Conferences and Events
  1. Women & Planning Division
  2. Conferences and Events
  3. Networking Events

WPD Coffee & Conversations

WPD's Coffee & Conversations series is a monthly virtual networking opportunity for members and guests. Join us on Zoom on the third Wednesday of each month at 3:00PM (eastern) for a 1-hour discussion. Each month, we bring you a new guest and discussion topic.

Register for WPD's 2026 Coffee & Conversations Series

2026 Coffee & Conversations Series: Upcoming Events

April 15, 2026 at at 3:00PM (EST) - Welcome to Detroit!: Dara O'Byrne, AICP, Deputy Director, City of Detroit's Planning & Development Department and Martha Potere, Senior Advisor of Neighborhood Economic Development

Dara O'Byrne, AICP is the Deputy Director of the City of Detroit's Planning and Development Department and leads the Strategic Planning Division, including city-wide and neighborhood planning. Dara's 20-year career spans public, private, and non-profit sector roles in Seattle, Detroit, and Oakland, CA. Dara’s areas of expertise include land use and community planning, urban design, open space planning, active transportation, and development review. She holds a B.S. from the University of Michigan and a M.U.P. with a Certificate in Urban Design from the University of Washington. Dara plans to talk about Detroit's Master Plan update and their approach to planning with uncertainty around growth in a City that lost population for 70 years and has just seen its first population increase.

Martha Potere, Senior Advisor of Neighborhood Economic Development (NED), helps shepherd projects seeking to (re)activate commercial spaces throughout the City of Detroit. Martha helps developers and small businesses, who are often one and the same, access the resources they need to build a strong development vision and financial model for their project. She has called Detroit home for over 15 years, but has worked for the Cities of Warren, Ferndale and Lathrup Village, as well, focusing on commercial corridors, small business and placemaking. She has two kids, two Corgis, one husband and too many unfinished knitting projects. Martha plans to talk about her team’s work, diving deep into their NED and Greybox Programs, and how planning has helped guide these efforts.

2026 Past Events

January 21, 2026 at 3:00PM (EST) 2026 State of the Division and Annual Business Meeting hosted by WPD Chair Caroline Dwyer, AICP

February 18, 2026 at at 3:00PM (EST): Dr. Alaina Jackson, Managing Director, Global Detroit