As a Certified Planner of the American Planning Association, John Shepard brings over 25 years’ experience in planning and economic development. He has led comprehensive plans, strategic plans, and economic development initiatives for municipalities and counties across the Midwest and Mountain West, including award-winning work recognized by the American Planning Association. His project portfolio also includes economic impact studies, Main Street revitalization, creative placemaking, and downtown redevelopment, all directly aligned with goals of building a supportive environment for entrepreneurs and the retention and expansion of existing businesses.
In addition to all this expertise, John’s heart lies in heritage tourism, writing a weekly series on the delights and value, plus tourism as an economic driver. He began his career conducting a comprehensive long-range plan for a 9-county region in Minnesota, including county and city land use plans, local water management plans, regional transportation planning, and FEMA all-hazard mitigation plans. From there, he worked on long-range planning, including infrastructure, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and then went on to serve as the planner for special projects in economic development and tourism in New Mexico, along with six additional special projects.
More recently, he completed plans for 14 locations in Nebraska and several others in Colorado, Iowa, and other locations in the Midwest. In addition, he has advised local governments on economic development, wind and solar energy systems, and data center development to align public investment with community goals.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Master of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Colorado-Denver
- AICP Certification, American Institute of Certified Planners, 2002, Maintained 2019
Publications
- Outmigration as an Economic Indicator, Southwest Regional Development Commission
- Grass Roots Response from the Great Plains, Applied Research and Public Policy
- The New Economy of the Great Plains: Implications for Economic Development
- A New Vision for the Heartland: The Great Plains in Transition, Center for the New West
- Measuring Distress: Economic Indicators and the Great Plains, Center for the New West
- Leadership Through Partnerships: The National Trust’s Main Street Program as a Community Economic
- Development Tool, Urban Design and Preservation Quarterly