President's Message - Spring/Summer 2023

Happy Summer!

Our AEP Board and Committee Members have been diligently working on new initiatives such as the Mentorship Program and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative. The Mentorship Committee is finalizing the process of assigning 1-1 mentor/mentee pairs and peer mentoring groups and will begin sessions soon! The upcoming sessions will offer a great way to foster new professional relationships in one-on-one or small group settings. For more information, check out our webpage at https://www.califaep.org/mentorship_program.php. Meanwhile, the DEI Committee continues to work with Castillo Consulting Partners on DEI training resources and strategies for being a more inclusive organization. See our DEI page at https://www.califaep.org/dei.php and stay tuned for more updates.

Our CEQA Advanced Workshops were held in-person early March followed by a virtual CEQA Advanced Workshop in May. Both the in-person and the virtual CEQA Advanced Workshops were well attended and offered updated info to our members regarding current legal trends and hot topics affecting the application of the Law & Guidelines. Thank you to Ascent Environmental’s Gary Jacobs and Chris Mundhenk and their Committee of CEQA experts for spending endless hours writing the curriculum for AEP members each year. If you missed the workshops, the virtual session is still available for purchase online at https://www.califaep.org/2023_advanced_ceqa_workshop.php.

Various members of the AEP Legislative Committee and our lobbyist Matt Klopfenstein attended the Day at the Capitol in early March. We met with 20 Legislators and/or staff and held our traditional CEQA Hot Topics course. Our most recent legislative update can be found on our website at https://www.califaep.org/aep_legislative_update_june_2023.php.

It was great to see so many of you at the 2023 Conference, which was held in person at the beautiful Everline Resort and Spa, Lake Tahoe on April 23-26. Over 600 environmental professionals attended this year, AEP’s largest attended conference to-date! Save the Date for the AEP 2024 conference, March 24-27 at the luxurious JW Marriott, Anaheim. The 2024 Call for Presentations and Sponsorship opportunities are available online and in this version of the EM. Conference registration is now open at https://www.califaep.org/2024_aep_conference.php.

The 2023 AEP Institute webinar was held virtually on Friday, June 9. Over 90 attendees joined online. This year’s topic was Planning and Environmental Clearance of Housing Projects. In case you missed it, the recorded sessions are now available for purchase at https://www.califaep.org/2023_aep_institute.php.

Lastly, you do not want to miss all the amazing programs that your local AEP chapter are having each month.

AEP is over 2300 members strong! I hope that you continue to enjoy and appreciate the benefits and services that AEP provides and the efforts of the Board to keep the organization improving. We strive to keep our members updated with the most current information in the environmental profession as well as offer numerous trainings to make your careers more fulfilling and rewarding. All AEP programs are also AICP & MCLE certified.

If you would like to get more involved with AEP (state or local), please contact Lynne Bynder, AEP Executive Director at lbynder@califaep.org.

We appreciate your continued support and thank you for your membership.

Sincerely,

Mindy Fogg
AEP President