Planning for Vibrant Communities

Delia P. Fey is an AICP certified planner and is the Senior Regional Planner for the Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments. With over 23 years of experience in municipal planning in northeastern CT, Delia has served as town planner, ZEO and wetlands agent in northeastern CT towns, has written regulations, Plans of Conservation & Development and Affordable Housing Plans for multiple towns and reviewed many hundreds of development proposals. Having worked as the Woodstock town planner for 19 years, she has developed a passion for how underappreciated zoning is in most communities and yet it has tremendous influence on whether towns thrive or not.

Rhiannon McCabe  joined the Access Community Action Agency team in 2015 and has been providing Homelessness Prevention Services, support services, diversion, and rapid re-housing to homeless youth referred through the Coordinated Access Network (CAN). With over eight years of experience in Domestic Violence Programs in Colorado, Rhiannon has played a pivotal role in helping vulnerable populations achieve stable housing. She has a background in nursing and holistic nursing from the Front Range and Aims Community College and has earned the CCEH Annual Community Impact Award in 2023 for her outstanding work. Rhiannon actively contributes to various community committees and serves on the Board of Directors for Community Kitchens and the borough of Danielson. In her personal life, she loves spending time gardening with her little dog, Dessie, in Danielson, where she resides with her youngest son.

Dwight Merriam, FAICP, a lawyer and land use planner, is a Fellow in the American College of Real  Estate Lawyers, a Fellow and Past President and of the American Institute of Certified Planners, Past  Chair of the ABA Section of State and Local Government Law, a Counselor of Real Estate, and the  Connecticut member of Owners’ Counsel of America. Dwight taught for 40 years as an adjunct professor in several law schools. He has published over 200 articles and 13 books, including co authoring the casebook, PLANNING AND CONTROL OF LAND DEVELOPMENT, and co-authoring the  treatise RATHKOPF’S THE LAW OF ZONING AND PLANNING with Prof. Sara Bronin. He is the author of  CONNECTICUT LAND USE LAW and Practice 4th. Dwight served as an active duty and reserve Surface  Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy, including three Vietnam deployments, retiring after 31 years as a Captain. UMass BA (cum laude), UNC MRP, and Yale JD. www.dwightmerriam.com.

Caroline has 25 years of experience in urban planning, redevelopment, housing, transportation, and climate resiliency. She served in local and state governments, as well as the private sector as a consultant to government, non-profit, and institutional clients. Caroline’s work with the Center for Housing Opportunity of Eastern Connecticut (CHO) focuses on providing technical assistance to local communities, such as writing and implementing affordable housing plans, funding development projects, and educating the public on affordable housing needs. She also coordinates housing non-profits, funders, and municipal governments on affordable housing projects. She holds a Masters of Regional Planning from UNC Chapel Hill. She has been a member of the American Institute for Certified Planners since 2002 and is a certified Professional Transportation Planner.

Beth Sabilia is the Director of the Center for Housing Opportunity Eastern Connecticut. Beth is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and Suffolk University Law School. She was in the private practice of law for more than 26 years, all in New London. Beth most recently served as a Selectwoman for the Town of Waterford, a two-term member of the Waterford Representative Town Meeting), and served as a member of the town’s Board of Finance. Beth acted for two terms as the Mayor of the City of New London and a six-term member of the City Council, where she chaired the Economic Development Committee for more than four years. She was the liaison to the Redevelopment Commission and the Planning & Zoning Commission. Beth also served on the New London Board of Education, acting as its Vice-President and President, and a former Commissioner of the New London Housing Authority. 

Her numerous volunteer activities include acting as the former President of the Board of Trustees of the Bulkeley School Fund, as the Chair of the Waterford Democratic Town Committee, and in roles in community organizations such as the Girl Scouts of America, Waterford Little League, the Board of Trustees of Connecticut College, and the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Living. She is a current member of Waterford RISE (Residents for Inclusion and Social Equity).