Jennifer Pruitt Pitts, AICP, LEED-AP, CNU-A

Jennifer Pruitt-Pitts discovered planning long before she ever entered a classroom. As a teenager in National City, California, she watched her father serve on the local planning commission, gaining an early appreciation for the way thoughtful decisions could shape entire communities. Those experiences inspired her to pursue bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture at the New School of Architecture and Design in San Diego, launching a career that has spanned more than three decades.

Pruitt-Pitts began her professional journey as a Planning Technician with Carson City, Nevada, steadily advancing through every level of the department before becoming Principal Planner and Historic Preservation Planner. Along the way, she led one of the state's most meaningful preservation efforts: saving Carson City's First Presbyterian Church, Nevada's oldest church, built in 1861. The successful restoration, later presented at the 2008 National APA Conference, ensured the historic building would continue serving a vibrant congregation rather than becoming a forgotten landmark.

In 2012, she brought her collaborative approach to Arlington, Texas, where she held a series of leadership positions while overseeing some of the city's most complex development projects. As the lead planner for the Viridian master-planned community, she helped transform land once overshadowed by a nearby landfill into a thriving 2,000-acre neighborhood featuring lakes, wetlands, parks, trails, and schools. Through close partnerships with developers and city staff, she emphasized proactive communication, solving problems before they could derail progress and ensuring the community's first new elementary school in more than a decade became an integral part of the development.

Her ability to navigate obstacles proved equally valuable in reviving long-stalled projects, including Texas Live! and the Loews Hotel development. From relocating major utility infrastructure to coordinating construction around professional sports venues and addressing complex environmental regulations, Pruitt-Pitts became known for approaching challenges with persistence, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to finding solutions.

That same philosophy shaped her leadership beyond individual projects. Recognizing the importance of collaboration, she established Arlington's Developers Focus Group, creating an ongoing forum where city staff and the development community could identify policy improvements, communicate changes early, and strengthen trust. For Pruitt-Pitts, planning succeeds when communication is proactive and relationships are built on transparency.

Now retired as Senior Planning Director for the City of Waxahachie, Texas, Pruitt-Pitts remains deeply invested in the profession. She serves as program manager of the APA Mentor Program, guiding planners across the country, and honors the memory of her late husband through the Michael W. Pitts Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Since 2018, the foundation has awarded ten scholarships totaling $120,000 to aspiring minority planners and has secured funding to support future students for decades to come.

Reflecting on her career, Pruitt-Pitts measures success not by titles or projects, but by service. She believes planning is a lifelong commitment to learning, adapting, and improving communities—work that leaves a lasting impact on the people who call those places home.

Jennifer's training and education includes:

• Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture, New School of Architecture, San Diego, CA

Jennifer's holds these credentials: 

• AICP

• LEED-AP

• CNU-A