Planning Team

  • Stephen Ibendahl, ASLA, AICP

    Project Manager

    Principal of The i5Group, Stephen brings over 25 years of experience in community and urban planning, public affairs, landscape architecture, and project management. His management and project experience includes a wide range of projects including: comprehensive planning, land-use planning, and urban design.

    The i5Group focuses on community planning throughout the St. Louis region. The i5Group was honored to receive the 2019 ‘Outstanding Plan Making Award’ by the St. Louis Section of the American Planning Association. Stephen brings trusted public engagement and facilitation experience in working with community groups, whether it is a committee of 10 or a standing room only crowd of over 100.

  • Bob Lewis, FAICP, CEcD

    Demographic and Market Analysis

    Bob is presently an assistant professor of urban planning and development at Saint Louis University after almost 42 years as a practicing planner and economic development consultant. He was one of the founding employees of Development Strategies in 1988, a consulting firm with a nationwide practice.

    Bob served clients in 42 states until his retirement from Development Strategies at the end of 2017. In addition to his current teaching responsibilities, Bob continues to consult in the fields of urban planning, economic development, and real estate development.

  • Jacqueline Davis- Wellington

    Economic Development

    Jacqueline Davis-Wellington serves as Managing Partner of CED Solutions, responsible for overall coordination of all projects and staff. She brings extensive project management experience in all aspects of major redevelopment/ construction and strategic planning activities.

    She has successfully secured more than $35 million in federal grants from EDA, HUD, EPA, OEA, FTA and other federal agencies to support redevelopment activities; and more than $65 million in Missouri Brownfield and Super TIF tax credits.

  • Beth Noonan

    Economic Development

    Elizabeth A. Noonan brings over fifteen years of experience in economic and community development with significant focus on real estate and community redevelopment and innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. Ms. Noonan joined the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership in 1998 and throughout her tenure, was responsible for developing the direction, strategy and structure of multiple economic and community development projects, ranging from implementation of a comprehensive redevelopment plan in Wellston, Missouri to the development of the Helix Center Biotech Incubator.

    In 2014, Ms. Noonan joined SSM Health in the role of system vice president, innovation and learning to launch the organization’s first centralized innovation and learning division, responsible for developing and delivering clinical, innovation and process improvement education and for developing the health care system’s infrastructure for fostering employee innovation.

  • Kevin Neil, AICP

    Transportation Planning

    Kevin is a transportation planner with a passion for fostering healthy and active communities. From comprehensive plans and active transportation plans to regional trail plans to Complete Streets corridor studies, Kevin has worked with communities across the country to develop safe, accessible, and connected transportation systems that serve people of all ages and abilities. He brings a client-focused approach to his projects and emphasizes open communication, shared expectations, and customer satisfaction.

    Kevin has led bicycle and pedestrian master plans for more than 25 municipalities in the Midwest, and has worked on more than 75 master plans, corridor studies, feasibility reports, grant applications, and implementation projects. His strengths include comprehensive planning, regional planning, complete streets policy development and implementation, project management, technical writing, GIS-based analysis and mapping, and community outreach and engagement.

  • Jessica Norris, PhD

    Natural Resources and Watershed Planning

    Jessica moved to Columbia, MO in 2021 with 23 years of experience in strategic planning, program development, and project management for natural resources. She has been with Biohabitats for 9 years, with demonstrated success in proposal and report writing, partnership building, and project management. Her areas of technical expertise include landscape ecology, urban ecology, nutrient cycling, avian biology, and community engagement. She leads efforts to prioritize tracts for restoration, purchase, or easements on a low-lying areas concerned with flooding and resiliency.

    She often works with government and local officials and technical teams to draft plans for management and ecological restoration. She is skilled in ecological planning and research, program development, strategic planning, and community outreach for natural resource conservation. Jessica is fluent in English and Spanish and proficient in ArcGIS, SPLUS, and Microsoft Access. She is currently working with Hoxie Collective on two parks projects in the greater-Kansas City area.