In 2018, the CSPDC welcomed Ms. Rhonda Cooper as a non-elected Rockingham County representative to the Board of Commissioners. She has been a valued member of the Board and its Executive Committee, contributing significantly to the CSPDC’s ability to serve the region. At the end of July, Ms. Cooper plans to retire. We wish her well in retirement; she will be greatly missed!
Ms. Cooper has been an integral planning partner of the CSPDC for more than three decades. Since joining Rockingham County in 1993, Ms. Cooper has been deeply involved in county and regional collaboration, her most recent role being Director of Community Development. Ms. Cooper holds a bachelor’s degree in planning and a master’s in urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia. She even worked for a summer at the CSPDC!
In 1997, Ms. Cooper joined the Executive Committee of the Rural Planning Caucus of Virginia (RPCVA), an organization dedicated to identifying, publicizing, and addressing the unique planning needs of small towns and rural areas. She served three terms as Chairperson of RPCVA from 2006 to 2008.
Following the 2000 Census, the population density of the area led to Harrisonburg and parts of Rockingham County being classified as “metropolitan.” This necessitated the formation of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Metropolitan Planning Organization (HRMPO) for transportation projects and regional collaboration, organized by the CSPDC. Ms. Cooper became a member in 2003, representing Rockingham County, and has served ever since, providing technical and planning expertise to the organization.
Please join us in thanking Ms. Cooper for her service to the Commission, and wish her a wonderful and much-deserved retirement!