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SUMMARY:MRSC Webinar: Implementing and Monitoring Local Climate Plans
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday, September 23, 2026\n10 AM – 11:30 AM\nCost: FREE\nAICP Sustainability Credits Pending\nRegister Today\n\nWebinar Overview\nWashington’s 2023 Climate Planning Law (HB 1181) added a climate goal to the Growth Management Act and requires counties and cities to include a climate change and resiliency element in their updated comprehensive plans. However, plan adoption is only the first step. Successful implementation requires jurisdictions to track progress, evaluate outcomes, and adjust strategies over time.\nThis webinar will explore practical approaches for implementing climate elements and measuring progress. Presenters from state and local government and the private sector will discuss state requirements, implementation resources, performance metrics, reporting strategies, and local examples of climate mitigation and adaptation in action. Staff from the Washington State Department of Commerce will also provide updates on climate element reviews, grant funding, and common implementation questions.\n\nEducational Objectives\nLocal governments play a critical role in protecting communities from climate-related risks such as wildfires and extreme heat. Through proactive planning, inclusive engagement, and strategic partnerships, they can strengthen both social and physical infrastructure to enhance resilience.\nBy the end of this webinar, participants will: :\n\nUnderstand state requirements, guidance, and available resources to support climate element implementation, including tools such as the Climate Policy Explorer.\nLearn practical approaches for tracking and reporting progress on climate mitigation and adaptation policies.\nGain insights from jurisdictions that are implementing climate elements and monitoring policy outcomes.\nBuild skills for using data, metrics, and online tools to support climate plan implementation and ongoing evaluation.\n\n\nWho Should Attend?\nLocal government elected officials and staff involved in climate planning and implementation, including sustainability and climate staff, planners, public works, parks, and public health professionals, advisory board members, and others interested in tracking and advancing climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.\n\nCredits\nThis training is eligible for:\n\n1.0 hours of CM Sustainability credit from the American Planning Association (pending approval).\n\n\nPresenters\nMichael Burnham, Climate Policy Team Manager, Local Government Division, Washington State Department of Commerce\nMichael Burnham helps local governments mitigate and adapt to climate change with the Washington Department of Commerce. Michael’s prior planning work includes contributing to regional climate and sustainability plans and electric bus and rapid-transit initiatives. Michael worked previously as a journalist in Washington, D.C., where his reporting about energy and environmental policy and technology appeared in E&E/Politico’s Greenwire, The New York Times, CBS MarketWatch, and Scientific American and won awards from the National Press Club and Society of Environmental Journalists. Michael holds graduate degrees from Portland State (MURP) and Northwestern (MSJ) and a climate and health program certificate from Yale.\nMelissa Johnston, AICP, CFM, Senior Planner, Growth Management Services, Washington State Department of Commerce\nMelissa Johnston (she/her) is a senior planner at the Washington State Department of Commerce. She works in the Climate and Ecosystem Section within Growth Management Services where she helps manage the Climate Planning Grants Program and supports communities with implementing comprehensive planning strategies that build climate resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Growth Management Act. Melissa holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources from the University of Washington. Before becoming a planner, she spent ten years working in urban forestry and solid waste management. Since then, she worked as a city planner and consultant for small communities throughout Washington and Oregon, leading development review efforts, contributing to a wide variety of long-range planning projects, and earned both her AICP and CFM (certified floodplain manager) credentials along the way.\nAndrea Martin, Director, Partner, Cascadia Consulting Group\nAndrea Martin is a Partner and Director at Cascadia Consulting Group, where she leads climate and sustainability planning initiatives for local governments across Washington and the United States. For more than a decade, Andrea has helped communities develop and implement climate action plans, greenhouse gas inventories, climate elements, resilience strategies, and implementation frameworks that translate ambitious goals into measurable outcomes. Andrea has worked extensively with Washington jurisdictions to support climate planning under the Growth Management Act and has partnered with the Washington State Department of Commerce on statewide climate planning guidance and local government technical assistance. She has also led regional and local greenhouse gas inventory and monitoring efforts across Washington, supported countywide planning policy updates, and collaborated with metropolitan planning organizations, regional air districts, and multi-jurisdictional collaboratives to advance climate tracking and implementation. Drawing on experience from dozens of local climate planning projects nationwide, Andrea specializes in helping communities establish practical implementation strategies, performance metrics, and reporting systems that support long-term accountability and adaptive management.\nPamela Braff, PhD, Director of Climate Programs, City of Olympia\nDr. Pamela Braff is the Director of Climate Programs for the City of Olympia, where she leads the City’s climate action and resilience initiatives and works across departments to integrate climate action across all levels of planning, policy, and operations. Her work focuses on translating ambitious climate goals into practical, lasting solutions that build more resilient and vibrant communities. With more than a decade of experience in climate science, policy, and planning, Pamela has led initiatives to advance energy efficiency and electrification, electric vehicle readiness, coastal resilience, extreme heat preparedness, and more. Before joining the City of Olympia, she served as a Policy Fellow for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a Climate Extension Specialist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Pamela holds a PhD in Marine Science from William & Mary and an MS in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation from Virginia Tech. \nTiffany Speir, Esq., CPM, Planning Division Manager, City of Lakewood \nTiffany Speir is the Lakewood Planning Division Manager and ARPA Program Manager. She is responsible for staffing land use planning policy development and implementation. She also oversees work on Lakewood’s Urban Forestry Program, Climate Change Program, and Lakewood’s role as fiscal agency for the South Sound Military & Communities Partnership (SSMCP). Tiffany serves as a representative for Lakewood on many external groups, including the Pierce County Growth Management Coordinating Committee, Puget Sound Regional Council Regional Staff Committee, Pierce County Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness (CPEH) Advisory Board, and the Pierce County Behavioral Health Advisory Committee. Tiffany is a graduate of the Seattle University School Law and the University of Utah. Her past professional positions include Government Relations Director of Pierce County, Program Manager for the South Sound Military & Communities Partnership (SSMCP), and Executive Director of the Master Builders Association of Pierce County. Tiffany holds a Certificate in Public Management, a Certificate in Non-Profit Management, a J.D. degree from Seattle University School of Law, and a History degree from the University of Utah. She is also a 500-RYT/YACEP yoga teacher and a cellist.\nJill Dvorkin, Legal Consultant, MRSC (Moderator)\nJill Dvorkin joined MRSC as a legal consultant in June 2016 after working for nine years as a civil deputy prosecuting attorney for Skagit County. At Skagit County, Jill advised the planning department on a wide variety of issues including permit processing and appeals, Growth Management Act (GMA) compliance, code enforcement, SEPA, public records, legislative process, and public records. Jill was born and raised in Fargo, ND, then moved to Bellingham to attend college and experience a new part of the country (and mountains!). She earned a B.A. in Environmental Policy and Planning from Western Washington University and graduated with a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law in 2003.\n
URL:https://planningassociationofwa.org/events/mrsc-webinar-implementing-and-monitoring-local-climate-plans/
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