Central Regional Office Staff
Oliver Bass, AICP, Chief Planner. Oliver has been with DCA since 1998, first as a Community Development Planner and then Senior Planner. Oliver is now Chief Planner for the Central Regional Office. Before working with DCA, Oliver worked as a City Planner for 8 years in Ocean Spring, Mississippi. Oliver graduated from Jackson State University with a B.A. in Urban Studies and the University of Kansas with a Masters in Urban Planning. Oliver’s areas of specialty include land use planning, growth management, and annexation and incorporation studies. He also assists towns in downtown revitalization, meeting facilitation, and training. Oliver can be reached at obass@nccommerce.com.
Betsy Kane, Senior Planner. Betsy began work with DCA after several years working as a planner with local and state government and in private consulting firms. She received a law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Florida. Her focus has been on helping communities formulate neighborhood plans and downtown plans with an emphasis on placemaking. She has also helped many communities update their zoning ordinances to be more functional and predictable, as well as to protect community visual character and environmental quality. Much of her planning work has been grounded in public participation and community visioning processes. bkane@nccommerce.com.
Lee Nichols, Community Development Planner. Lee is a graduate from East Carolina University with a B.S. in Urban and Regional Planning and a certified North Carolina Zoning Official. Prior to coming to DCA in 2006, Lee worked in local government as a Code Enforcement Officer and Planning Director. He has completed instruction in Municipal Administration and his areas of expertise include municipal codes and ordinances, North Carolina planning practices and state law, and training for Planning Boards and Boards of Adjustment. Lee also assists jurisdictions in comprehensive development planning. Lee can be reached at lnichols@nccommerce.com.
Will Best, Business and Technology Applications Analyst. Will is a graduate of East Carolina University and a specialist in the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He has experience working in the private sector on mapping and aerial photography interpretation. Will also worked for the City of Raleigh Planning Department prior to joining the DCA. At DCA, Will works on mapping, annexation studies, and redevelopment planning, in addition to managing the Agrarian Growth Zones (AG Zone) and Urban Progress Zone (UP Zone) programs. Will can be reached at wbest@nccommerce.com.