PART OF THE SPRING 2023 URBAN STUDIES & PLANNING LECTURE SERIES
lecturer
GWEN WRIGHT, former planning director Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery County, MD
Biography
From July 2013 to October 2022, Gwen Wright was the Director of the Montgomery County Planning Department of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In this role, Ms. Wright oversaw a wide range of projects that aimed to improve the quality of life in Montgomery County by conserving and enhancing the natural and built environment. Montgomery County is one of the largest jurisdictions in Maryland with over 1 million residents and has a key role in the dynamic Washington D.C. metropolitan growth area. Ms. Wright also worked for the Montgomery County Planning Department from 1987 to 2008. During this period, she served as the Chief of Countywide Planning, including supervising the Environmental Planning, Transportation Planning and Historic Preservation Sections, as well as serving as Acting Planning Director.
Prior to her appointment as the Montgomery County Planning Director in 2013, Ms. Wright was Chief of the Development Division for the City of Alexandria Department of Planning and Zoning for five years. In this position, she reviewed development proposals throughout the City of Alexandria and shepherded a wide variety of projects – from urban infill to major brownfields reclamation – through the regulatory process and implementation.
Ms. Wright began her career in Texas as the Director of Architectural Design and Redevelopment for the Galveston Historical Foundation in Galveston, Texas. She has degrees in Architecture and Architectural History from Yale University and has spoken at numerous national and regional conferences on a wide variety of planning issues.
Ms. Wright is a graduate of ULI Washington’s Regional Leadership Institute and currently serves on the ULI Washington Advisory Board. She also serves on the University of Maryland’s Urban Studies and Planning Program Advisory Board. Ms. Wright is the recipient of the Potomac Valley Chapter of the AIA’s Kea Award for Architectural Advocacy and the National Capital Area Chapter of the APA’s Frederick Gutheim Award for Planning Leadership.