An employee of Mississippi State University’s Carl Small Town Center has been chosen to head up the Mississippi chapter of the American Planning Association.
Thomas R. Gregory III was elected to a one-year term as president-elect of the organization this year. In January 2019, he will begin a two-year term as president.
“It is an honor to be selected by my peers and colleagues across Mississippi to lead our state chapter,” Gregory said. “The work we do as planners is critical to the success of Mississippi’s communities, and I will work hard to promote our profession across the state.”
Prior to being elected, he served as the organization’s public information officer
A 2005 alumnus of MSU in business administration, construction management and land development, he returned to MSU in 2017 as a community planner after serving as chief administrative officer of his native Greenwood for eight years. He also holds a master’s of city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and is licensed by the American Institute of Certified Planners. He is also a member of the Congress for new Urbanism, among other professional groups.
Gregory said he looks forward to collaborating with the rest of the organization’s executive team to update the chapter’s strategic plan and increase membership across the state.
“I would also like to piggy-back on our national organization’s ‘Great Places’ initiative by creating a ‘Great Places in Mississippi’ program to recognize Mississippi communities that exemplify good planning,” Gregory said.
The Carl Small Town Center is part of the MSU College of Architecture, Art and Design dedicated to improving small towns across Mississippi. It has worked on a range of projects in several Gregory towns across the state since 2004.