SNEAPA 2026 will be held October 8 & 9 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Thank you to everyone who attended & supported SNEAPA 2025 in Newport Rhode Island!

Photo Credit: Corey Favino

The SNEAPA Conference draws more than 500 planners, engineers, architects, students, and other professionals to share experiences, collaborate, network, and earn maintenance credits for AICP certification.

Held in the fall, the conference is one of the best learning experiences for APA/AICP members in the region. The conference features two days of high quality, hands-on and interactive sessions, mobile workshops, planning law and planning ethics presentations, member networking, vendor contacts, plus a few surprises.

For AICP members, this is a valuable experience to gain those much needed credits for Certification Maintenance. Whether you are an APA member, an AICP member, a student, or a person with an interest in the practice of Planning, this conference always delivers something for everyone!

Location

Foxwoods Resort Casino
350 Trolley Line Boulevard
Mashantucket, CT 06338-3777

Date & Time

October 8, 2026, 8:30 AM -
October 9, 2026 - 5:00 PM

SNEAPA Mailing List

2025 Keynote Speaker,
Keith W. Stokes

Griot, Historian, Intellectual, Convener, Public Policy Wonk, Father, Husband, and son of Rhode Island

In all of the various roles in his four decades of public service to Rhode Island, Keith W. Stokes is driven to create a community for all who call the Ocean State home. From elected city official in his beloved home of Newport to statewide office as a gubernatorial appointment on economic development to his service for the City of Providence, Stokes sought to braid public dollars with private development to foster a beloved community.

Keith received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his formative graduate work at the University of Chicago. Woven into the formal education are the stories of a generation of ancestors whispering long-shared stories of a time before the American Revolution and the lens to see the present. Keith has been appointed the Rhode Island Historian Laureate, a testament to his remarkable dedication and passion for preserving history.

Keith presently leads the State of Rhode Island Division of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. His past employment experiences include the Director of the City of Providence Department of Business and Economic Development, the Executive Director of the Economic Development Corporation of Rhode Island, and the Newport County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director.

He has also been an Advisor for Rhode Island with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and served on numerous local, regional, and national business and public boards, including Preservation Society for Newport County, Touro Synagogue Foundation, Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission Historical Review Board, Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, Quonset Development Corporation, Rhode Island Foundation, and the American Antiquarian Society.

His current passion is borne of a heritage that extends before the republic and grounds his roots in the land of Rhode Island. From his father, the cerebral and equally physical baseball, and from his mother, a grounding in history and a curiosity to learn more about his African, Jewish, and Caribbean family roots.

He frequently appears on national historical programs, including C-SPAN, Fox News Legends & Lies, and Ted Talk. Recently, he was the lead researcher and author of “A Matter of Truth” publication for the examination and documentation of the role of the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island in supporting a “Separate and Unequal” existence for African heritage, Indigenous, and People of Color.

He is a 9th generation Rhode Islander and calls Newport home with his beloved wife, Theresa. He is the father of four children and an extended clan of pit bull dogs he rescues and nurtures.

Keynote Sponsor: