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The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
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Organization

Organization

Director, Jason K. Sartori

  • Deputy Director, Robert Kronenberg
    • Assistant to the Deputy Director for Development and Design Review, Atul Sharma
    • Downcounty Planning Chief, Elza Hisel-McCoy
    • Mid-County Planning Chief, Carrie Sanders
    • Upcounty Planning Chief, Patrick Butler
    • Countywide Planning & Policy Division Acting Chief, David Anspacher
    • Intake and Regulatory Coordination, Christina Sorrento
  • Acting Deputy Director, Bridget Broullire
    • Management Services Chief, Karen Warnick
    • Research & Strategic Projects Chief, Caroline McCarthy
    • Acting Communications Chief, Chris Peifer
    • Information Technology & Innovation Chief, Vincenzo Hu
  • Senior Urban Designer in the Director’s Office, Paul Mortensen
  • Special Projects Coordinator, Khalid Afzal
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    Jason Sartori

    Planning Director

    Jason K. Sartori was appointed Planning Director by the Montgomery County Planning Board in November 2023. Prior to that, he served as the Chief of the Countywide Planning and Policy (CPP) Division from 2019 to 2023. The CPP division focuses on countywide planning efforts, including transportation planning, transportation networks and modeling, public infrastructure adequacy monitoring (including schools), environmental resources, historic preservation, Vision Zero, zoning, and housing policy. Jason joined Montgomery Planning in January 2016 and has since helped lead two updates to the county’s adequate public facilities ordinance, known as the Growth and Infrastructure Policy, and led the team that developed the county’s first Pedestrian Master Plan, a visionary document to systemically improve the pedestrian experience that the County Council approved in October 2023. Jason previously served as the Associate Director of the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland. While there, he led numerous projects related to affordable housing, transportation modeling, opportunity accessibility metrics, economic development, and growth visioning and scenario evaluation.

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    Acting Deputy Director

    Bridget Broullire is a lifelong Montgomery County resident who is dedicated to the mission of Montgomery Planning: improving the quality of life in Montgomery County by planning the natural and built environments for current and future generations.

    As Acting Deputy Director, Bridget oversees the following divisions: Communications, Management Services, Information Technology & Innovation, and Research and Strategic Projects. She is passionate about creating and increasing trust in Montgomery Planning so that all community members are welcomed into the planning process.

    Bridget has worked at Montgomery Planning for the past ten years, providing strategic leadership of the Communications Division with a focus on getting the word out about the department’s valuable work. She honed her approach to communications through her work at Hearst-Argyle Television, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and Rockville 11, the City of Rockville’s award-winning government access channel. Bridget holds a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from the Philip Merrill School of Journalism with a minor in Marketing from the University of Maryland, College Park.

    Bridget is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and has presented on engaging outreach strategies at the American Planning Association’s national conference. Bridget invites you to Connect with Montgomery Planning and get involved with the future of Montgomery County.

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    Robert Kronenberg

    Deputy Director

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    Robert Kronenberg is the Deputy Planning Director for Montgomery Planning and oversees the Downcounty, Mid-County and Upcounty planning teams as well as the Intake and Regulatory Coordination Division (IRC). His background is in Landscape Architecture and Planning with over 20 years of service at the Maryland National-Capital Park and Planning Commission in a number of capacities, including enforcement, development review and master plans.  He has led a wide range of projects and plans that have improved the quality of life and experience in the natural and built environments, including Cabin Branch, Clarksburg Town Center, Marriott Headquarters, Park Potomac, and Downtown Silver Spring.

    Prior to his career at the Commission, he spent 10 years with private engineering and land planning firms as a planner, project manager and landscape architect.  He has served on many committees and panels at the Commission and in the County related to transportation, building and site design, environment and enforcement, and is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree and license in Landscape Architecture.

    Prior to his appointment as Deputy Director in 2019, Mr. Kronenberg served as the Division Chief of the Area 1 team, focused on urban development and master planning in Bethesda, Chevy Chase Lake,  Longbranch, Lyttonsville, Silver Spring and Westbard.

    Mr. Kronenberg lives in Silver Spring and is active in local Boy Scouts.  He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Planning Association and Lambda Alpha International.

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    Downcounty Planning – Division Chief

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    An urban designer and architect by training, Elza Hisel-McCoy is the Division Chief of Downcounty Planning. He leads the master plan and development review teams in the urbanizing areas of Montgomery County inside the Capital Beltway. Elza joined the Montgomery County Planning Department in 2006 after five years in the private sector designing HOPE VI neighborhood revitalization projects with Torti Gallas and Partners of Silver Spring, MD.  Prior to his current position, he led two sector plans, Chevy Chase Lake and Bethesda Purple Line Station, and reviews of numerous development applications.

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    Mid-County Planning – Division Chief

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    Since September 2017, Carrie Sanders has been the Division Chief for Mid-County Planning in the Montgomery County Planning Department of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.  In this role, Ms. Sanders oversees a wide range of projects and plans, including development review and master planning, to improve the quality of life in Montgomery County by conserving and enhancing the natural and built environment.

    Prior to her appointment as Division Chief, Ms. Sanders served for seven years in the City of Alexandria, most recently as the Deputy Director of Transportation/Transit for the City of Alexandria, where she moved forward several major projects, including the Potomac Yard Metrorail Station and the Potomac Yard Small Area Plan, and the operation and expansion of Potomac Yard Metroway.

    Ms. Sanders began her career in Brussels, Belgium working in economic development.  She holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Maryland, College Park.

    Ms. Sanders has presented at national and regional conferences on a variety of planning topics and she is currently a member of the Leadership Montgomery CORE program. Carrie lives in Montgomery County with her husband and their three children.

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    Khalid Afzal@Montgomeryplanning.org

    Khalid Afzal is a Special Projects Coordinator in the Director’s Office. He has been with the Montgomery County Planning Department for more than 25 years working as a supervisor for the development review as well as master plan teams. Most recently he was the co-project manager for Thrive Montgomery 2050, the updated General Plan for Montgomery County which sets a 30-year vision for the county and provide guidance for land use, zoning, housing, the economy, equity, transportation, parks, the environment, and historic resources. Khalid has a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in city planning.

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    Upcounty Planning – Division Chief

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    Patrick Butler is the Chief of the Upcounty Planning Division. He leads the master plan and development review teams within the Upcounty, which encompasses approximately two-thirds of the County and includes Potomac, Darnestown, Germantown, Clarksburg, Damascus, Olney, Ashton-Sandy Spring, Burtonsville, Fairland and the Agricultural Reserve. Patrick joined the Montgomery County Planning Department in 2007 and has been a resident of the Upcounty since 2008. Prior to joining the Commission, Patrick worked as a planner in Kittitas County, a predominantly rural and agricultural county in the State of Washington, working directly with natural resource and agricultural industries and communities. As a college student in the State of Washington, he worked multiple jobs within and related to the agricultural industry. Patrick is excited about the eclectic diversity of the Upcounty, which includes urban, suburban, rural and agricultural disciplines.

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    David Anspacher was appointed Acting Division Chief for the Countywide Planning and Policy Division in November 2023. In this role, he oversees transportation planning, historic preservation, growth policy, environmental resources, zoning and housing policy. David joined Montgomery Planning in 2009. During his time at the Planning Department, David has led the development of the 2018 Bicycle Master Plan, was the co-Project Manager for the Complete Streets Design Guide and oversaw development of the 2023 Pedestrian Master Plan.

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    Intake and Regulatory Coordination (IRC) Chief

    Christina was a senior legal advisor to the Planning Board and the Montgomery County Planning Department.  She received her bachelor’s degree in History/Environmental Studies and Psychology from the State University of New York at Geneseo, followed by a law degree from the University at Buffalo School of Law.  She is licensed to practice law in New York, Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland, and has been with the Commission since 2008.  Prior to her work at the Commission, she was a site development consultant manager with Perkowitz and Ruth Architects. She has been directly involved with the IRC team in managing forest conservation enforcement cases, is the liaison for DRC meetings, and has been involved in the updates to Chapter 50 Subdivision Regulations, Forest Conservation Regulations and zoning.

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    Caroline McCarthy

    Research and Strategic Projects
    caroline.mccarthy@montgomeryplanning.org
    Caroline McCarthy is the Division Chief for Research and Strategic Projects, which is responsible for providing demographic, economic, real estate market, and affordable housing analysis to support master plans, development review, and land use policy decisions. Caroline joined the Montgomery County Planning Department in April 2016 from HR&A Advisors, a national real estate, economic development, and public policy consulting firm, where she was managing principal in the Washington, DC office. She has extensive experience developing market analyses and implementation strategies for master plans of complex sites, including brownfields, former military bases, downtowns, and transit-oriented development. She has also provided economic and real estate market advisory services to private sector clients looking to advance real estate development or public policy initiatives. Caroline holds a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Wesleyan University. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute and Lambda Alpha International.

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    Karen Warnick

    Management Services
    karen.warnick@montgomeryplanning.org
    Karen Warnick is the Division Chief of Management Services. She oversees the budget, procurement, human resources, training and development, and policy for the Department. Prior to joining the Montgomery Planning Department in February 2015, Karen spent 22 years working for the Montgomery County Department of Parks. Over the course of her career at Parks, she served as the Management Analyst, Administrative Specialist, Enterprise Regional Operations Manager and Departmental Budget Manager. She holds bachelor of science degree in finance, bachelor of arts degree in economics and a master of arts degree in recreation administration, all from the University of Maryland.

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    Atul is an urban planner at the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. As an architectural and urban designer, Atul has extensive experience in integrated community planning, transit oriented development, large scale sustainable master planning, mixed-use communities, neighborhood design, design guidelines and contextual architecture. During his career, Atul has worked in the United States and internationally on both architecture and urban design projects with some of the top leaders in planning, architecture and real estate development.

    Atul loves creating places that are sustainable and contextual and elevate the experience of everyday life for all members of the community. Atul also has a keen interest in improving the practice of design through research and exploring emerging technological trends.

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    Paul Mortensen is a Chief and Senior Urban Designer in the Director’s Office at Montgomery Planning and is leading the Design Excellence efforts within the organization. He is a registered architect in the states of California, Washington and Maryland, is a LEED Accredited Professional, a member of the Congress for New Urbanism, and is an Architect and Urban Designer of significant talent and experience with a strong emphasis on sustainable architecture design in urban settings. His primary focus over the past thirty years has been on master planning and urban design of residential and mixed-use communities. Mr. Mortensen was an Associate Principle with Torti Gallas and Partners in Silver Spring, Maryland where he served as a leading principal of the Planning and Urban Design Studio and was involved in a number of large scale, award winning master planning projects and new town designs such as the Crystal City, Virginia Master Plan and the Tacoma, Washington Salishan HOPE VI development.

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    Acting Communications Division Chief

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    Chris Peifer was appointed Acting Communications Division Chief in January 2024. Prior to this role, he was the Communications Manager for the division and oversaw Montgomery Planning’s marketing, video, graphic design, and digital operations. Chris joined the Planning Department in 2014.

    For press and media inquiries, please contact Chris via email.