Representing: Colorado Chapter APA
Senior Transportation Planner, Stanley Consultants, Inc.
colorado@westernplanner.org

Katie Guthrie, AICP, is a Senior Transportation Planner with Stanley Consultants, Inc. She has over 24 years of professional planning experience - 12 of which have been in transportation planning specifically. In her work, Katie focuses on planning, policy, and partnerships across all modes. She is dedicated to fostering inclusive and sustainable transportation systems that prioritize safety and accessibility. Katie has a Master's degree from the University of Washington in Sustainable Transportation and a Bachelor's degree from Cal Poly Pomona in Urban & Regional Planning.

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: North Dakota
Planner
City of Bismarck, North Dakota

Representing: Idaho
Executive Director, Future West
Driggs, Idaho

Director of Development Services
Town of Castle Rock, Colorado

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.

Representing: North Dakota Planning Association (NDPA)
Planner, Houston Engineering, Inc.
president-elect@westernplanner.org

Donna Bye, a former City Planner for Minot, ND for 15 years, and current Planner at Houston Engineering, Inc., has secured millions in funding through her work in disaster relief and community planning. As Minot’s first Chief Resilience Officer, she helped the city win $74.3 million in the National Disaster Resilience competition. With degrees in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design from North Dakota State University, Donna is passionate about both environmental projects and autism advocacy. She leads the “1000 Trees for Minot” project and supports the autism community through various initiatives inspired by her 18-year-old autistic daughter. Donna is incoming president of the Western Planner Board and enjoys biking, golfing, snowshoeing, and gardening with her family.

Representing: Idaho Chapter APA
Senior Planner, J-U-B Engineers
Moscow, Idaho
idaho@westernplanner.org

Alison is a certified planner and professional landscape architect with 20 years of experience in regional and local planning as well as floodplain management. Her work includes multi-agency coordination between local, state, federal, and tribal governments. As a former County Planner, she excels at providing planning expertise to serve rural communities and developing positive professional working relationships with staff, permitting agencies, and stakeholders. She began her career conducting watershed restoration and habitat monitoring for the Nez Perce Tribe followed by private practice in landscape architecture before she transitioned to land use planning and consulting.

Bernalillo, NM
secretary@westernplanner.org

Representing: Wyoming Planning Association (WYOPASS)
Senior Planner, Y2 Consultants
treasurer@westernplanner.org

Fountain Hills, AZ
Consultant - Retired
president@westernplanner.org

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: Emerging Planners
Project Manager - Planning
Wyoming Water Development Office
Cheyenne, Wyoming
emerging@westernplanner.org

Lonnie Olson, AICP is a Project Manager for Wyoming Water Development Office where he works on Level I and Level II planning studies across the state. Previously he was a Long Range Planner for the City of Cheyenne working with the Historic Preservation Board, Urban Renewal Authority, and an EPA Brownfield Assessment grant. He is a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners. He obtained a Master's in City and Metropolitan Planning and a graduate certificate in Sustainability from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT, in the Spring of 2022. Lonnie was born and raised in Laramie, WY and got his undergraduate degree at the University of Wyoming in Geography and a minor in International Studies. Outside of work, Lonnie enjoys mountain biking, baking with his sourdough starter, running and spending time with friends and family.

Representing: Tribal & Indigenous Interest Group, APA
Planning Director
Hudson, Colorado
tribal@westernplanner.org

Representing: Western Central Chapter APA
Planning & Zoning Code Administrator, Dunn County, ND
Manning, North Dakota
westcentral@westernplanner.org

Representing: Alaska Chapter APA
Principal/Owner, Agnew::Beck Consulting
Anchorage, Alaska
alaska@westernplanner.org

Shelly uses her natural facilitation skills to develop strategic plans for better communities, sustainable economic practices and a healthier environment. A lifelong Alaskan, Shelly was raised in North Pole and enjoys managing planning projects in remote regions. Whether working with municipalities, tribal entities or development organizations, she teases out tangible actions and rallies around shared attainable goals. Shelly applies her experience as a well-traveled facilitator and energetic planner to help guide Alaskans to cultivate healthier communities, smart policies and goal-oriented networks.

Representing: New Mexico Chapter APA
Planning Solutions
Santa Fe, New Mexico
newmexico@westernplanner.org

Dan Pava is an environmental planner and a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico in 2020 after 30 years of service. Dan has also worked for cities and counties, preparing comprehensive and general plans. He served on the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission and the city’s Planning Commission. Pava is on the board of Western Planner, where he also served as president, and he is a former president of the APA New Mexico chapter. He holds Master's degrees in Community and Regional Planning and Public Administration from the University of New Mexico. Currently, he also serves on the Santa Fe County Planning Commission and the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee. Pava and his very patient wife, Carol, live in Santa Fe with their loyal Akita, Bella.

Representing: Planning Association of Washington
Planner, Benton-Franklin Council of Governments MPO
Richland, Washington
washington@westernplanner.org