Sharon Suarez

Sharon Kemper Suarez, AICP, is a professional community planner with nearly 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors. Prior to her retirement, she was the coordinator of housing research and policy at the Maryland- National Capital Park & Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in Montgomery County. Before joining M-NCPPC, she led teams to perform comprehensive planning, master planning, environmental planning, and other land use and housing studies for clients, stateside and abroad. She is currently the Vice-Chair of the Frederick County Planning Commission, and she has served on the boards of the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association, the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association (President 2011-2013), the Affordable Housing Conference of Montgomery County, and the City of Frederick’s Fair Housing Commission, among others. She enjoys training commissioners and planners on the topics of social equity, public participation, and ethics, and she has done so at local, regional, and national venues. Sharon has a Bachelor of Arts cum laude in Interdisciplinary Studies from West Virginia University, a Master of Public Administration in Executive Leadership from American University, and Historic Preservation Certification from the Welch Center for Graduate & Professional Studies at Goucher College.