Featured Planner: Kerwin Jensen—Richland, Washington

Describe your current job
I have been the Development Services Director for the City of Richland, Washington for the past five years. I oversee the building, planning, economic development, and housing divisions. One unique aspect of my job is that the City of Richland owns thousands of acres of land and the Development Services Department is responsible for selling and developing this land. The city even owns a rail line in our industrial park that we manage.

I have worked in local government for 32 years throughout the West including the states of Montana, Utah, Colorado, and now Washington.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up? How did you get into planning?

My first dream was to be a Major League Baseball player. After playing one year of college baseball, I realized this probably wouldn’t work out and I focused on my education. While attending graduate school at Brigham Young University, I served an internship with the City of Orem in their planning department. Nine months later I was employed full-time by the City of Billings, Montana.

Kerwin on a bike tour at the 2019 Western Planner Conference in Santa Fe, NM.

What's your planning background and education?

I have a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Weber State University (minor in Urban Planning) and a master’s degree from Brigham Young University with an emphasis in Resource Management.

Describe a mentor or someone you admire that has had an impact on your career.

Fred Alley was my first supervisor in Billings, Montana and he has since retired from the City of Roseburg, Oregon. He taught me so much and most of all taught me to hire good people to work with.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in their career? What do you wish you'd have known when you were starting out?

Learn as much as you can from your co-workers and especially from those who have been in the profession for many years. Do not be afraid to ask questions.

Why is the Western Planner valuable to you as a planner? Why did you decide to serve on the board?

Western Planner is a great network of professionals who work in both rural and urban settings where open space and relatively small populations are predominant. As a result, land use authorities in the West have a unique mission when it comes to land use practices. This is why it is important to belong to an organization where we can discuss common goals with one another.

What's something particular or interesting about yourself?

I love to travel and see other parts of the country. My wife and I have done very little international travel; however, we have visited all 50 states in the U.S. and five Canadian provinces. Some of the most unique experiences we have had include visiting the Haskell Library and Opera House, which literally straddles the Vermont/Quebec border and where we sat in the U.S. while watching a performance take place in Canada; playing five-pin bowling while waiting for a tow truck in Rodney, Ontario; and hiking with all four of our young children to the top of Angels Landing in Zion National Park. As a parent, this can be pretty nerve-racking.

Kerwin Jensen currently serves on the Western Planner Resources board as the representative from Washington.