Name: Michael Southard, FAICP
Professional Position: Economic Development Director for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
Education: MRCP, University of Oklahoma
APA Involvement: Oklahoma Chapter, OKAPA President 2001-03, AICP Region 3 Commissioner 2004-08, STAR member.
How did you become interested in planning?
A girl who I knew from undergraduate school told me that the world didn’t need more lawyers and she told me about planning. She is an attorney in Memphis and I have practiced planning in rural Oklahoma for most of my career. .
How did you get involved in APA?
I first became involved in the profession while in graduate school. I was elected as the student planning president in 1992 and served on the Oklahoma APA Board. Over the next 16 years, I served in ever chapter position and became the first and only Oklahoma planner to be elected to a national planning position.
What’s the most interesting project you’re working on?
Two projects that I am currently working on include the creation of a rural business credit program using federal funding
from the US Treasury through the State Small Business Credit Initiative. The second is a project where I am coordinating the evaluations of 8 industrial sites within the reservation. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce used ARPA funds to create a grant program where rural communities will receive up to $24K to hire a site consultant to assess their industrial site and recommend changes which will improve the site readiness. Eight of my community partners received funding, so my office is working with local leaders to move the process along.
What is one of your biggest successes?
As the community development director, I was called upon to redevelop the business district of Shawnee, OK. We set a course which saw Shawnee
pass one of the first “Existing Structures Codes” leading to over $100M in investments. My office also led the effort to create a downtown streetscape
plan, downtown economic development strategy, and the downtown Tax Increment Financing District. I also wrote a TEA-21 grant to construct phase 1 of the streetscape project. Downtown Shawnee has seen tremendous improvement and now how loft residential apartments in the high-rise structures. Little to no investment had been made in 30 years prior to my actions.
How is Small Town & Rural Planning different in your state?
Small town and rural planning in Oklahoma is very similar to that in other southern states. Planning is viewed as a regulatory effort versus visionary and problem solving. In instances where the planner is visionary and an entrepreneurial problem solver, the community excels.
Advice for planners just starting out?
Be honest in your professional opinions. Know your role in the process as the planner (educator, facilitator, convener, advocate, etc.) and know the role of the elected officials (governing body). Many planners burn out and get frustrated because they don’t fully understand the distinction.
What’s the best part of working in small towns & rural areas?
The best part is in seeing how your influence makes a difference. In larger communities or regions, one may never fully see the impact their actions have. Small and rural areas can have immediate fulfillment.
