About the Program
We are excited to announce that PLAN Sac Valley will return for its 14th year!
The Sacramento Valley Section of the California American Planning Association (SVS APA) is excited to announce the 2026 PLAN Program. PLAN Sac Valley is a fun and rewarding one-on-one and group mentoring forum for personal and professional growth and development. The program matches planners (Mentees) just starting their careers with established technical and policy planning professionals (Mentors) that will share their invaluable knowledge and experience to help mentees. The Program will run from February thru June with a maximum of up to 20 Mentor/Mentee pairings. This program will be supported by leadership of the Sacramento Valley Section APA Board, the Young and Emerging Planners group and facilitated by a volunteer Steering Committee of local APA member planning professionals.
Below is a brief snapshot of the Program. In-person group meetings will be held in the Midtown or East Sacramento vicinity on the third Wednesday of the month from 5:30 to 7:30.
- January 21, 2026, 8pm: Applications due. Please click to fill out the application: 2026 PLAN
- January 30, 2026: Mentor/Mentee pair selection and notifications
- February 25, 2026: Group Session #1: Career Journeys and Setting Your Intentions for Mentorship
- March 25, 2026: Group Session #2 - Speed Networking
- April 22, 2026: Group Session #3 - Topic and location to be determined by the 2026 cohort
- Additional Sessions: - One-on-one mentor/mentee meeting(s) to be scheduled by the pair between group sessions
- PLAN Catapult Graduation Networking Event - Hosted by Julia Lave-Johnston
Criteria for Mentees - The program is designed for the following:
- Undergraduate students in a Planning or related degree field who are in their Senior year (e.g. graduating prior to December 2026).
- Graduate students in a planning or related field.
- Individuals who have graduated and are seeking employment in the planning or a related field.
- Individuals in their first 5 years of their career.
Criteria for Mentors - We are seeking a pool of individuals with 10 or more years of experience to participate as Mentors for the program. Because we seek to specifically pair mentees with individuals who have experience in their area of interest (e.g. housing, public sector, transportation, non profits) we are seeking a pool of interested and willing volunteers but may not need everyone’s participation this program year. We may also need some additional volunteers for the Speed Dating activity on March 25th. A mentor orientation will be held the week prior to the first group session.
Program Cost - The cost for this program is partially subsidized by the SVS APA Section. Participants must be at least a Chapter APA member. To learn more about APA membership options Join APA. Program tuition is $120 per person for both Mentors and Mentees which is intended to offset direct costs, primarily food and drink at the group events. Need-based scholarships may be available to mentees by providing justification to the PLAN Steering Committee.
Applications are currently open and due by January 14, 2026 at 8pm. APPLY NOW FOR THE 2026 PLAN Mentorship Program: Application
Click here to download the PLAN Flyer.
Please direct any inquiries to us by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
PLANNING + LEADERSHIP + ADVANCEMENT + NETWORKING
