For more than 15 years Leonardo Vazquez has been influencing planners to be more culturally competent as well as encouraging Latinos to enter the planning profession. The Davidoff award honors a project, group, or individual for promoting diversity or demonstrating a sustained social commitment to advocacy within the planning field.

"As a leader, educator and author, Leo Vazquez has positively influenced hundreds of planners, helping them to analyze and plan diverse and dynamic communities," said Marie L. York, FAICP, APA Board Director and 2012 Awards Jury Co-Chair. "He is a champion of diversity, and inspires and energizes everyone he meets."

Leo's strong leadership and vision for APA's Latinos and Planning Division was instrumental in bringing in experts, leaders and passionate planners together to create the Dialogo series and in turn the Division itself. He led the Division with his humbleness and patience, bringing out the best in others for leadership and engagement in Division activities. He continues to serve as a great mentor to me and to the Division," said Vicky Carrasco, Chair of APA's Latinos and Planning Division.

Vazquez directs Arts Build Communities, a center for creative placemaking, based at Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Policy. He also developed three other major initiatives there, including Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program, Professional Development Institute and The Leading. All the initiatives he has developed incorporated elements of diversity and collaborative leadership practices. His book Leading from the Middle: Strategic Thinking for Planning and Community Development Professionals aims to build culturally competent leadership skills. He also is coeditor of the forthcoming Dialogos: Placemaking in Latino Communities and was the principal author of Lagging Behind, a comprehensive quantitative study of ethnic diversity in the planning profession.

Leo is also a correspondent and blogger for Planetizen.

Within APA, Vazquez was instrumental in the founding of the Latinos and Planning Division, which focuses exclusively on urban planning challenges facing Latino communities in the United States. He is co-founder of the Planners for Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Committee for APA's New York Metro Chapter, which led to other state chapters developing diversity committees.

Vazquez is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a licensed New Jersey Professional Planner. He is also on the board of the Center for Non-Profits, a statewide advocacy and technical assistance organization for nonprofit organizations in New Jersey.

Vazquez will receive the Advancing Diversity & Social Change Award in Honor of Paul Davidoff at a special awards luncheon held during APA's National Planning Conference in Los Angeles on April 16, 2012. His work also will be featured in an upcoming issue of Planning magazine, APA's flagship publication.

APA's national awards program, the profession's highest honor, is a proud tradition established more than 50 years ago to recognize outstanding community plans, planning programs and initiatives, public education efforts, and individuals for their leadership on planning issues.

The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities. For more information, visit http://www.planning.org/awards/2012/index.htm#Davidoff