Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
The program was developed to address a clear need. Stefanoff recognized that many appointed or employed commissioners and staff in local government lack planning expertise or understanding. “Since these individuals are making community-impacting decisions, they need to be trained,” she explained.
To create the training, Stefanoff recruited volunteers to work on a comprehensive curriculum. The final program consists of six modules covering the essential knowledge that commissioners and officials must master to make sound planning decisions.
After working on the curriculum for some time, the team launched a trial version in 2022. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with a high demand for more training. Following this success, the team prepared six full modules and opened the official class in August 2025.
Eleven students have completed all six modules and passed the final exam, earning the Certified Citizen Planner status from the APA-OK chapter, which has approved the certification. If you would like to learn more or are interested in joining the next training cycle in August 2026, please contact Petya Stefanoff at Petya.Stefanoff-1@ou.edu.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce the promotion of Ph.D. student Rafael Hernandez to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Gibbs College of Architecture Assistant Professor Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design, has co-authored a new book chapter with Josh Newton and Andrew Born, published in De Gruyter Handbook of the Geographies of Race.
Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design (PLAD) alumni Trey Ingram, AICP recently spoke with current PLAD student and graduate media assistant Molly Strobel to share his experiences with the Regional and City Planning program and current work with the Toyota Mobility Foundation.
