Our Team

Donna J. Carney is the founding Director of the Philadelphia Citizens Planning Institute, the education and outreach arm of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. She brings to this role years of project management and design experience as an architect specializing in historic preservation and sustainable design. Her goal is to guide the development of educational tools to empower communities of people within Philadelphia to learn, grow, and improve the quality of their neighborhoods.

Donna is a graduate of Fielding University’s Organization Management & Development program (MA), Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation (MS Historic Preservation), New Jersey Institute of Technology College of Architecture & Design (MArch) and Iowa State University's College of Design (BA). She is a Certified Charrette Planner (National Charrette Institute, 2006) and a registered architect in the state of Pennsylvania. She was recognized by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) with its 2014 “Planning Leadership Award for Professional Planner”. Her position as Director became institutionalized within the City Planning Commission in 2015.

Verónica firmly believes in everyone's ability to participate in a greater conversation; one that affects the way we live, and the pursuit to improve it. For years, in both volunteer and professional capacities, she has been facilitating collaborations, organizing, and developing strategies, leading creative initiatives, and building the skills of leaders to advance social transformation.

While studying architecture at Temple University, Verónica honed her passion for urban affairs into the creation of Building Relationships in Communities [BRIC]; a collective that created stronger neighborhoods through inclusive projects and fostering relationships between traditionally separate communities. Previously to CPI, Verónica worked at Philadelphia LISC, where she facilitated the Community Connectors program and the co-facilitated the Experience Eastern North tour program.

Marisa believes everyone has wisdom and expertise in their communities and the ability to be leaders in creating the future of our city and neighborhoods. She comes with over five years of experience in community-government collaboration and engagement. She previously worked at Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, leading the department's engagement for the Philly Tree Plan and supporting communities in greening projects to grow the neighborhood environment they wanted and deserved. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Social Science and Biology from Davidson College.