People

Kome Ajise

Kome Ajise is the new executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments. He has three decades of experience in regional planning and transportation, most recently as the director of planning at SCAG. Prior to working at SCAG, Ajise was the chief deputy director at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), where he was responsible for internal operations, overseeing more than 18,000 employees and a budget in excess of $1.1 billion. Previously, he was Caltrans’ deputy director of planning and modal programs and oversaw the Aeronautics, Mass Transportation, Rail, Transportation Planning, Local Assistance, and Research Innovation and System Information Divisions. Ajise has a bachelor’s degree in geography and regional planning from the University of Benin, Nigeria, and a master’s in city and regional planning from California State University, Fresno.

Cecilia Estolano

Cecilia V. Estolano is an expert in sustainable economic development and urban revitalization. The many projects she has directed as co-founder of ELP Advisors include advising local governments, nonprofits, and foundations on redevelopment dissolution and economic revitalization, overseeing research on green infrastructure and job creation in Philadelphia, and managing complex multi-stakeholder processes. She serves as vice president of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and sits on the University of California Board of Regents and the boards of directors of Manufacturing Renaissance and the National Employment Law Project. Estolano has taught urban planning at UCLA and UC Berkeley. She is a graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from UCLA, along with a bachelor’s degree in social studies with honors from Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges.

Bill Fulton

Bill Fulton was the planning director of San Diego from June 2013 to October 2014. Fulton served as mayor of the City of Ventura from 2009 to 2011 and is an author, urban planner, professor, and senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, where he teaches land use policy and smart growth. He is a leading advocate of the smart growth movement in urban planning and was named to Planetizen’s list of Top 100 Urban Thinkers. Fulton is best known as a commentator and expert on urban planning in California and has written hundreds of articles on the topic, including more than 40 Sunday opinion pieces in the Los Angeles Times between 1982 and 2009. He is the author of several books, including “Guide to California Planning” — the standard textbook on urban planning in California.

Gail Goldberg

Gail Goldberg, FAICP, is the former executive director of the Urban Land Institute Los Angeles and the former planning director of Los Angeles and San Diego. In Los Angeles, she was responsible for organizing and directing the policies and activities of the city’s planning department, including the development, maintenance and implementation of all elements of the city’s general plan as well as a range of other special zoning plans. In San Diego, she oversaw a planning process to update the city’s 20-year-old general plan; this “City of Villages” vision and strategy became an international model for urban revitalization. She served as an Urban Land Institute trustee, chair of the San Diego/Tijuana ULI District Council, and on the statewide coordinating committee for ULI’s California Smart Growth Initiative. Goldberg is a native Californian and holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and planning from UC San Diego.

Mary Kaiser is a financial services executive, specializing in marketing, lending, and integrating the delivery of financial products and services. She began her career in 1975 at First Interstate Bank and in 1987 she joined the Bank of A. Levy, a 100-year-old bank in Ventura County, as its executive vice president and chief operating officer. Kaiser currently serves on the CHC board of directors and the Stabilization Trust REO Capital Fund Loan Committee. She has also served as chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s economic advisory council among many other organizations and committees. Kaiser received a Master of Business Administration from California Lutheran University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from San Diego State University.

Nick Maricich is the director of planning policy and development in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. In this role, Maricich serves as the mayor’s policy advisor on city planning matters, while coordinating planning initiatives with city departments and attracting investment through improved development services. Previously, Maricich was a senior city planner with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, managing a comprehensive update to the city’s zoning code. He also has overseen community planning efforts for the city’s downtown core and served as a planning liaison to Los Angeles International Airport. Maricich joined the city staff in 2007 after working in both the private and nonprofit sectors. He has a bachelor’s in geography with a minor in city and regional planning from UC Berkeley, and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from UCLA.

Pam O’Connor served on the Santa Monica City Council from 1994-2018, including as mayor three times. She is particularly interested in issues that advance sustainability and mobility. She is a member of the regional council of the Southern California Association of Governments, and previously served as council president. O’Connor works with cities throughout the world on environmental, sustainability and climate issues as a member of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability-USA Board. As a professional urban planning consultant, O’Connor specializes in historic preservation. She has also served in many other positions including as director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Northridge Earthquake recovery partnership program and as a planner for the city of Pasadena. O’Connor holds master’s degrees in planning and technology management from Eastern Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Southern Illinois University.

Mott Smith is co-founder and principal of Civic Enterprise, a founding board member of the California Infill Builders Association, and adjunct faculty in the University of Southern California’s master of real estate development program. Earlier in his career, he was the acting director of planning for the Los Angeles Unified School District after serving as founding executive director of New Schools-Better Neighborhoods. He also worked as editor and business manager of The Planning Report. He received a master’s degree in real estate development from USC and a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from UCLA.

Barry R. Wallerstein has more than 30 years of experience in urban planning and environmental studies, with an emphasis in air pollution control and public policy development. Wallerstein has served AQMD in various positions since 1984, and was appointed acting executive officer in August 1997. The governing board unanimously elevated him to executive officer in November 1998. Wallerstein has also worked as an environmental control administrator for Northrop, and was a member of the rule development staff in the mobile source division of the California Air Resources Board. He holds a doctorate in environmental science and engineering, along with master’s and bachelor’s degrees in biological science, from UCLA.

Stephanie Wiggins was named chief executive officer of Metrolink by a unanimous vote of the board of directors in December 2018. As CEO, Wiggins directs an agency that operates a commuter rail network on seven routes across a six-county, 538 route-mile system. Prior to leading Metrolink, Wiggins worked at LA Metro, where she held numerous positions including deputy CEO, executive director of vendor/contract management, and executive officers and project director of the Congestion Reduction/ExpressLanes Program. She has also served as regional programs director for the Riverside County Transportation Commission and oversaw transit, commuter rail, rideshare, goods movement and rail capital projects. Wiggins is the founding president of the Inland Empire chapter of Women’s Transportation Seminar and has received many awards, including Conferenceof Minority Transportation Officials 2018 Women Who Move the Nation Award. Wiggins has a Master of Business Administration degree from USC Marshall School of Business.