On November 29, 1979, Stan Steadman, Art Greenburg, Jim Richard, and Fred Roach, from Montana; Allan Merta from North Dakota; Ben Orsbon from South Dakota; and Dale Pernula from Wyoming met at the office of the Western Coal Planning Assistance project in Billings, Montana, and established The Western Planner (WP).  The WP was established in newspaper form as a “journal of information and ideas for planners, their boards and commissions, and their multiple publics.” Since its inception, the WP has attempted, as a founding principle, to raise the general quality of planning in the Mountain-Plains area, through the sharing of ideas, planning news, and practical planning methods.

Although operated as a sole proprietorship by Stan Steadman for the first nine years, the policies of the WP were directed by the affiliated member states through editorial board members along with Stan Steadman.  The state associations shared control of the WP and each mutually benefited from the “marriage.” 

In 1987, at the Western Regional Planning Conference in Billings, Montana, the editorial board voted to create Western Planning Resources, Inc. (WPR).  The board adopted a set of bylaws and voted in officers.  The intent of WPR was to build on the solid foundation of the WP, but also broaden its mission to include the publication of educational materials and conducting continuing education seminars.

In January 1989, at a special meeting of the WPR Board of Directors in Littleton, Colorado, WPR negotiated a purchase agreement with Stan Steadman to obtain ownership of the WP.  Since then, the ownership of WP has been in the hands of WPR, and under the direction of the WPR Board of Directors. 

Karen Smith was a native of Newton, Massachusetts.  She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University in New York and was awarded a Master’s Degree in City Planning from the University of Rhode Island.

Like most planners, Karen had many jobs in both the public and private consulting sides of planning in Colorado. She was President of Planning Management Services in Aspen, Colorado and a Senior Associate with a Boulder, Colorado Consulting Firm.  She served as Director of the Aspen-Pitken County Planning Office and was also a Planner with the City of Denver Planning Department.

Karen was very involved in Colorado’s APA Chapter, serving as President from 1979-1981. In 1981, she was elected to chair APA’s Chapter President’s Council. She was elected to National APA Board of Directors in 1983 and she was Treasurer of the AICP Commission. APA’s Annual Best Chapter Award bears her name.

Karen was a Western Planner Editorial Board Member for four years. She was responsible for having Colorado’s APA Chapter be the first State Planning Organization (outside of the original Member Associations) to affiliate with The Western Planner.

She was also instrumentally involved, along with Earl Finkler, in getting an APA Chapter established in Alaska and getting the chapter to join The Western Planner ranks. She was a vibrant, energetic person, rich in ideas and very compassionate in her understanding. Since her involvement in the early years of The Western Planner, she was nothing short of a great benefactor of this effort. She was a key figure in the early growth and development of the WP.

Karen directed national attention to The Western Planner and made resources available that otherwise would have been beyond the WP’s reach. Karen fit precisely the label of a dedicated professional. She was invaluable as a friend, a national Board member, a WPR Board Member, and an advocate of planning.

Karen lived in Aspen, Colorado. She died in a highway accident in Colorado on July 24, 1984. She was 36 years old.

The Karen B. Smith Symposium is an annual session dedicated at each Western Planner Conference. It is just one way in which she is remembered for her contribution to the planning profession in the area of environmental issues in rural and small town planning her major love within the planning profession.

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State associations continue to share control of theWP by appointing members to the WPR Board of Directors, which continues to act in the same manner as the previous editorial board.  The state board members serve on the WPR Board with no financial compensation as a service to their state planning organizations and to other Western Planners. 

Business meetings are held in conjunction with the annual conference and cover a full range of activities undertaken by WPR, including the development of an annual operating plan and budget for the WP.

Many changes have occurred in the Mountain-Plains region, and in planning in general, since the beginning of the WP in 1979.  However, the WP family remains a strong, vibrant collegial group dedicated to its founding principle.

BOARD MEMBER SUCCESSION PLANNING GUIDELINES
Western Planning Resources views succession planning as vital to the future strength and well-being of the organization and to enable the organization to continue its mission of being ”. . . a network for providing information and education about the unique aspects of planning in the west.”  It provides a means for identifying and mentoring prospective board members and grants them an opportunity to increase their knowledge, experience and abilities that will prepare them for a leadership role in the future. 

The succession plan also encourages current board members to succeed to the leadership positions of Secretary, Treasurer, President-elect and President.  The WPR succession planning guidelines are as follows:

• WPR has a strategic plan to which it is committed (see website)
• WPR Board roles and responsibilities have been documented and reviewed in a handbook

• Board member responsibilities and expectations
• Officers and their responsibilities
• Standing committee descriptions and responsibilities

• WPR maintains close communication with sustaining, affiliate and contributing organizations through the participating organization’s representative and by Executive Board contact with the participating organization’s officer(s)
• WPR At-Large Directors are selected on the basis of skills to complement the organization’s future board leadership needs

• Organizational expertise
• Representation
• Community/region/issue knowledge
• Financial/fund raising ability
• Commitment to WPR purpose and goals
• Interpersonal and teamwork skills
• Historical perspective of the organization
• Future vision of WPR’s role in planning in the West

WPR has a board recruitment plan

• WPR Board has 3-year board recruitment/board succession outlook
• WPR Board has developed succession planning application form (online)
• Board members annually self-evaluate commitment to meet responsibilities and expectations and forewarn when they may not be seeking reappointment
• WPR Board utilizes committees as stepping stones to the board
• Each representative of sustaining, affiliate and contributing organizations searches for interested individual(s) that may be appointed by that organization at the appropriate time
• WPR Board assists representative to identify interested individual(s)
• Representative provides organizational information and mentors prospective board member
• Representative encourages prospective board member to attend Western Planner Conferences
• WPR Board develops and maintains an up to date list of board member prospects for At-Large representatives which can be appointed at the appropriate time; at-risk positions have been identified with a mentoring program in place.
• WPR has taken steps towards a more diverse and multi-generational board that recognizes the differing ethnic, gender and professional composition of its subscribers

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