• By Stephen Staudigl
• December 12, 2022

President Biden Appoints Two New Commission Members

On November 10, 2022, President Biden appointed two new members to the 12-member National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). Elizabeth M. Hewlett will represent the state of Maryland and Bryan Clark Green will represent the state of Virginia. The December 1, 2022 NCPC meeting was their first as members of the Commission.

The 12-member Commission meets monthly to review federal construction projects, long-range planning efforts, and planning policies in the National Capital Region. Elizabeth A. “Beth” White serves as the at-large Presidential appointee and is the NCPC Chair.

“Ms. Hewlett and Mr. Green bring stellar planning and design expertise, along with a deep understanding of the region, to their new roles,” said Chair White. “We are delighted to have them join the Commission and look forward to working with them.”

Ms. Hewlett is an attorney and public servant who recently completed her tenure as chair of the Prince George’s County Planning Board and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, where she was the first African American and the first woman to serve in this role. She represented Maryland on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority from 2007-2011. Ms. Hewlett practiced law in both the public and private sectors, and is licensed in Maryland; Washington, DC; Massachusetts, and before Federal Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. She was a principal in the law firm, Shipley, Horne and Hewlett, P.A.

Ms. Hewlett has been recognized for her community service and professional achievements. She received the National Bar Association Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, the Prince George's County Bar Association James H. Taylor Award and is a recipient of the NAACP Hester V. King Award. She is a graduate of Tufts University, Boston College Law School, and the Kennedy School of Government Executive Program at Harvard University.

“My prior work in the region has reinforced the important role planning plays in ensuring the nation’s capital and surrounding region are great places to live, work and visit,” said Hewlett. “I look forward to contributing to NCPC’s efforts through the Commission’s review of major projects and advancement of innovative initiatives.”

Mr. Green is an architectural historian by education and training and leverages his expertise to embrace the role of architecture in America’s larger story. He is the executive director of the Tidewater and Big Bend Foundation where he leads the restoration, furnishing, and interpretation of a series of landmark buildings and landscapes in New Kent County, Virginia. Mr. Green began his career at the Virginia Historical Society and has also worked for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and Commonwealth Architects.

Mr. Green has lectured on Virginia’s architectural history, historic buildings, and preservation issues, curated exhibitions on architecture, and is the author of numerous books and articles, including co-authoring Lost Virginia: Vanished Architecture of the Old Dominion, authoring In Jefferson’s Shadow: The Architecture of Thomas R. Blackburn, and co-authoring the forthcoming A Towering Memorial: The Robert L. Vann Tower and the Belgian Friendship Building, and editing After the Monuments Fall: The Removal of Confederate Monuments from the American South. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in history and obtained his master’s degree and Ph.D. in architectural history at the University of Virginia.

“It is an honor to be appointed to such a prestigious Commission,” stated Green. “I’m excited for this opportunity to use my perspective and experiences on behalf of the NCPC, and to further explore how the built environment can contribute to highlighting the nation’s important stories and heritage in our capital.”