in the field and her exceptional professional skills make her a valuable asset to any organization.
Shaida Libhart, AICP
Shaida Libhart is an AICP-certified planner and Principal Associate with TEI Planning & Engineering, leading their Denver office. Shaida focuses on multimodal planning and developing plans that are holistic and focused on improving quality of life. Shaida believes that transportation is a driver of our communities and can that well-connected places with safe mobility options facilitate strong, vibrant communities. After spending several years in the public sector, Shaida developed knowledge and expertise in funding and implementation strategies. She brings these strategies into the projects she works on to create projects that are community-driven, feasible, and create positive change. Shaida loves spending time outdoors hiking, fishing, riding bikes, snowboarding, and enjoying all the sunshine that Colorado has to offer. Shaida holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Missouri – St. Louis.
Scott Bressler, AICP
Scott is a Senior Transportation Planner at AECOM with over 15 years of planning experience. He received his Bachelor Degree in Urban Studies from Metro State University of Denver in 1998 and his Master Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado, Denver in 2005. Throughout his career, Scott has primarily worked on transit projects in Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, and Utah; evaluating a variety of modes including light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit, demand response, and traditional bus service.
Susan Wood, FAICP
Susan A. Wood, FAICP, is a Planning Project Manager, Environmental, with more than 15 years in transit planning, preceded by more than 10 years in land use planning where she worked for local governments in the Denver Metropolitan area. At the Regional Transportation District (RTD), she oversees project clearance and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. Susan represents RTD on the board of the Regional Air Quality Council. She holds a MURP degree from the University of Colorado at Denver and a B.S. degree in Geology from Baylor University. Within APA, she serves on the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, and on the Legislative and Policy Committee, where she co-chaired APA’s Planning for Equity Policy Guide. Previously, she served as the APA Board Director, Region V, on the Chapter Presidents Council Executive Committee, and on the Social Equity Task Force. For APA Colorado, Susan is a past-president of the Chapter.
Erin Fosdick, AICP
Erin Fosdick is a Principal Planner for the Town of Erie; she has 18 years of local and regional planning experience. Erin earned her Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado Denver in 2007. In her work, Erin specializes in long range planning and community involvement. She manages complex planning projects, including subarea planning, drafting and updating development codes, and participating in other special citywide projects.
Email the Professional Development Committee
Staff
Abbey Aguirre
Abbey joined APA Colorado in 2023 as the Chapter Executive Director. Prior to joining APA Colorado, Abbey worked with several other non-profits as an Association Manager. She received her Bachelors Degree in Marketing from Colorado State University. Outside of work, Abbey enjoys camping, reading, and attending sporting events.