JoAnne Fiebe is Division Director at Fairfax County’s Department of Economic Initiatives, with more than 20 years of experience in urban design, community revitalization, and place-led economic development. She currently leads efforts to advance public-private partnerships and previously helped transform some of the county’s mixed-use revitalization districts into sustainable, walkable, and economically vibrant communities. Her work includes repositioning county property for redevelopment, shaping policies and design guidelines, guiding long-range planning, and engaging communities through charrettes. She contributed to major initiatives such as the Mosaic District and the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit project.
Outside of local government, JoAnne has worked as a residential and mixed-use developer, a researcher at the Center for Urban Transportation Research in Tampa, and co-founder of a non-profit, The Urban Charrette. She is also the prior owner of two businesses: a food truck and Harvest Solar, a solar installation company. JoAnne holds a Bachelors in Architecture from the University of Miami and a Masters in Urban and Community Design from the University of South Florida, where she also teaches as an adjunct faculty member. She is a member of the George Washington chapter of Lambda Alpha International and the Congress for New Urbanism.
Courses
DIY Design Leadership: The Urban Charrette Story
Thursday, February 12, 2026 | 2-3pm ET
In April 2007, two graduate architects founded The Urban Charrette as a response to what they saw as disappointing city leadership around the built environment in Tampa. The organization convened emerging professionals across the city to discuss its future. The Urban Charrette was described as “a guerrilla movement in its approach to influencing urban development,” because it utilized innovative tactical urbanism, social networking and unconventional formats and interventions to push change. Its impact on the city over time was undeniable. The volunteerism and public service work also helped launch careers and gave voice and then influence to its core members, who have become civic leaders across the city and points beyond. The Urban Charrette provides a quintessential example of grassroots design leadership and creative problem-solving where new civic mechanisms can provide breakthrough ideas for positive change.