About
The Academy
The Academy provides an opportunity for Prince Georgians to learn the planning framework for the County, engage in the planning and development review process, and delve into specialized planning topics that affect the sustainability and livelihood of their communities.
The Neighborhood Planning Academy launched in Fall 2023. The academy sessions are held during the evenings for seven successive Wednesdays. The first six sessions are virtual, and the final session is held in person for participant presentations and a graduation celebration. The topics of the sessions include the history of Prince George’s County, introduction of urban planning, introduction to the development review process, health and sustainability planning, and transportation planning.
Awards
In December 2020, the Prince George’s County Planning Department developed an exploratory team to research and design a Neighborhood Planning Academy for Prince George’s County.
- 2025 Achievement Award: Civic Education and Public Information, National Association of Counties (NACo)
- 2024 Maryland Planning Award: Community Engagement / Education, American Planning Association (APA) Maryland Chapter and Maryland Planning Commissioners Association
- 2024 Gold Award: Publications / Magazine – Government, MarCom Awards
- 2024 Grand Award: Campaigns, Programs, and Plans, APEX – Awards for Publications Excellence
- 2023 Award of Excellence: Campaigns, Programs, and Plans – Public Service, APEX – Awards for Publications Excellence
About us
Meet our team
Deputy Director of operations
James Hunt
PLANNER III, Planning Director's office
Marian Honeczy
PLANNER IV, Planning Director's Office
Natalia Gomez-Rojas
PLANNER III, COMMUNITY PLANNING DIVISION
Elena Perry
Chief Communications officer
Calista Black
Public Affairs & Marketing Specialist II
Carly Brockinton
History of the Academy
2020
In December 2020, the Prince George’s County Planning Department developed an exploratory team to research and design a Neighborhood Planning Academy for Prince George’s County.
2021
From February to April 2021, the exploratory team conducted in-depth research pertaining to existing stakeholder knowledge about urban planning and local government and comprehensively reviewed the Department’s civic educational activities. This included seven interviews of peer jurisdictions, analyzing 670 survey responses from County residents and stakeholders, and conducting more than 15 interviews with Planning Department staff.
2023
The Prince George’s County Neighborhood Planning Academy launched the first cohort in fall 2023 and serves as a critical community outreach and training initiative of the Prince George’s County Planning Department.