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2016 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 470
Commending Martha Mason Semmes.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2016
Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2016

 

WHEREAS, Martha Mason Semmes, town administrator for Middleburg, has been named to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners for her outstanding achievements in town planning; and

WHEREAS, Martha Mason Semmes was recognized by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) in the category of community service and leadership; being designated a Fellow by the AICP is the profession’s highest honor; and

WHEREAS, AICP Fellows have shown excellence in professional practice, teaching and mentoring, research, public and community service, and leadership; they also have made positive and long-lasting contributions to the planning profession, which works to create communities that offer better choices for where and how people live; and

WHEREAS, as town administrator, Martha Mason Semmes, who is also Middleburg’s chief administrative officer, serves as “cheerleader-in-chief” of the historic town in Loudoun County; earlier in her career, she was its town planner; and

WHEREAS, Martha Mason Semmes previously was director of planning and zoning for Purcellville, planning and zoning director for Leesburg, Main Street coordinator for Loudoun County, and physical planning chief for the Northern Virginia Planning District Commission; and

WHEREAS, Martha Mason Semmes concentrates on issues important to small towns and has frequently spoken at the annual conference of the American Planning Association Virginia chapter; she also works to see that affordable housing is of the same quality as other housing in the community; and

WHEREAS, additionally, Martha Mason Semmes, who has led efforts to preserve structures of historic significance, played a key role in the preservation of historic Asbury Church; she has worked to ensure that new development is successfully integrated while maintaining a locality’s character; and

WHEREAS, a leader in her profession and community, Martha Mason Semmes has been an active member of several professional organizations, including the Virginia Local Government Management Association, and has made valued contributions as a member of the Windy Hill Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Martha Mason Semmes, who attended Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, is known as a passionate and tireless advocate for social justice through community service; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Martha Mason Semmes, town administrator for Middleburg, for being named a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners for her outstanding achievements in town planning; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Martha Mason Semmes as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration and congratulations for her leadership and exemplary accomplishments that have helped define the places where Virginians live and work.