A proven professional with nearly 20 years’ experience in municipal planning, economic development, development services, community development, and municipal zoning has joined the Prosper staff as Development Services Director.
Khara Dodds, who has devoted her entire career to municipal, county and state-level planning and development, was most recently the Director of Planning and Land Use Services for the Town of Glastonbury, CT. She served in that capacity for almost six years, with supervisory responsibility for the Planning, Building and Zoning, Health, and Fire Marshal Divisions. Glastonbury is a municipality with a population of over 34,000.
Prior to that position, Dodds served as Planning Director for the City of Hartford, CT., a city of over 120,000 in population. In that post, which she held for two years, she handled a wide variety of development projects that resulted in major improvements to the city’s downtown and outlying neighborhood areas. She was also responsible for the development and implementation of several master plans, some of which encapsulated the city’s vision for specific neighborhoods.
Before then, Dodds spent five years as the Planning and Economic Development Director for Plymouth, CT. During this period, she was the lead staff member for the town’s housing rehabilitation program and was instrumental in attracting several major employers to the town. She also successfully led the municipality’s Main Street Streetscape project.
In addition to her extensive municipal-level experience, Dodds served the County of Burlington in NJ as Principal Planner for two years where she coordinated economic development and planning projects for the 12 cities within the county’s jurisdiction. The county position was preceded by a three-year stint as Regional Planner for the New Jersey Office of Smart Growth. In this position, she was among the principal links between local and county governments and the state’s planning department. She served on a number of project teams which guided planning activities for several large cities and counties in the state.
She holds professional certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners and is a member of the American Planning Association. She has held membership in a number of statewide economic development, diversity, and cultural organizations in Connecticut and New Jersey. Dodds earned a Master’s in City and Regional Planning and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies/African Studies, both from Rutgers University.
The new director expressed excitement about joining the staff. “Prosper is a beautiful community that has a bright future,” she said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to help shape the future of this community in a way that reflects its goals and values.”
