Organization

Jason Sartori

Planning Director

Jason K. Sartori was appointed Planning Director by the Montgomery County Planning Board in November 2023. As Planning Director, he oversees the efforts of more than 150 department staff focused on community planning, the review of development applications, housing and zoning policy, forest conservation and restoration, historic preservation, placemaking, equitable community engagement, transportation planning, transportation networks and modeling, public infrastructure adequacy monitoring, and environmental resilience. Prior to becoming Planning Director, Jason served as Chief of Montgomery Planning’s Countywide Planning and Policy Division from 2019 to 2023. Since joining Montgomery Planning in January 2016, he has led updates to the county’s adequate public facilities ordinance, known as the Growth and Infrastructure Policy, and oversaw efforts to develop the county’s Complete Streets Design Guide and first Pedestrian Master Plan, visionary documents to systemically improve the experience of all roadway users in Montgomery County. Jason previously served as the Associate Director of the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland. While there, he led numerous coalition-building initiatives and projects related to housing, transportation, program evaluation, access to opportunity, economic development, visioning, and scenario planning.

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.

Deputy Director of Administration

Bridget is a lifelong Montgomery County resident who is passionate about making the county a great place to live, work, and visit by advancing the three goals of Thrive Montgomery 2050 – community equity, economic development, and environmental resilience. Bridget is also focused on Montgomery Planning’s ongoing community engagement so that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the planning process. 

In her 11 years with Montgomery Planning, Bridget has served as an advisor and strategic communicator for the Director’s Office and the Planning Board. She has led major projects including advancing the department’s equitable engagement initiatives, coordinating the department’s internal strategic planning, working with the leadership team to finalize a Thrive Montgomery 2050 implementation plan, and building relationships with county, state and regional stakeholders to achieve department and county goals.  

As Deputy Director for Administration, Bridget is focused on strengthening collaboration and efficiencies within   four of Montgomery Planning’s divisions: Communications, Management Services, Information Technology and Innovation, and Research and Strategic Projects. Prior to assuming this role, Bridget served as Montgomery Planning’s Communications Division Chief, guiding the strategic communications approach for more than 25 master plans and numerous projects and policies. Harnessing community engagement best practices and audience-centric strategies, Bridget has led multiple award-winning projects in media relations, creative writing, graphic design, website content, and video production that have helped inform and engage the county’s 1.2 million residents on the department’s work improving the county’s natural and built environments for current and future generations.    

As a former journalist, Bridget is uniquely positioned to continue to add value to the department in her current role. Prior to joining M-NCPPC, Bridget 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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

David Anspacher was appointed Division Chief for the Countywide Planning and Policy Division in July 2024. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Vince Hu serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Information Technology and Innovation Division; a unique team which supports both Montgomery Planning and Parks departments. He oversees the IT operations for both organizations, including network, systems, project management, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and strategic alignment with the Montgomery side of the Commission. 

He is a product of Montgomery County Public Schools and grew up in underserved communities in the county.