• By Stephen Staudigl
• September 03, 2026

NCPC Executive Director Marcel Acosta to Retire After 25 Years of Federal Service

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) announced today that Executive Director Marcel Acosta will retire from federal service effective September 18, 2026, following his acceptance of a private-sector position. Acosta has led NCPC’s professional staff since 2008 and joined the agency in 2001 as Deputy Executive Director.

Outgoing NCPC Chairman Will Scharf remarked, “Over 25 years of service to the National Capital Planning Commission, including almost two decades as Executive Director, Marcel Acosta has left an indelible mark on the architectural landscape of Washington, DC, and the entire National Capital Region. Under his steady leadership, the NCPC has served a vital role in countless significant projects and has safeguarded the architectural integrity and vitality of our nation’s capital. And Marcel was truly a cherished colleague during my tenure as Chairman. Although it is difficult to imagine the Commission without Marcel, with his retirement from federal service, I wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors.”

During his tenure, Acosta led signature agency planning efforts, including the Monumental Core Framework Plan, the Height Master Plan, the Beyond Granite: Pulling Together pilot exhibition, the SW Ecodistrict Plan, and the Pennsylvania Avenue Initiative. He directed updates to the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital’s Federal Elements and oversaw the annual review of more than 125 master plans and projects. Acosta guided staff reviews of notable projects, including the the Martin Luther King, Jr. and National World War I Memorials; the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters at St. Elizabeths; the Capital One Arena renovations; the New Stadium at RFK Campus; the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library renovations; and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Air and Space Museum Integrated Bezos Learning Center.

“It has been the honor of my career to contribute to the planning and design of the nation’s capital,” said Acosta. “I'm deeply grateful to the staff, Commission members, stakeholders, and partner agencies with whom I've had the privilege of working. I leave with confidence in NCPC's continued role in shaping the future of the National Capital Region.”

His team’s work has been recognized nationally, including the American Institute of Architects' Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design and the American Society of Landscape Architects' Planning and Analysis Honor Award, both for the Monumental Core Framework Plan, as well as numerous local and federal planning awards. Acosta has also received the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' 2024 Ronald F. Kirby Award for Collaborative Leadership and the American Institute of Architects-DC’s 2021 Donald B. Myer Public Service Award.

Before joining NCPC, Acosta worked in Chicago, including serving as Deputy Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development and as Senior Vice President of Planning and Development at the Chicago Transit Authority. 

Acosta holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and was appointed a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He is the Immediate Past Chair of the American Planning Association’s Urban Design and Preservation Division and served on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors from 2010 to 2014.

NCPC Chairman Mark Paoletta announced that Current Planning Division Director Diane Sullivan will serve as Acting Executive Director, effective upon Acosta’s departure