Carlisle/Wortman Associates, Inc. has an experienced staff of community planners and landscape architects.

Principals

Richard K. Carlisle

Richard K. Carlisle, PCP, AICP, President, has over thirty years of professional experience, including consulting services to local government for over twenty-five years. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and is a registered Professional Community Planner. His education includes a Bachelor of Science Degree from Miami University, a Master of Science Degree from Ohio State University and additional graduate education in city and regional planning at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Carlisle has been a Michigan Society of Planning Officials (MSPO) Board Member, serving as Treasurer and Vice-President, and a Board Member of the Michigan Society of Planning (MSP), serving as President. He played a significant role in bringing about the merger between MSPO and the Michigan Charter of the American Planning Association. He has also served on the Chapter Presidents Council of the American Planning Association. Active in land use and legislative matters at the State level, Mr. Carlisle served as a Resource Team Technical Advisor to the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council.  He has been recognized by the Michigan Society of Planning Officials on a number of occasions for work he has directed.

R. Donald Wortman

R. Donald Wortman, RLA, AICP, PCP, and Vice President, has over twenty-nine years of professional planning and design experience. He has a Masters Degree in Planning from the University of Colorado, and a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan. He is both a registered Professional Community Planner and Registered Landscape Architect in the State of Michigan. He also holds national certification with the American Institute of Certified Planners. Mr. Wortman has been active with professional planning organizations and educational institutions. He is a frequent presenter at the Michigan Association of Planning (MAP) conferences and has been the recipient of the MAP Honor Awards for the Monroe County Solid Waste Management Plan-Citizen Participation Process, for the City of Alpena River Plan, and for the Ann Arbor Road Corridor Plan. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment - University of Michigan and lecturer on land use planning and growth management.

Douglas J. Lewan

Douglas J. Lewan, AICP, PCP, Principal, received his Masters of Urban Planning from Wayne State University and a Bachelors Degree in Community Planning from Northern Michigan University. Doug was named a Principal and shareholder of the firm in 2002. He has been practicing as a professional in the public and private sector for fifteen years and has experience in site plan review, zoning ordinance amendments, corridor studies, land use planning and recreation planning. Doug is currently involved in developing a Parking Management Plan for the City of Saline and the Zeeb Road Corridor Plan for Scio Township. He currently represents the City of Saline, the Township of Scio (Washtenaw County) and the Township of Sheridan. He provides on-site services at Scio Township, meeting with both residents and developers to answer planning and zoning related questions. Additionally, he has extensive experience with zoning questions and interpretations while working with the Springfield Township and Scio Township Zoning Board of Appeals.

John L. Enos

John L. Enos, AICP, Principal, received his Bachelors and Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Eastern Michigan University. He was named Principal and a shareholder of the firm in 2002. He has fifteen years experience working as a planning consultant and also as a Planning Director for local (Pittsfield Township) and county (Livingston County) government. He currently represents and provides planning, zoning and growth management services to several local communities in Washtenaw and Livingston County. John has been certified by the State of Michigan as a Level I Tax Assessor, Soil Erosion Control Officer and Professional Emergency Manager. In addition to his planning duties, he has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Michigan Society of Planning and also serves as an instructor at Eastern Michigan University and the Huron River Watershed Council.

Associates

Zachary Branigan, AICP, Associate, received his Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan in 2001.  Zachary's professional focus in physical planning has been developed through working with numerous communities on site and architectural design guidelines, zoning ordinance updates, neighborhood plans, corridor plans, and other urban design programs.  Zachary has applied his experience and training in a wide variety of settings, including a remote, tourism-oriented village, within a large urban neighborhood in the City of Flint, in inner-ring suburbs, and in numerous Michigan townships.

Jennifer Coe, AICP, Associate, received her Bachelors of Urban and Regional Planning from Michigan State University. She was named an associate of the firm in 2002 following twelve years of professional practice in the public and private sectors in both Florida and Michigan. Jennifer’s responsibilities have included site plan review, rezoning analysis, zoning ordinance and map amendments, land use planning, economic development studies, neighborhood planning, corridor studies, and environmental analysis. She has also been involved in various public involvement and marketing tasks. Currently, Jennifer is engaged in updating the Village of Dundee Zoning Ordinance and Master Plan, updating the City of Clawson Master Plan, creating a DDA/TIF Plan for Huron Township, establishing a DDA in the City of Linden and is the Planning and Zoning Director for Huron Township.  Other responsibilities include assisting the Village of Dundee, City of Howell, City of Clawson and City of Petersburg in various planning and economic development tasks.

Sally M. Elmiger, AICP, Associate, received her graduate degree in Landscape Architecture from the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, specializing in environmental design and land conservation. She joined Carlisle/Wortman Associates in 1999 and has worked with communities throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties, assisting them with natural features preservation, storm water management, road corridor design, and native landscaping and design. She has assisted several watershed planning groups to meet their Phase II N.P.D.E.S. Stormwater permit requirements and currently serves on the state-wide Low Impact Development Manual Steering Committee.  She is a member of the American Planning Association, Michigan Association of Planning, American Society of Landscape Architects, and is a contributing writer to several publications.

Brian M. Oppmann, Associate, has a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Michigan State University. Brian has experience in the public sector in both Indiana and Michigan, which involved long-range planning and economic development. Specifically, he has worked in master planning, corridor planning, neighborhood planning, downtown and commercial district revitalization, historic preservation, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Brian is also certified by the State of Michigan as a Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Officer.

David Scurto, AICP, PCP, Associate, received a Master of Architecture from the University of Detroit Mercy and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Detroit.  He has over twenty-two years of urban planning experience preparing land use master plans, zoning ordinances, form-based codes, design guidelines, corridor plans, plans for neighborhoods, corridors and waterfronts.  Dave has been working with the nationally acclaimed Redevelopment Ready Communities program for the Michigan Suburbs Alliance and has extensive experience assisting communities to become efficient with their review processes.  In addition to his company planning duties, Dave is the secretary/treasurer of the Michigan Association of Planning board of directors; MAP representative to the American Planning Association Chapter Presidents Council; and chair of the Macomb County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.   Dave is a certified planning and zoning trainer for the Michigan Association of Planning and has been selected as a steering committee member for Michigan State University Extension Citizen's Planner program.  

Professional Staff

Lucie Fortin, RLA, is a Registered Landscape Architect with the State of Michigan.  She has both a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture from the Université de Montréal and the University of Wisconsin.  Ms. Fortin has been a practicing professional since 1985 and has extensive experience in site planning, design, and land use planning.  Ms. Fortin has been involved in a variety of projects focusing on recreation planning, land use planning, historic preservation, and natural resource management.  She is responsible for numerous community park and recreation plans, park master plans and designs, and recreation trail/greenway plans and designs.  Special studies have focused on preserving and enhancing community character. They include design guidelines, corridor plans, streetscape design plans, feasibility studies for community centers, roadside tree preservation programs, and parking studies for various communities. 

Ms. Fortin also enjoys volunteering in various community projects that have included school ground plans and designs, native plant landscaping, playground development, 4-H leadership, and garden club talks.

Laura K. Kreps, AICP, Community Planner, has seven years municipal planning experience.  She has a Bachelor's Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Michigan State University.  Ms. Kreps holds national certification with the American Institute of Certified Planners, Main Street Manager certification through the National Trust's Main Street Program and is a licensed State of Michigan Realtor Salesperson.

Ms. Kreps has provided staff support to various boards and commissions including: planning commission, zoning board of appeals, and Downtown Development Authority, as well as research, coordination and presentation of various planning and zoning projects.

Ralph R. Pasola, Community Planner, has two Masters degrees from Eastern Michigan University, one in Geography with an emphasis in Urban Planning and the other in Liberal Studies in Technology with an emphasis in technology and society. Ralph has over 30 years of planning experience in both the public and private sector. He has extensive experience in master planning, zoning and land use issues and research for planning litigation.

Bryan Scott Powers, Community Planner/GIS Coordinator has a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Eastern Michigan University. Bryan's background has focused on Zoning Administration and Code Enforcement at the Township level, as well as through the Site Plan submittal and review process. Additionally, he is proficient with both GIS and AutoCAD systems as tools for land use mapping and analysis.

Paul R. Siersma, AICP, Community Planner, has a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan. Paul has experience in a wide range of planning areas, which includes master planning, development review, corridor studies, environmental, and indirect and cumulative effects analyses. He has also been involved in several public involvement efforts for environmental studies required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

Lisa P. Solomon, AICP, Community Planner, holds a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan. Lisa has been responsible for preparing NEPA documentation and assessment, transportation master plans,  alternatives analysis, corridor studies, traffic impact and parking studies and development reviews.   Lisa also has organized public involvement for small and  large-scale projects and has experience with project scheduling, Geographic Information Systems and traffic simulation software. 

Support Staff

Sonya Rosowski, our Office Manager, is responsible for the daily management of the office, overseeing the accounting and financial aspects of the company and monitoring the daily flow of work. Sonya is instrumental in fostering our personal approach to communicating with clients.