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

Representing: Oregon Chapter APA
Transportation Planner, Western Federal Lands Highway Division
oregon@westernplanner.org

I'm 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: Utah Chapter APA
Planner, J-U-B Engineering
Logan, Utah
utah@westernplanner.org

Representing: Colorado Chapter APA
colorado@westernplanner.org

Representing: South Dakota Planning Association
Senior Planner, City of Sioux Falls
southdakota@westernplanner.org

Representing: Nevada Chapter APA
Senior Planner, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
nevada@westernplanner.org

Theresa Avance, AICP. Theresa is a Senior Planner with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) in Lake Tahoe, NV/CA. She began her career with TRPA in 1998, and has over 25 years of experience in the review of all types of development projects and environmental documentation within the Tahoe Basin. Theresa was a member of the Editorial Board of the Western Planner Journal from 2003 to 2013, Assistant Director of the Northern Section of the Nevada Chapter of the APA from 2013 to 2017, and is Director of the Northern Section from 2024 to 2026. Theresa has a B.S. in Environmental Studies, specializing in Public Policy/Resource Management, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Worland, Wyoming
aparker@westernplanner.org

Manager, Community Development – State of Utah
Millcreek, Utah
editor@westernplanner.org

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.