UCA official appointed to planning council

CONWAY — Amy Whitehead, director of UCA’s Center for Community and Economic Development, has been approved as a new member of the Regional Planning Advisory Council by the Metroplan Board of Directors.

The Regional Planning Advisory Council is a citizen-based body charged by Metroplan with development and oversight of long-range planning for the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan area. The RPAC is also responsible for ongoing public engagement, as well as plan monitoring and advising the board on issues relating to

the plan.

Whitehead was appointed to the RPAC by Mayor Tab Townsell to represent the city of Conway.

“Mrs. Whitehead is a very progressive young professional in the community development field. I am proud of her willingness to represent Conway in this metrowide forum,” Townsell said.

For the past three years, Whitehead has been involved in the Imagine Central Arkansas planning process, which resulted in a long-range vision

for the region that focuses on economic development, transportation, housing, health, sustainability, safety and funding.

Metroplan is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization, serving 23 municipalities and four counties in the core of the region, plus the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department and Rock Region Metro. Metroplan acts as a voice of regionalism for the central-Arkansas metropolitan area and works with citizens, civic and business organizations, and local governments to develop consensus-backed solutions that contribute to our region’s long-term vitality.