Alexandria, VA Planner Named Montgomery County Planning Director

Little more than a year after the swift and controversial departure of Montgomery County Planning Department Director Rollin Stanley, a former county planner will take the reins of the department, officials announced Wednesday. 

Gwen Wright will oversee the department's 150 employees beginning July 1. Most recently, Wright was chief of the Development Division at the City of Alexandria's Department of Planning and Zoning. Alexandria has a population of 146,294, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Wright worked for Montgomery County Planning Department from 1987 to 2008, most recently as acting director and before that as chief of countywide planning.

"Ms. Wright’s combination of experiences in Montgomery County and Alexandria and her background in architecture will provide the vision and leadership we seek in a planning director," county Planning Board Chairwoman Françoise Carrier said in a statement.

Stanley, who now heads , oversaw the county's planning efforts from 2008 to May 2012. He resigned after an interview with Bethesda magazine in which he called some of his detractors "rich, white women" who spread fear about his initiatives. He later retracted the comments. 

Wright will oversee a department that leads work on master plans, development applications, forest conservation, historic preservation and general land-use issues for the county.