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Advisory Board

Advisory Board

The Advisory Board of the School of City and Regional Planning was founded in August 2019.

The purpose of the Advisory Board is to act as an active advisory group to the Chair of the School of City and Regional Planning and to assist the Chair and the School in identifying and resourcing opportunities to promote and strengthen its academic and research programs, and its partnerships with communities and organizations in Atlanta and beyond.

Our Advisory Board connects students with organizations that offer educational experiences, training and employment in city and regional planning.

The members aim to promote and advance the best interests of the School on a local, regional and national level.

Jennifer Ball

Jennifer Ball

Jennifer Ball is Vice President of Planning and Economic Development for Central Atlanta Progress, Inc. (CAP) where she directs urban planning, economic development, transportation and sustainability initiatives to expand Downtown Atlanta’s economic vibrancy and quality of life. 

Recent notable initiatives under her direction include the development of the Atlanta Arts & Entertainment District; stewardship of the Stitch vision plan; the Atlanta Streetcar Development and Investment Guide; the Downtown Atlanta Master Plan; and the on-going implementation of $40 million worth of public space placemaking and capital improvements.

Jennifer has been named a member of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Up and Comers: 40 under 40” group of promising young leaders.  She is a founding Executive Committee member of Sweet Auburn Works, Inc. and has served on the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees. Additionally, Jennifer is a member of the Urban Land Institute and a founding member of the Atlanta District Council Young Leaders Group.  Jennifer has been a guest lecturer at Georgia Tech’s City and Regional Planning program and a presenter at national and local conferences on topics ranging from downtown economic development and business improvements districts to transportation planning and plan implementation.

Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture and a Master of City Planning degree also from Georgia Tech. 

Claudia M. Bilotto, AICP

Claudia M. Bilotto, AICP

Claudia Bilotto is a Vice President with WSP USA in Atlanta, Georgia where she currently serves as the Georgia Area Manager. Claudia received her Masters in City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her BA in Telecommunications from Pennsylvania State University. She has spent her career in transportation planning in Atlanta, serving as a project manager and lead planner on a variety of projects. Her experience includes the development of state and regional long-range plans, multi-modal countywide and corridor studies, roadway, rail, and transit feasibility studies, environmental documentation, and stakeholder engagement strategy development for a variety of public sector clients including departments of transportation, transit agencies, and county and city governments. Claudia currently serves on the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Board of Directors and is a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing Committee on Metropolitan Planning, Policy, and Process. She is also a longtime member of WTS, the American Planning Association and the Georgia Planning Association.

Douglas R. Hooker

Douglas R. Hooker

Doug Hooker leads the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), which convenes local government leaders, their community partners, and residents in developing strategies to improve the Atlanta region’s quality of life and address the challenges of a rapidly emerging future. The agency’s work addresses community development, transportation and mobility, water and natural resources, arts and culture, aging and independence services, workforce solutions, homeland security, and community-oriented research and analytics. 

In his career, Doug has worked for public sector and private sector organizations, among them: the City of Atlanta’s Department of Public Works (serving as the Commissioner who led the agency through the 1996 Olympic Games); the State Road & Tollway Authority, SRTA (Executive Director); Director of Finance and Administration with Bio-Lab, Inc., and Vice President for Southern States Business Development and Marketing with Atkins Engineering (formerly PBS&J). He began his career with Georgia Power, having worked as a design engineer, project manager, section supervisor, and as a technology policy analyst. Through the different facets of his career he has been able to work on important regional and local projects in the areas of energy, education, transportation, transit, and water. 

Doug is involved in several aspects of the community and his profession. In the community his service includes board service on the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the Aurora Theatre, the Atlanta Music Project, the Council for Quality Growth, the Fox Theatre Institute, and the advisory boards of the Ivan Allen College and Agnes Scott College. Professionally, he serves as First Vice President of the Executive Directors’ Council of the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) and he is a founding and active member of the Major Metros Seminar group. Recently, he has joined the national advisory board for SPARCC (the Strong Prosperous, And Resilient Communities Challenge). 

Doug holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree and a Master of Science (in Technology & Science Policy) degree from Georgia Tech, as well as a Masters of Business Administration from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He is married to Patrise Perkins-Hooker, a Georgia Tech and Emory alumna herself, who is the County Attorney for Fulton County and the first African American to serve as President of the State Bar of Georgia. In his spare time, Doug composes music, studies the oboe, (occasionally) produces oboe concerts, sings with the Trey Clegg Singers, loves to travel with his wife, spend time with his grandchildren, and read. 

Debbie Kimerling

The focal point of Debbie's career was local government planning in DeKalb County, Georgia. Working with a County commissioner often included ‘touching’ a project at every step in the process including concept development, funding, and public support. While there were many, those which were significant included: North Druid Hills LCI and TAD, and the creation of the Late Night and Noise Ordinance, Mason Mill Park redevelopment in conjunction with the PATH Foundation, and Central DeKalb Senior Center-structural as well as program development.

Debbie considers herself very fortunate to have been a part-time student in the Georgia Tech planning program while working full time for the County; and yes, this did elongate the number of years needed to complete course work, develop, and complete a thesis. However, the challenges within the program combined with on the job related projects produced an extremely knowledgeable approach to analyze local government issues.

Cristina Pastore, AICP, P.E.

Cristina Pastore, AICP, P.E.

Cristina Pastore, AICP, P.E., has been a transportation planner and traffic engineer with Kimley-Horn in Atlanta for the past 14 years. A native of northeastern Ohio, she received her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Akron and then moved to Atlanta to attend Georgia Tech, where she completed a dual master’s degree in City and Regional Planning and Civil Engineering. Cristina has managed complex multimodal transportation plans for cities and counties throughout metro Atlanta including Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb, and North Fulton Counties. Additionally, she has managed multiple corridor studies, the development of Gwinnett’s Countywide Trails Master Plan and Comprehensive Transit Development Plan, and is supporting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with an Urban Transportation Connections Study that seeks to improve equitable transportation access to urban wildlife refuges across the country. Cristina serves on the Kimley-Horn Foundation Board and the Board of the Georgia Planning Association, is an active member of the Cathedral of Christ the King, volunteers with Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit Catholic High School, and previously chaired the DeKalb County Relay For Life for the American Cancer Society.

Steve Weir

Steve Weir

Steve Weir currently serves as the Vice President for Habitat for Humanity International. Mr. Weir is currently focused on leading Habitat for Humanity’s efforts as an emerging global thought leader and practitioner in housing innovation; building on his previous operational role as VP for Global Programs supporting over 80 countries.  Areas of responsibility included Urban Programs, Sustainable Design and Energy Efficiency; Housing Finance and Market Development; Volunteer and Faith Engagement; Disaster Resilience; Evaluation and Organizational Effectiveness. 

Mr. Weir started the HFH Sri Lanka country program in 1993 before becoming Vice President for HFHI operations in Asia-Pacific for 20 countries where as a part of that work he oversaw the 2004 Asia Tsunami reconstruction project in four countries impacting over 125,000 people.

Early in his career, Mr. Weir spent 16 years in private practice as a licensed Architect, working with a San Francisco-based architectural and real estate development firm, on projects throughout the Pacific Rim.