Search
TMRPA Origins

Our Story

In 1989 Nevada’s legislature created the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency (TMRPA) to foster coordination among the three local governments: the cities of Reno and Sparks and Washoe County.

TMRPA is comprised of the Regional Planning Governing Board (RPGB), the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) and the TMRPA’s Director of Regional Planning and staff members.

The Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency (TMRPA) is committed to supporting comprehensive and innovative approaches for economic development and community planning for the cities of Reno and Sparks, as well as Washoe County. In addition to facilitating land use, infrastructure provision and resource management conversations among public and private decision makers, TMRPA also serves as a collaborative information and data warehouse, coordinating regional data collection and delivering advanced geospatial analytics for regional solutions.

Our Mission

TMRPA is committed to managing growth in a way that promotes collaboration and a shared vision for our region. Why is it important for the Truckee Meadows to plan regionally? The answer, quite simply, is because the impacts of growth know no boundaries. Our day to day lives, and their impacts, often play out across different locations, for instance someone can live in Sparks, work in Reno and play in Washoe County. Given that, the physical layout of our region means that residents can be moving in and out of different cities and the unincorporated county at multiple points throughout the day, it is vital that our region think together about what is best for our future in terms of land use planning.

Our Board and Commission

Want to learn more about the Regional Planning Governing Board (RPGB) and Regional Planning Commission (RPC)? Follow the links provided to learn more about how they each work, their current members, and other related documents.

Regional Planning Governing Board
Regional Planning Commission

Meet Our Team

Jeremy M. Smith, Ph.D.​

DIRECTOR OF REGIONAL PLANNING​

Jeremy has been with TMRPA since 2011.  He holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Colorado (CU) and received his Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in Geography from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).  His research interests are wide ranging and include biogeography, GIScience, forest ecology, climate change and urban/regional planning. 

Prior to joining TMRPA, Jeremy worked in both academic and professional settings. During his stint in Colorado, he was awarded for teaching efforts that spanned the department’s geographic information systems (GIS) curriculum. He also contributed GIS analysis and support for several studies funded by sources such as the United States Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. 

Before attending CU, Jeremy worked as project manager and as the operations manager for an office of over 25 GIS professionals creating geospatial data to support telecom engineering across California and Nevada.

775-321-8390 or 775-225-0285  |  jsmith@tmrpa.org

Damien Kerwin

GIS Coordinator

Damien joined the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency in 2014 as a GIS/Planning Analyst. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2014, and has previous GIS experience as an intern with TMRPA and Otis Bay Ecological Consultants and as a geophysical land surveyor for Magee Geophysical Services. Damien is familiar with many tools and techniques for working with and displaying data including ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS online and ArcGIS Pro. His role at TMRPA focuses on the creation and management of data in a GIS as well as spatial analysis and map making.

775-321-8391  |  dkerwin@tmrpa.org

Nathaniel Kusha

policy analyst

Nathaniel joined the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency in 2016. Since graduating from the University of Utah, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Sciences and Planning, Nathaniel has been building his knowledge of planning and development in the Northern Nevada area. As a Policy Analyst, he uses this knowledge to research, analyze and evaluate development projects and growth trends within the Region.

775-321-8397  |  nkusha@tmrpa.org

Karla Pirsch

Administrative Assistant

Karla is an experienced administrative assistant with a keen eye for detail and is the newest addition to the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency. She received an Associate’s Degree in Business at the Truckee Meadows Community College. Before joining TMRPA, she has held roles in retail, office management, and Human Resources. When she is not being an organizing guru, Karla likes to travel through Central and South America. 

775-321-8387  |  kpirsch@tmrpa.org

Chohnny Sousa

Regional Planner

Chohnny joined TMRPA in late 2017. Prior to joining the team, she graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in Digital Media, then went on to earn her Masters of Science in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from the New School University in New York, New York. As part of her graduate capstone projects and work, Chohnny served as a research consultant with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as with GreenThumb, a branch of the Parks Department associated with community gardens. Chohnny’s current role is to analyze and assess land use planning projects in our Region. Additionally, she uses her background in digital media and data visualization to develop and manage the organization’s website, various graphics and other TMRPA engagement materials.

775-321-8393  |  csousa@tmrpa.org

Chris Tolley

Regional Planner

Chris joined the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency as a Regional Planner in mid-2016. This is his second role as a professional planner (first with the County of Butte, California) and also marks his return to planning following the Great Recession. At the County of Butte, he successfully worked in a current planning role, focusing on the review of development applications and building permits, and providing customer assistance. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies (Planning) from Sonoma State University, which included internships with the City of San Rafael (long-range planning) and the City of Larkspur (current planning). Aside from planning, he has worked in food services, ecommerce fulfillment, retail and manufacturing. He has invested many hours volunteering as a big brother and providing manual labor at Rancho Santa Marta (San Vicente, Baja California, Mexico). Finally, he moved to Sparks in 2009 from Chico, CA.

775-321-8392  |  ctolley@tmrpa.org

Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube Linkedin

Our offices are located on the 3rd floor of the Regional Transportation Commission building at 1105 Terminal Way. 

Copyright © 2022 Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency. All Rights Reserved.