Dan Goodman, AICP, LEED AP®, has been a central player at Toole Design for nearly 20 years. He started as a planner in 2006 and led projects across the country before leaving in 2013 to lead the Federal Highway Administration’s national pedestrian and bicycle program. Dan returned in 2018 as our Mid-Atlantic Director of Planning. Now, we’re delighted for Dan to step into the role of Office Director at our headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Read on to learn about Dan’s vision for the Silver Spring team, the work he’s most excited about, and what it means to lead the headquarters office.
What drew you to the Office Director role?
It’s partly a desire to focus on my home city and region: DC, Maryland, and Virginia. In this role, I have a broader technical portfolio, so I get a fuller view of the work going from planning to design to implementation — seeing stuff getting built, which is one of the most inspiring parts of the work that we do. It’s also a desire to lean into what it means to be the headquarters office in a nationally leading company. We have the opportunity to set the tone, on collaboration, systems, metrics, and thought leadership. I’m really excited about building and nurturing the next generation of leaders in our company and our field, because they’re going to make a big, positive difference in the years to come.
What’s unique about the Silver Spring team?
We’re a group of people who genuinely believe in the importance of what we do. We’re passionate about it because we know it makes a difference in people’s lives. We also recognize the interconnectedness of the work that we do. In addition to our planning, design, and engineering experts, the Silver Spring office houses many of our accounting, marketing, corporate, and human resources staff. It’s important to me that we’re building a culture that recognizes the value of everyone’s contributions and how interconnected it all is.
What are some projects the team is working on right now?
We often work on a range of different projects for clients, to help align their efforts. For example, we’re currently updating the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Bicycle Facility Design Guide to improve the quality of bicycle infrastructure, while at the same time we’re developing their Strategic Bikeways Plan to provide a long-term vision for a connected bicycle network and a five-year work plan to move closer to that vision. On top of that, we’re supporting DDOT’s Safe Routes to School program. All of these are related, and we’re making connections between them to get better outcomes for the community.
In Maryland, we recently developed the State Transportation Trails Strategic Plan, and we’re doing final design on the Central Avenue Connector Trail in Prince George’s County, a regionally significant trail project that will support transit-oriented and economic development. We’re also pushing the envelope in design guidance on topics like accessible design, transit, parking lot design, and curbless street and shared space design.
In Virginia, we’re working on safety-focused planning and design projects from Arlington County to Richmond and across the commonwealth. And we’re supporting both the Fall Line Trail and Three Notched Trail, two major corridors that are part of a broader vision for a regional trail system.
What is one thing about Toole Design’s work that not everyone understands?
Toole Design is, in a lot of ways, a public realm firm. We understand how people move, how to create inviting spaces, how to incorporate transit, and how to get the street network and the design details right — and getting the details right is how you create connected and livable communities that people want to live in. With our “path as place” approach and our accessible design expertise, we’re uniquely positioned to create plans that are both visionary and functional.
What’s your favorite way to get around?
I’m primarily a pedestrian, walking to and from work every day. I also regularly take Metro and use bikeshare. But I have three kids who play competitive soccer, so I also spend almost every weekend driving around the suburbs of Maryland and Virginia, which gives me a helpful perspective on the safety and connectivity challenges that we face in the Mid-Atlantic.
