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Montgomery Planning Announces Two New Deputy Planning Directors

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Planning Director Gwen Wright has tapped Tanya Stern, Deputy Director for Planning, Engagement and Design at the DC Office of Planning, and Robert Kronenberg, current Division Chief of Area 1 at Montgomery Planning, who will fill acting position  

SILVER SPRING, MDThe Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tanya Stern as Deputy Director and Robert Kronenberg as Acting Deputy Director for the Planning Department. Ms. Stern and Mr. Kronenberg were selected for these roles after Planning Director Gwen Wright conducted a national search.

Tanya Stern, the Deputy Director for Planning, Engagement and Design at the DC Office of Planning, will supervise four divisions in the department: Functional Planning and Policy, Research and Special Projects, Management Services, and Information Technology and Innovation. Stern will join Montgomery Planning on August 27.

Robert Kronenberg, currently Montgomery Planning’s Division Chief of Area 1, will supervise the Development and Regulatory Coordination Division (DARC) and the Area 1, 2 and 3 planning teams. His title will be Acting Deputy Director until this second position is fully processed.

Attorney Carol Rubin left her position as Principal Counsel of the Montgomery Land Use Team to serve as the Acting Deputy Director since January 2018 when former Deputy Director Rose Krasnow retired from the position. Rubin will continue working for Montgomery Planning as the new project manager coordinating the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study. She will represent the Montgomery County Planning and Parks Departments in collaboration with Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation and Planning Departments to fulfill the role of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission as a cooperating agency with the MDOT SHA on the study.

“I’m so thrilled about the new structure of the senior leadership team at Montgomery Planning,” says Planning Director Gwen Wright. “I am grateful for Carol Rubin’s leadership and the energy she brought to the job while she was Acting Deputy Director. After a comprehensive search, I am confident that we now have two excellent leaders in place to help me in guiding the department to best serve the residents and business owners of Montgomery County as we plan for the future.”

Director Wright will be taking on a larger role in updating the county’s General Plan and the Department’s Design Excellence initiative, while spending more time writing and speaking about the Planning Department’s vision for Montgomery County.

About Tanya Stern

Tanya Stern has most recently worked as the Deputy Director for Planning, Engagement and Design at the DC Office of Planning (OP). In that position, Stern directed land use planning initiatives, including the latest update of Washington, DC’s comprehensive plan; waterfront and neighborhood planning, and urban design. These efforts included integrating the topic of resilience into the city’s comprehensive plan for the first time and partnering with District, regional and federal agencies on climate adaptation and flood management initiatives. Stern previously served as the OP’s chief of staff under Harriet Tregoning and was the project manager for the 2013 Height Master Plan, requested by the United States Congress in partnership with the National Capital Planning Commission, to reexamine the federal Height Act. Stern has served in the government of the District of Columbia since 2004 and, prior to working at OP, held positions in the Executive Office of the Mayor; the Office of Property Management (now Department of General Services); and the Department of Parks and Recreation. She also has more than 10 years of non-profit experience. Tanya holds a masters degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania and is a certified public manager.

About Robert Kronenberg

Since 2013, Robert Kronenberg has been the Montgomery County Planning Department’s Division Chief of Area 1, which encompasses the areas of the county inside the Capital Beltway. He has led plans and projects for Bethesda, Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Friendship Heights, and has overseen development review functions for these communities. Kronenberg has worked at the Planning Department in a number of capacities since 2000 and 10 years in the private sector as a planner, project manager and landscape architect. Robert has served on many committees at the commission and in the county related to transportation, building and site design, environment and enforcement. He earned a bachelors degree in landscape architecture from Louisiana State University.