T.J. Fish, AICP
The first executive director of the Lake~Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), T.J. heads a federally-funded regional transportation planning agency covering all public modes of moving people and goods. An urban and regional planner certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), his current duties include the coordination of regional transportation planning for two counties and 19 municipalities in the Lake-Sumter region.
Most notable of the Lake~Sumter MPO under T.J.'s direction are the innovative approaches to connecting transportation, land uses and community design. This is evidenced by the agency's two-county transportation concurrency management system, by the MPO's regional visioning efforts and by the regional partnerships that have been developed since the 2004 inception of the MPO.
Prior to the MPO, he provided planning services to five Lake County municipalities as a consultant and as staff. Born in Johnson City, TN, he completed undergraduate and graduate work at East Tennessee State University, where he earned a Master of Public Management degree as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications. He gained governmental experience in roles including previous MPO work for two Tennessee counties, planning for eight small and mid-sized cities in both eastern and western Tennessee and as economic development director for Martin, TN. Previous economic development experience also includes serving as staff and as a board member to multiple chambers of commerce.
As the first director of the Lake~Sumter MPO, he states his goal is to promote effective regional transportation partnerships. He thinks the best way to achieve this goal is by coordinating the wishes of the various communities within the region into one comprehensive vision that is supported by citizen consensus.