Representing: Tribal & Indigenous
Assistant Professor
Department of Urban Design & Planning
University of Washington

Dylan Stevenson (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and Citizen Band Potawatomi Nation descendant) is an assistant professor in the department of Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington. His research examines how planning can support community efforts toward culturally informed Indigenous land stewardship, and has worked on research projects related to community land trusts, equity and justice, and climate response, among others. Dylan is also a certified planner (AICP) with the American Planning Association.

Representing: North Dakota
Planning and Zoning Director
Stark County, North Dakota

Steve Josephson has been the Stark County Planning and Zoning  Director since 2017. Before that, he worked with the City of Dickinson from 2012 to 2016.  Prior to moving to North Dakota, Steve worked in Florida for five different counties in different capacities, holding positions in long range planning, current planning, and social services planning. He’s a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and the North Dakota Planning Association. Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Steve has a joint master's degree in urban and regional planning and public policy and administration from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He and his wife currently reside in Dickinson, North Dakota, where they have a granddaughter and two dogs.

Representing: South Dakota
Spearfish, South Dakota

After serving in several planning leadership positions in Arizona and South Dakota, Jayna is a semi-retired planning consultant serving public and nonprofit agencies, as well as helping property owners through the development approval process.  Her skills range from broad policy development to final implementation methods.  Jayna is an AICP planner and registered landscape architect in the state of Arizona.   When not working on a planning project, Jayna can be found behind the artists easel, or enjoying time with family and friends.

Representing: New Mexico
New Mexico Public School Facilities Authority
Albuquerque, New Mexico

John Valdez, AICP is a planning manager with the New Mexico Public School Facilities Authority where he works with demographic/socioeconomic data and capital improvements planning. He is a native of Santa Fe, New Mexico. A graduate of the University of New Mexico’s dual Master’s Program in Community and Regional Planning/Public Administration, he worked as a planner for local government, private practice, and now with state government. In his career, he has been involved in land use/long-range planning, consulted on development projects, and school-district capital improvements planning. He has also been involved in numerous planning projects in small towns and rural communities throughout New Mexico and the West.  He has held various positions within the New Mexico Chapter of the American Planning Association over the last 15 years. He was recently President of the chapter, with his term ending in December 2022.  He now serves as Immediate Past President for the Chapter.

Representing: Utah
Senior Consultant
Orem, Utah

Representing: Oregon
Community Development Director
City of Newberg, Oregon

Scot Siegel, FAICP, is a highly accomplished and versatile planner with over 30 years of experience working with close to one hundred communities in six western states. He is currently Community Development Director with the City of Newberg, Oregon. Scot's leadership has brought transformation and positive change to both his clients and the planning profession. From his pioneering work on the first smart growth plans in the nation to his role as a consultant and Planning Director for cities in the Portland, Oregon metro area, Scot has applied his deep command of planning and design principles in ways that can be understood and embraced by communities, and effectively administered by client staff. His skills as an educator and communicator enable him to work fluidly in challenging situations that include differing and sometimes deeply conflicting perspectives. A published poet, Scot demystifies planning through his use of language and writing, and makes it accessible for clients, colleagues, and community members. In all aspects of his work, he is committed to planning excellence and fostering a culture of collaboration in order to provide cities with the tools they need to realize their visions. Scot’s author page is www.scotsiegel.com.

Representing: Idaho
Executive Director, Future West
Driggs, Idaho

Portland, Oregon

Gigi Cooper, AICP, is a planner with David Evans and Associates, Inc., a national multi-disciplinary consulting firm based in Portland, Oregon. She has three decades of expertise in land development and in transportation, water, and energy infrastructure projects—from developing plans and feasibility studies, to identifying funding sources, writing grant applications, and preparing NEPA documents. She has extensive experience in preparing successful land use applications, including comprehensive plan and zoning amendments. She develops area plans and implementing ordinances for local governments and has augmented municipal planning staff in reviewing development applications. She is currently a panelist for the Transportation Research Board National Cooperative Highway Research Program report Integrating Resiliency into Transportation System Operations. Her article “NEPA after 50: Protection or Paperwork?” appeared in the March 2021 issue of The Western Planner.

Bernalillo, NM

Atlanta, Georgia
Consultant - Retired

Loras P. Rauch, AICP. Loras has been a professional planner for over 38 years (APA), a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) since 1993 and received her Form Based Codes Certificate from the Form Based Codes Institute (FBCI) in 2009. Loras has extensive experience in developing municipal zoning and land use ordinances, a broad range of experience in community development and has been involved in all aspects of both current planning and long-range planning. Loras spent 9 years as a staff planner for 2 communities in the Phoenix metro area prior to founding her firm Contract Planning Services in 1995. Contract Planning Services, is an award-winning consulting firm and is considered to be a leader in the field of municipal ordinance work by its clients and peers. Loras has been directly responsible for the development of over 30 different land use ordinances as well as being on consulting teams for General Plans, Comprehensive Plans, and Specific Plans for communities, counties, and Tribes throughout Arizona.

Representing: Oregon Chapter APA
Lead Transportation Planner, DOWL

I'm the Lead Transportation Planner with DOWL’s Vancouver, Washington office and previously a Transportation Systems Planner with FHWA Western Federal Lands. My work focuses on long range transportation planning, particularly in the areas of regional and intergovernmental policy in the American Northwest. I'm a certified planner through the American Planning Association and hold a B.A. in Political Science and M.U.P. in Regional Planning from the University of Michigan. I'm also currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Affairs from Portland State University.

Representing: Wyoming Planning Association
Worland, Wyoming

Manager, Community Development – State of Utah
Millcreek, Utah

Paul Moberly, AICP, PCED, has served as the Editor and Administrator of The Western Planner since 2019 and is the manager of the State of Utah's Community Development Office, specializing in rural economic and community development. With a strong background in quantitative research and marketing, Paul brings innovative and creative solutions to complex projects, including managing substantial rural and tribal grant portfolios and developing tools and resources for local planning initiatives. His credentials include certification with the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Professional Community and Economic Development certification (PCED) through the Community Development Council, an MRP from Cornell University, and an MAEd from Boise State University. Paul has over fifteen years of experience in consulting, project management, marketing, and organizational development, all driven by a passion for rural and small-town revitalization.