Huxley's Nick Zaferatos wins state APA award

WWU’s Professor of Environmental Studies Nicholas Zaferatos was honored as the recipient of the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Associations’ 2019 Myer R. Wolfe Award for professional achievement for his contributions to the advancement of the planning profession.

The award is named in honor of University of Washington Professor Myer Wolfe, an inspiring planning educator, practitioner, and one of the founders of the field of urban design; Wolfe was also the founding chair of the UW Department of Urban Planning and Dean of the UW College of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Zaferatos was selected in recognition of his continuing work in educating the next generation of planners and for his efforts that led to the national accreditation of WWU’s urban planning program.  APA WA Chapter President Rick Sepler, in nominating Zaferatos for the award, remarked that “(Zaferatos') work has made a significant difference for our profession.”

Zaferatos accepted the award at the Oct. 17 annual APA conference held in Tacoma.

"After graduating well over 700 students with a degree in planning, it’s thrilling that today we can offer our students a nationally accredited urban planning degree as one of only 16 undergraduate accredited planning degrees in the nation. Our graduates are working as planners in communities, organizations, and consulting firms throughout the state and the nation," he said. "Several of our graduates have been acknowledged with APA awards for their professional accomplishments and contributions to cutting edge community plans, along with awards for "best student projects."

Accreditation is granted by the Planning Accreditation Board, comprised of the American Planning Association, the American Institute of Certified Planners, and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.