SSMMA welcomes Sarah Kobetis as new planning director

Please join the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association in welcoming our new Planning Director, Sarah Kobetis. Sarah returns to SSMMA after two and a half years serving the City of Gary, Indiana, first as Deputy Director and then Director of Planning. From 2016-2017 she was a Planner at SSMMA, providing technical assistance and planning support for the Housing Collaborative and the South Suburban Land Bank and Development Authority (SSLBDA).

A Detroit native, Sarah spent several years in Texas before returning to the Midwest. After receiving her Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin, she served as a community development project manager for GrantWorks in Austin, where she managed large-scale CDBG disaster recovery and public infrastructure improvement projects. In addition to her master’s degree, she also holds a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY, where she studied Economics.

Sarah has extensive experience as a planner and project manager, although her primary expertise is in land use legislation, research, and policy. She is excited to collaborate with SSMMA communities to expand their local planning capacities and further regional development goals. In the rare moments when she’s not thinking about planning, Sarah is an avid reader, public art lover, and dog person.

Sarah can be reached at 708-922-4604 or sarah.kobetis@ssmma.org.