Development Professional Available

Executive Resume - Shepard IntroFriends, I am currently seeking a new opportunity in community and economic development, policy analysis or public administration, particularly in the Rocky Mountain or Great Plains states.  I do my best work with a small team of professionals dedicated to excellence in public service.  I am also considering opportunities where I could apply my skills in other areas—I’m adaptable to most anything you might find on this site.


Professional Experience

CITY OF AZTEC COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, Aztec, New Mexico
(Current, Limited-Term Assignment)

Historic county seat of San Juan County, with population of about 6,500, and a dynamic energy and tourism-based economy.

Planner

Conducting special projects in economic development, tourism and land use planning, and assisting in current planning review. Temporary assignment. Proficient with ESRI ArcView GIS and Microsoft Office Suite.

 

CITY OF FARMINGTON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, Farmington, NM

Retail center of the Four Corners region with population of about 45,000, in severe economic recession.

Long Range Planner

Management team member responsible for long-range planning and demographic analysis in 14-member planning and building department. Also conducted current planning review.

External Leadership

  • Benchmarked comprehensive plan update best practices.
  • Conducted outreach on annexation proposal for unincorporated industrial area.
  • Worked with Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) on transportation plan update.

Internal Leadership

  • Lead planner for Oil & Gas Review Commission, including Well Site Modification permits.
  • Mapped and supported city property inventory and management.

Technical Assistance and Problem Solving

  • Member of MPO transportation planning technical committee.

 

LARAMIE CO. PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT, Cheyenne, Wyoming

The largest county in Wyoming, with population of about 95,000, including large rural area with emerging energy industry and active farming and ranching economy.

Senior Planner

Team leader for long-range planning, including infrastructure and transportation planning, in 11-member planning and building department. Also conducted current planning review.

External Leadership

  • Engaged rural community leaders in assessment of 12-year old county comprehensive plan.
  • Facilitated unincorporated community’s neighborhood association plan for the US 85 South Greeley Highway Corridor, as a strategic alternative to a rejected re-development plan.
  • Worked with City and Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) on contentious update of award-winning PlanCheyenne, a cooperative regional land use and transportation plan.
  • Presented on Planning for Broadband at APA National Planning Conference 2013 in Chicago.

Internal Leadership

  • Lead planner on specialized applications including wireless siting and wind energy systems.
  • Lead planner for Planning Commission; presented projects to Board of County Commissioners.

Technical Assistance and Problem Solving

  • Secured support for University of Wyoming project to review best practices in local planning.
  • Completed FEMA 5-year review of Community Rating System (CRS) participation.
  • Member of MPO transportation planning technical committee.

 

SOUTHWEST REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (SRDC), Slayton, Minnesota

Development Planner

Conducted comprehensive, long-range planning for 9-county region, including county and city land use plans, local water management plans, regional transportation planning, and FEMA all-hazard mitigation plans.

Provided technical assistance on grant writing, zoning, active living, GreenStep Cities, solid waste and recycling, water, sewer, and telecommunications infrastructure. Regional Census data center.

Leadership

  • Completed comprehensive plans for rural counties and small cities.
  • Facilitated and authored state-mandated Local Water Management Plans for several counties and watershed districts. Initiative recognized for innovation by National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC).
  • Facilitated and authored all hazard mitigation plans for all counties in region.

Grant Writing and Technical Assistance

  • Worked with communities, non-profit organizations, higher education, Extension and local business to improve use of broadband infrastructure through the Blandin Foundation’s Minnesota Intelligent Rural Community (MIRC) project.
  • Secured $140,000 state and federal funding for 7 multi-jurisdictional all-hazard mitigation plans.
  • Encouraged walking and biking to schools through State DOT’s Safe Routes to School program and the Minnesota State Health Improvement Project (SHIP).

Problem Solving

  • Completed cooperative analysis of socio-economic data related to outmigration in rural Minnesota; made case to US Economic Development Administration (EDA) that outmigration meets federal criteria to access infrastructure and business development funding.

 

LARIMER CO. PLANNING DEPARTMENT, Fort Collins, Colorado
(Larimer County Community Development Division)

Planner II

Hired in department’s expansion of long-range planning team. Completed land use plans, including analysis, GIS mapping, public participation, and publications. Performed zoning and development review, and demographic analysis.

 

GALLATIN CO. PLANNING DEPARTMENT, Bozeman, Montana

Planner II

Member of small department’s long-range planning team to support scenario-based growth policy, neighborhood and regional transportation plans. Performed compliance reporting for $111,000 federal National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) GIS demonstration grant. Conducted current planning.

 

TRAILL COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION, Mayville, North Dakota

Executive Director

Performed all aspects of rural economic development, including supervising part-time staff.

 

Affiliations

American Planning Association (APA) / American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)

APA Small Town and Rural (STaR) Planning Division.
Elected Vice Chair-Communications 2014

I can be found on LinkedIn also.

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