James Hunt Named Acting Deputy Planning Director of M-NCPPC Prince George’s County Planning Department

May 31, 2024

On Thursday, May 30, 2024, the Prince George’s County Planning Board of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) announced that James R. Hunt will serve as the Acting Deputy Planning Director for Operations with the Prince George’s County Planning Department. Hunt will assume his role on June 2, 2024, following Derick Berlage’s upcoming retirement. Hunt will lead nearly 140 planners, managers, and professional staff located within in the Community Planning, Countywide Planning, and Development Review Divisions.

Since January 2018, Hunt has served as the Division Chief of Development Review where he has managed teams in the areas of Administrative Support, Applications, Permit Review, Planning Information Services, Subdivisions, Urban Design Review, and Zoning Review. Hunt appears regularly before the Planning board, meets with various community groups, and maintains positive relationships with County leaders and partnering agencies. Hunt has also been instrumental in the development and recent launch of the Prince George’s County Neighborhood Planning Academy.

Hunt brings more than 20 years of experience in planning and leadership from his past roles in North Carolina and Virginia. Previously, he served as the Division Chief of the Permit Center in the City of Alexandria, Virginia where he managed the daily financial and operations of a unit comprised of the Departments of Code Administration, Planning & Zoning, Transportation & Environmental Services, Finance/Business License, Health, Fire, Archaeology, and Information Technology Services. While with the City of Alexandria, he also served in the roles of Site Plans Examiner and Urban Planner II. Hunt also gained experience as a Community Planner for the North Carolina Department of Transportation where he managed Community Impact Assessments for statewide transportation projects.

Hunt holds a bachelor’s degree in geography with an urban planning concentration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from The University of Baltimore. He is also a graduate of the Executive Leadership Institute with the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and Leadership Alexandria and holds membership in several national organizations.