Lauren Blackburn

Lauren Blackburn, a Davidson planner for six years and the planning manager since 2010, is leaving to become director of the new N.C. Department of Transportation Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation. Her last day will be April 20 and she starts her new job April 30.

Here’s an announcement from the Town of Davidson:

Planning director resigns, takes post with NCDOT

The Town of Davidson’s Planning Manager has resigned her post to take a position with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
Lauren Blackburn – who has worked in the town’s Planning Department for over 6 years and has been Planning Manager since July 2010, has just been named NCDOT’s new Director of the Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation. According to NCDOT representatives, Blackburn’s duties will include supervising the day-to-day operations of the division, which oversees various aspects of bicycling and walking in North Carolina, including funding, project planning, mapping and signing and safety education.

Blackburn’s last day at Town Hall will be April 20.

While with the town, Blackburn served as Transportation Planner, oversaw land development activities and coordinated with regional partners to prioritize and implement various roadway, bicycle, transportation and land use plans. Lauren also managed the town’s Comprehensive Plan process, which spanned two years, involved over 180 residents and stakeholders, included both adult and student-led Vision Committees and seven study groups, and culminated in the approval of a plan in August 2010. In addition during her tenure, the town was nationally recognized for being a leader in bicycle, and pedestrian planning and transportation and received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve the practice of Health Impact Assessments (HIA) on policies and decisions affecting the built environment and public health. Prior to her work in Davidson, Blackburn was a Research Associate with the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute.

Town Manager Leamon Brice said watching Blackburn leave Town Hall will be difficult. “Lauren’s dedication to her work and her vision have had a profound impact on this town,” he said. “I am deeply sorry to watch such a talented planner and manager walk out our door. I am glad, however, to have someone with her skill set and her capability working for the greater good at the state level.”

Blackburn said she, too, is sorry to be leaving, but is looking forward to the new position. “I am saddened to be leaving Davidson, a town that has grown very close to my heart during my tenure here,” she said. “I’m leaving a lot of friends behind, as well as an exceptional group of citizens whose passion for their community is unmatched. I only hope that I can be as involved and inspired at the state level as I have been here, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

To read a copy of NCDOT’s release on Lauren, click here.