Member Spotlight
APA Texas DEI Committee Member Spotlight 2: Amma Cobbinah
Please join us in celebrating the outstanding contributions of our member, Amma Cobbinah, in this edition's APATX Member Spotlight!
Amma has been a member of APA for over 20 years and a member of the APATX for 15+ years. Her work has played a significant role by prioritizing needs of communities that are culturally diverse, low-income, and transit dependent such as Greenspoint, Gulfton and other communities in the southwest region.
Amma Cobbinah is committed to ensure that projects address sidewalk improvements; bikeway connections with bike parking shelters and bike repair stations; ADA accessible and sheltered bus pads; ADA ramps to provide a safe path to connect patrons to transit stops - all in an effort to provide first-last mile options, stimulate equitable multi-modal transportation opportunities and added value to communities and corridors.
Amma Cobbinah has over 15 years’ experience in directing overall development and implementation of METRO's regional, multi-modal program. She leads planning for multiple long and short-range capital projects, advances projects through the Federal Project Development processes, provides continued management support during engineering and construction phases for Federal, agency, and performs stakeholder coordination and related public-facing activities.
As a former chair of the Diversity Committee with the WTS Houston chapter (an organization advancing women in transportation), Amma advanced topics and discussions that recognized awareness in transportation gaps and worked to a build transformational coalition of equity and inclusion with strategic enhanced mobility.
After graduating from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Planning, and graduate studies in Transportation Planning & Management, Amma started her professional career with WCW International, Inc. Following that, Amma has been with the Metro Transit Authority of Harris County for the past 15 years.
Please join us in applauding Amma Cobbinah’s leadership, passion, and dedication to planning and implementing projects that cater to the diverse needs of the community.
APA Texas DEI Committee Member Spotlight 1: Desiree Powell
Join us in recognizing the outstanding contributions of our member, Desiree Powell, in this edition's APATX Member Spotlight!
Desiree has always been driven by a passion to make a difference in many communities in Texas. After graduating from UTA with a degree in Planning, Desiree gained valuable experience through working as a planner in the DFW area.
Following college, Desiree worked for the City in Lancaster, the City of Grand Prairie, and the City of Port Arthur. Her commitment to Dallas led her to create the Sunny South Dallas Food Park. The Sunny South Dallas Food Park is a community-driven initiative that seeks to create economic mobility and opportunity for South Dallas. It's an urban planning and business incubator that provides a safe space for Black-owned businesses to thrive. By building community equity, they are committed to investing in generational wealth for the South Dallas community.
She has most recently teamed up with Jazmin Moreno to create a deck of Urban Planning flashcards. The flashcards clearly define planning terms that are commonly used in this industry. They can be used to engage with the community, students, organizations, and other urban planners. This tool is crucial to educate the community and keep them informed as many planning issues end up affecting them in the long term. It furthers her mission to simplify the complexity of urban planning policies & processes to educate and empower communities of color.
Today, Desiree serves as the founder of DRBTS, Do Right By The Streets, is a Black, Woman Owned urban planning + place creation group that puts communities of color first. Their practice is unconventional in that it focuses on people first within the traditional practice of urban planning and challenges the way things have been done to communities. Particularly communities of color. She created DRBTS to gain expertise and experience from the streets, the community and the people who inhabit them.
Join us in applauding Desiree Powell's unwavering dedication to planning, serving the community, and impactful leadership!