The Massachusetts Distinguished Planner Lecture is an annual lecture which honors a retiring or retired practitioner. It occurs in the spring, and rotates throughout the state. The lecture offers the featured planner the opportunity to reflect on their practice and speak openly and frankly about their experience in the profession. The lecture will enter its 3rd year of existence in 2025. Save-the-date: the 2025 Lecture will take place at the Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs in Boston on Thursday, March 13th at 4PM: 102 Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (ISEC) Building.
2025 Lecture | Gail Latimore, Executive Director at the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation
Gail Latimore has been a leading voice in neighborhood planning in Boston for more than 25 years. As Executive Director of the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, she helped shape that organization as a powerful force for affordable housing, economic development, sustainability and community engagement in the vibrant South Dorchester neighborhood. She served as a founding board member of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, as a board member of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations, and on several state, regional, and local boards dedicated to responsible community development. She has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Columbia University and studied urban affairs at Boston University.
102 Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (ISEC) Building, Boston
By subway: 2-minute walk from the Ruggles Orange Line T stop or a 10-minute walk from Northeastern University Green Line T stop. By car: Park at the Renaissance Park Garage ($28 for 2 hours).
Tufts University led an effort across the state to establish the lecture, bringing together the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-MA), planning departments at other Massachusetts universities, philanthropic organizations, and other donors to make the lecture happen.
The lecture operates in partnership with the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-MA) and aims to strengthen connections between planning professionals and the university communities within Massachusetts. The lecture celebrates the accomplishments of a planner while offering a unique educational experience to planning students in the Commonwealth. All members of the APA-MA, as well as students and faculty at all Massachusetts planning schools are invited!
Last Year’s Lecture | Ralph Wilmer, FAICP, NCICS
