Assistant city manager lauded for leadership in planning profession

The City of Fort Worth is proud to announce that Assistant City Manager Dana Burghdoff has been named to the 2026 Class of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP) by the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners. She has earned the profession’s highest honor in recognition of her outstanding achievements and lasting contributions to planning practice and leadership. She is one of 55 inductees into this year’s College of Fellows.

Fellowship is granted to planners who have achieved certification through the American Planning Association’s professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, and have achieved excellence in professional practice, teaching and mentoring, research, public and community service, and leadership. Invitations to join the College of Fellows come after a thorough nomination and review process, ensuring the candidate has had a positive, long-lasting impact on the planning profession.

“Being selected as a fellow for the American Institute of Certified Planners is a tremendous honor for me,” Burghdoff said. “I’m humbled by the recognition. I thank my peers for recognizing the dedication I have for city planning and making positive change with our community partners here in Fort Worth.”

Burghdoff’s portfolio includes the Planning Office and Greenspace Initiatives, as well as the Code Compliance, Economic Development, Library, Neighborhood Services and Park & Recreation departments. Before becoming assistant city manager in 2020, she worked for 13 years as Fort Worth’s assistant planning and development director, eight years in various Fort Worth planning roles and five years as a planner for the City of Waltham, Massachusetts. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in urban studies and planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides vital leadership in creating great communities for all. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are dedicated to advancing the profession of planning, offering better choices for where and how people work and live. APA's nearly 40,000 members work in concert with community residents, civic leaders and business interests to create communities that enrich people's lives.

The Class of 2026 Fellows will be formally inducted during a ceremony at the National Planning Conference in Detroit on Sunday, April 26, followed by a ticketed reception celebrating the new Fellows and the planning profession.