John has been the Executive Director at the SWMPC since June 2003. He is a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). He is about to enter his second decade in the profession. During that time he has planned within a rich diversity of scale and subject matter. He holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Purdue University.
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Marcy Colclough, Senior Planner
Marcy is an experienced Senior Planner who has developed a track record of implementing successful projects for a variety of clients around the Southwest Michigan region. She has a wealth of experience writing master and recreation plans, facilitating planning processes, and developing grants and implementing projects in watershed planning, economic development, and recreation.
Marcy specializes in helping community members understand the real trade-offs involved in environmental and urban design decisions, allowing them to decide for themselves how local values should be reflected in plans.
Marcy was the project director for the Dowagiac River Watershed Project with the Cass County Conservation District from 1999-2002. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Ohio Northern University and a Master of Environmental Science Degree from Miami University, Ohio.
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Kimberly Gallagher, Associate Planner
Insight, passion and experience make Kim Gallagher a dynamic leader and presenter. Ms. Gallagher has the ability to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to build understanding and consensus in complex subject areas. She has significant experience in developing marketing materials, including brochures, website development and interpretive products. Read more
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Nickolas Musson, Associate Planner
Nick joined the SWMPC staff in December of 2007. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with Bachelor's degrees in Geography, Public Administration, and Philosophy. He brings extensive digital mapping skills (GIS) to the Commission along with broad internship experience at the county and regional planning scales.
Major program area:
Transportation
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Anna Rahtz, Associate Planner
Anna joined the SWMPC staff in June of 2009. She possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree in Architecture from Kent State University, and she graduated from the University of Cincinnati in June of 2009 with a Masters of Community Planning. Her graduate thesis was about the need for job access transit routes to connect entry-level job seekers to employment. Anna also brings experience in program planning and facilitation as a Project Assistant at the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission.
Major program area:
Transportation
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Elizabeth Luther, Associate Planner
Elizabeth joined the SWMPC staff in late September of 2009, and is excited to be working on the region's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), along with recreation and master plans for communities throughout southwest Michigan. She received a B.A. and a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame in 2004, and graduated from the University of Michigan in May of 2009 with a master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning. Elizabeth brings to the area two years of academic and practical experience through planning projects in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Chicago; her research, internships and group projects have addressed an array of planning topics, i.e. park-and-rides for the Chicago Transportation Authority, greenways, community development corporations (CDCs) and urban CDC systems, neighborhood indicators, and transportation accessibility.
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Suzann Flowers, Program Assistant
Suzann joined the SWMPC staff in 2007 as a graduate student intern from Western Michigan University. She quickly proved herself immensely capable across a wide range of planning work. Suzann graduated with a Masters Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in local government from Western Michigan University in the summer of 2007 and also holds a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from WMU with a major in political science and a minor in social science. Suzann completed the Citizen Planner Course in the fall of 2007. Since then her skill has touched many of the projects being conducted by the Commission.
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Jill Plescher, Geographic Information System Specialist
Jill joined the SWMPC staff in March of 2009. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resources Management from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan with a focus in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and water resources. She went on to acquire a graduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Environmental Monitoring, studying in the fields of remote sensing and GIS technologies. For the past five years, Jill worked in Louisiana as a GIS Analyst for the Federal Government in the area of oil/gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico. She provides the commission with an extensive set of cartographic expertise and GIS skill set.
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Nancy Perry, Business Manager
Nancy joined the staff in April of 2003. Before joining the SWMPC she worked for over thirty years as a staff accountant in the certified public accounting field wherein she dealt with both profit and non-profit organizations. She currently manages and maintains the financial reporting statements, the receivables and payables, the payroll and benefit administration, and monitors the budget.
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Terri Moore, Administrative Assistant
Terri joined the SWMPC in 2004. She assists the director on a wide range of administrative tasks that include the preparation for and organization of SWMPC board meetings, the preparation of minutes, formal resolutions, and other formal board business. Terri is responsible for the Commission's role in the State's single point of contact process where official notice of applications for State grants is distributed for comment throughout our southwest Michigan region. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Education from Northern Michigan University.
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