Alissa Torres, FAICP
Contact Information
201 S. Rosalind Avenue
Fifth Floor
Orlando
FL
32801-3527
United States
FAICP Statement
Alissa Barber Torres has dedicated her25-year career to planning practice, planning education, professional and community service, and leadership, including extensive service to the profession at the local, state, and national levels. Her exceptional commitment to students and emerging planners includes teaching at two Florida universities, volunteer service, mentoring, and outreach to underserved K-12students of color. Torres’s professional experience, academic contributions, focus on inclusivity and equity for underserved communities, and planning projects in Orange County, Florida, have supported the practice of planning and generations of planners in Central Florida and enhanced the community’s development, facilities, and quality of life.
Professional Biography
Alissa Barber Torres, PhD, FAICP, CLTD has served as Orange County Government's (FL) Chief Innovation & Emerging Technology Officer since February 2025. Alissa has 30 years of experience in transportation, technology, economic development, land use, policy and code development, public outreach, and intergovernmental coordination with local government, private sector, and regional planning agencies.
Alissa’s technical expertise has been recognized with several appointments to serve on national committees and research project panels of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, as well as participation in several national demonstration projects.
Alissa holds a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University and a Ph.D. in Texts and Technology from the University of Central Florida (UCF). Alissa has earned Smart Cities Practitioner certification from the Smart Cities Council and the Certified in Logistics, Transportation, and Distribution (CLTD) designation from the Association for Supply Chain Management.
Alissa has taught several graduate courses in urban planning at UCF and the University of Florida as an adjunct professor and served on UCF’s Planning Advisory Board for over 10 years.
Alissa’s work has been been honored with several national, state, and regional awards from the National Association of Counties, Florida Department of Transportation District 5, WTS-Central Florida Chapter, and the American Planning Association (APA).
Alissa’s achievements in urban planning practice, planning education, professional and community service, and leadership led to her induction as a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP) of APA in 2020.
Education
115306 | Florida State UniversityGraduation Date: May, 1998
Degree Level: Graduate
Planning Degree
321749 | University of Central Florida
Graduation Date: December, 2010
Degree Level: PhD/J.D.
321749 | University of Central Florida
Graduation Date: December, 2010
Degree Level: PhD/J.D.
321749 | University of Central Florida
Graduation Date: December, 2010
Degree Level: PhD/J.D.
Job History
Orange County GovernmentChief Innovation & Emerging Technology Officer
February,2025 - Present
Orlando, FL
32801
United States