Myles Smith, Georgia Power’s expert on the viability of the most important urban region in its market, has been honored as an outstanding professional in the field of community planning.

In a recent ceremony in Denver, Smith was named to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), the professional affiliate of the American Planning Association (APA). He became one of only eight living in Georgia ever to receive the honor.

“I’m proud to be chosen as a Fellow. It will give me more stature as a professional to do what I do for Georgia Power. Unlike Coca-Cola, UPS or Georgia Pacific, we are an infrastructure company. Georgia Power can have the best electrical infrastructure in the world, but if our service territory doesn’t have the other elements – such as water, air quality, sewer, roads, transit, and housing – we won’t have a prosperous community to serve,” says Smith. “It doesn’t happen by electricity alone.”

Smith, now a community development representative in Georgia Power’s Community and Economic Development department, has studied Atlanta and Georgia for decades. As an urban planner, he is trained to work with the region’s public policy-makers to ensure adequate infrastructure in communities for the purposes of economic development. Smith works closely with state and regional planning agencies, such as the Atlanta Regional Commission, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority.

Smith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management and a Master of City Planning degree, both from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He joined Georgia Power in 1982 as a community development planner after working for more than 14 years as a vice president and principal for two planning consulting firms. He later became the manager of the Community Development Department and then manager of the Urban Affairs Department. He now focuses on Georgia Power’s planning policy efforts for the Atlanta region.