Directors
Executive Director - James R. Cowhey, AICP
James Cowhey is Executive Director of the Lancaster County Planning Commission. He joined the Commission staff in 1988 and served as Director for Community Planning. His experience includes working as a planning consultant with municipal, county, and private-sector clients. Mr. Cowhey also serves as the Executive Director of the Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee which serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the county.
Mr. Cowhey is responsible for providing overall direction on all activities of the Lancaster County Planning Commission, including planning policy development, budget execution, and managing a staff of professional planners and support personnel. He reports directly to the County’s Chief Administrative Officer, represents the Commission and the Board of Commissioners in various capacities, and supervises the work of the Division Directors.
He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geo-Environmental Studies from Shippensburg University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Penn State University. He is a former member and chair of the Manheim Borough Planning Commission. His current activities include: member, South Central Assembly for Effective Governance Land Use and Growth Management Committee; member, American Planning Association; member, Pennsylvania Planning Association; member, National Civic League, member, Board of Directors, Regional Economic Development Districts. He believes that the key to successful planning and growth management in Pennsylvania is the development of strategic partnerships between county and municipal governments and other interest groups.
(back to top)
- Frank P. Behlau, AICP
Frank P. Behlau, AICP, is the Director for Community Planning for the Lancaster County Planning Commission. He was appointed to this position in October 2005. Frank joined the planning commission in 2002. Previously, he worked as a planning professional for 20 years with the Pima County Planning and Development Services Department in Tucson, Arizona, for which he served last as Zoning Administrator/Principal Planner. He has been a certified planner since 1987. Frank has Bachelor of Arts degrees in architecture and German from Lehigh University and a Master of Science degree in urban planning from the University of Arizona. His current activities include memberships with the American Planning Association, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Pennsylvania, and The Lancaster County Conservancy.
(back to top)
Scott Standish joined the Planning Commission staff in 1981, and served as the Director for Long-Range Planning from 1988 to 2003. Scott moved into the position of Director for Heritage Planning, a new Division that was created in the Department, in 2003. These two divisions were joined in 2006.
Scott’s primary responsibility is overseeing the implementation of the County’s Comprehensive Plan and growth management strategy that was revised in 2006. He is also responsible for working with his staff to complete and implement several of the County’s Comprehensive Plan Elements including the Tourism, Cultural Heritage, Water Resources, and Green Infrastructure Plans and related initiatives.
Scott serves on the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission’s Historic Review Board, and Central Market Trust Board. He is also Vice Chair of the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership and serves on the Lancaster County Tourism Council. Scott graduated cum laude from Millersville University in 1980, with a Degree in Geography. He completed a professional certificate in Tourism Destination Management and Marketing at George Washington University in 2000.
A native of Lancaster County, Scott enjoys living in Lancaster City and restoring his1892 Victorian home with his wife and two sons. He enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, camping, bicycling, kayaking, and of course, traveling to heritage destinations.
(back to top)
Director for Transportation Planning - David Royer
Dave is responsible for coordinating the transportation planning process for Lancaster County. Part of the process is federally mandated and is carried out by the County’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), called the Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee. Under Dave’s direction, the transportation section provides staff support to the MPO by conducting corridor studies, updating the County’s Long Range Transportation Plan, and developing the Transportation Improvement Program, among other activities. This process enables the County to receive critical federal and state funds, for needed improvements to the County’s highway and public transportation systems. In addition, Dave and his staff administer, on behalf of the County Commissioners, a municipal transportation grants program that provides County funds for transportation improvements undertaken by municipalities that otherwise may not get funded through the MPO process.
Dave and his wife Ann live in Elizabethtown where they own and operate a bed and breakfast facility. They have one daughter and a grandson. Dave received an undergraduate and masters degree from Penn State.
(back to top)
Director for Housing and Economic Development Planning - Jane Pugliese Thomas, AICP
Jane Pugliese Thomas is the Director of Housing and Economic Development Planning for the Lancaster County Planning Commission. She was appointed to this position in July 2006.During the previous nine years, Jane was Executive Director of the Inner City Group, a non-profit community and economic development corporation serving southeast Lancaster City. Prior to her work with the Inner City Group, she was the Director of Community Services for United Way of Lancaster County. Jane is not new to the County Planning Commission, however, serving as Housing and Human Services Planner from 1987-1995.
Jane has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology/Social Welfare from Albright College, Reading, PA, and a Master of City Planning Degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Her current activities include membership in the American Planning Association and the Pennsylvania Planning Association.
(back to top)
Content Last Modified on 8/18/2008 2:40:05 PM
