Staff

Jason Haremza, AICP  
Senior Planner

Jason Haremza returns to the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council bringing a diversity of planning and land use regulatory experiences. At G/FLRPC, he will focus on water resources planning, land use regulations such as zoning, and assisting municipalities with land use, planning, and design issues that arise.   

In recent years, Jason has worked as a planner for the City of Rochester (population 206,000) and the Town of Danby (population 3,600) and looks forward to bringing that practical experience to villages, town, and cities across the nine-county region. In addition, he has conducted training through Monroe County’s Land Use Decision Making series, the Community Design Center Rochester’s Placemaking 101 series, taught planning classes at SUNY Geneseo, and guest lectured at RIT and Cornell University.   

A native of rural Upstate New York (Town of Sardinia), Jason lives in the Monroe Village neighborhood of Rochester. As a self-described geek when it comes to New York State history, geography, and local government, one of Jason’s goals is to visit all 62 county seats in the state. When you see him, ask how many he has left! 

Education

Master of Science in Planning, University of Toronto 
Bachelor of Arts in Geography, SUNY Geneseo

Professional Certifications and Associations 

American Planning Association 
American Institute of Certified Planners 

Jenny Loewenstein
Planner

Jenny Loewenstein comes to the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council with a diversity of planning experiences in community engagement, transportation planning, and housing policy.  Jenny recently relocated back to New York State after several years working in Boston and Seattle where she worked for several consulting firms, county, and state governments as well as a non-profit.  
 
Most recently Jenny worked for a municipal parking consultant assisting communities of all sizes to improve their parking operations and to provide transportation and mobility solutions. She has also assisted King County Washington in implementing a new Performance Measures program to track the success of their comprehensive plan. She also assisted the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in developing long-range transportation priorities with the help of public input.   
 
As a new resident of the City of Rochester Jenny is looking forward to experiencing local Rochester institutions and enjoying a garbage plate or two!  

Education

Master’s of Urban Affairs, Boston University  

Bachelor’s of Landscape Architecture, SUNY
Environmental Science and Forestry  
 

Professional Certifications and Associations

• American Planning Association

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Areas of Expertise

Transportation Planning
Community Engagement

Selected Projects

• Clean Energy Communities
• Complete Streets Guidebook

​Rob Richardson
Planner, Clean Energy Communities Coordinator
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Rob Richardson, MPA comes to the GFLRPC from the City of Canandaigua, NY where he served as the Assistant City Manager for over 3.5 years.  In May 2017, he earned his Master's in Public Administration from the College at Brockport, where he currently serves on the MPA Executive Board and Advisory Committee. In addition to his role as Assistant City Manager, Rob was appointed as the Coordinator of the City's Climate Smart Canandaigua Task Force and was the point person for all the City's environmental initiatives. During his tenure, he guided the City to recognition as both a NYSERDA Clean Energy Community and a Bronze Certified Climate Smart Community. 

In addition to working at GFLRPC, Rob coaches Boys Varsity Soccer at Harley-Allendale Columbia (HAC).  He resides in the City of Canandaigua with his wife, Bethany, and daughter, Maddyx Dalylah.

Education

Master's in Public Administration from the College at Brockport State University of New York

B.A. in Politics & Government (cum laude) fin 2005 from the University of Hartford, in West Hartford, CT. ​

Areas of Expertise

• Climate Smart Communities
• Community Choice Aggregation

Selected Projects

• Clean Energy Communities

Emily Royce
Planner

Emily Royce is a new addition to the Genesee-Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council in 2019.  Her focus is providing data and mapping support to G/FLRPC’s projects and all communities in our region.  She has worked a number of years in other fields; starting as a shipping clerk at Historic House Parts in Rochester, providing technical audio visual support to students, teachers, and staff at West Irondequoit Central School District, and functioning in many capacities at D’Angelo’s Plumbing and Heating in Spencerport.  Her interest in planning can be seen sprinkled throughout her life through her spatial abilities and observant nature.  She has always taken a broader interest in the space, streets, houses, and communities around her, asking questions on how could things be improved or preserved.  Emily went for her Master’s degree to become more involved in the planning world in Rochester.  She completed her degree, with her thesis doing a case study of the South Wedge, and an internship at the Community Design Center of Rochester, assisting with the Hudson Avenue Charrette.

Education

Master of Science in Science, Technology, and Public Policy, Rochester Institute of Technology

Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Hope College 

Professional Certifications and Associations

• GIS/SIG
• NYS GIS Association 

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Areas of Expertise

GIS mapping, socio-economic and demographic data analysis, data dissemination

Selected Projects

• Land Use Monitoring Report 2018
• 2020 Census Local Updated Census Addresses

Rich Sutherland
Planner

Rich Sutherland joined GFLRPC in January 2021 to focus on economic development.  It is said that Planners are a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ profession; not so. Richard genuinely believes they are masters at bringing together a wide range of information and presenting it in a concise and analytical manner which enables communities to achieve the best possible outcome.

Richard was hired by the Waitaki District Council (WDC) located in Oamaru, New Zealand as he began his Master of Planning course. For much of his time at WDC, Richard was Senior Planner in charge of policy development. Before emigrating to USA, he held the position of Planning Manager. Richard represented WDC as an ‘Expert Witness’ at both the Environment Court and the High Court of New Zealand.

Since moving to NY in 2014  Richard was initially employed by a local consulting firm as Operations Manager/Environmental Planner. He was involved in projects including an expansion of a landfill, stream bank remediation, and wetland remediation. Throughout these projects, he developed an understanding for local processes, in particular the permitting process of the USACE and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

In 2015, with his childhood being spent working on sheep and beef farms in NZ, Richard’s career deviated to taking up a role on the family’s dairy farm as Dairy Manager. In 2019, after becoming an industry advisor to a dairy-related Artificial Intelligence technology company, Richard accepted a role as Field Operations Manager for USA/Canada operations. These experiences and roles have given Richard an appreciation for the challenges and opportunities that our rural communities face, in particular access to reliable and effective Broadband connections.

Education

• Bachelor of Commerce (Business Management) – University of Otago
• Master of Planning – University of Otago
• Six Sigma Green Belt Certification

Areas of Expertise

• Economic Development
• Rural Planning
• Strategic Planning

 Selected Projects

• Economic Development
• Workforce Development
• Clean Energy Communities