Our Team

As President and founder of Thomas Comitta Associates, Inc., (TCA), Thomas J. Comitta serves as Principal-In-Charge and Operations Manager. He has blended his roles as a Town Planner and Landscape Architect on numerous projects for municipal and private clients.

Tom is an expert in communications and has utilized his verbal and graphic skills for many assignments pertaining to: town planning; landscape architecture; expert witness testimony; public participation; preference surveys related to community development; and land planning mediation. He is a frequent lecturer at town planning workshops, and conducts training sessions on town planning, form-based codes, and traditional neighborhood development.

Tom has traveled extensively in the United States and Europe and has studied many traditional towns and neighborhoods, new towns and new communities. He believes that compact development with attractive and functional public spaces is a needed alternative to conventional suburban sprawl. He promotes a humanistic, sustainable and balanced approach to planning and design through careful consideration of the historic and cultural context of towns, neighborhoods and landscapes.

Carolyn is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at TCA. In this capacity, Carolyn is an integral member of the TCA team, providing experienced leadership based in a strong commitment to the planning and design field, environmental sustainability, education, and public health.

Carolyn’s professional background is in education. She continues to serve as a mentor to students, and since 1992 has organized the attendance of over 2000 local students at the annual Health and Environment Conference at the United Nations.

As a Pennsylvania State Senator in the 19th District, former State Representative representing the 156th District, two-term Mayor of West Chester, member of Borough Council, the National League of Cities and PA Municipal League, and through decades of participation in local, state, national and international organizations, Carolyn has gained a deep and broad knowledge of public policy and governance that is of great benefit to TCA’s public and private clients.

At TCA, Carolyn is engaged in business operations, client relations, and strategic visioning. Together with her husband Tom and our highly competent and dedicated staff, she strives to serve TCA’s diverse clients with professionalism, integrity and care.

Jennifer Leister Reitz is a municipal planner with Thomas Comitta Associates, Inc.(TCA), with 12 years of strategic planning, ordinance preparation, and public participation experience. Jen’s educational background is in community planning, land use planning, public administration, and community health and nutrition.

Prior to joining TCA, Jennifer worked as a public sector planner for New York City, New York and New Castle County, Delaware. In the latter role she gained significant experience in land development plan compliance reviews, and represented the County’s interest for state and local initiatives such as the Claymont Village Redevelopment, the State Demographic Committee, the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Trail project, and the Mobility Friendly Design Initiative.

At TCA, Jen’s role focuses on comprehensive planning, ordinance preparation, demographic and fiscal impact analysis, and public outreach strategies. She has completed nearly ten Comprehensive Plans, and has also served as interim Planning Director for Salem County, New Jersey.

Kelly is a key member of the TCA team. Her work ranges from graphics production and publishing to project documentation. She is highly skilled in verbal and written communication and adds a professional quality to all of her work products. Kelly’s responsibilities include assisting with Land Development Plan Reviews, Comprehensive Plans, Zoning Ordinance Amendments, Project Manuals, Project Proposals, and Client Communications. Her high standards and work ethic have been fostered by prior experience in detail-oriented businesses. Her organizational skills are evident in her performance, and allows TCA to run in an efficient and highly productive manner.

Dan Mallach is a Certified Planner (AICP), Registered Landscape Architect (PA License LA3107) and ISA Certified Arborist (PD-2782A). His educational background is in open space design and planning, natural, historic and cultural resource management, field botany and plant ecology. His professional practice includes master planning and land development analysis, open space, recreation, and planting design, and working with municipalities to achieve zoning and land development objectives. Dan is proficient in a variety of computer graphics applications, and is an experienced photographer.
Dan has worked with several public institutions and government entities, including the cultural resources divisions of the United States Air Force and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He is an Eagle Scout, and also spent many summers in the outdoors as a YMCA camper, cabin leader, and instructor– learning, and then teaching, about the natural world.
At TCA, Dan coordinates planning and design projects and the preparation of ordinance materials, writes land development code compliance reviews, performs site planting and hardscape inspections, and provides expert witness testimony in Landscape Architecture and Planning. He brings to his work the desire to promote civic strength through a combination of conservation, sustainable land management, vibrant place making and innovative smart growth.

Erin Gross, a licensed Landscape Architect and Certified Town Planner at TCA, has developed a strong foundation in Sustainable Planning and Design, and in the Art of Placemaking.

Erin’s professional practice ranges from regional master planning, to municipal comprehensive planning, to ordinance amendments and preparation, to park and streetscape master planning and design. She exhibits strong skills in communication, organization, attention to detail, and leadership.

Erin assists with a wide range of design projects, community planning projects, the preparation of ordinance materials, and land development plan reviews. Her work displays a deep appreciation and sense of responsibility toward the natural and built environment, which improves the lives of our clients and enriches are communities.