Dr. Jeff Raykes has been working in the neighborhoods and downtowns of southwestern Pennsylvania as a professional planner for nearly two decades. During this time, his work has centered around working with public and private organizations to build the capacity for positive change.

Jeff has an undergraduate degree in Communication from Frostburg State University (FSU) and graduate degrees in Planning and Administration & Leadership from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). The unique dynamics of college towns have been the focus of Jeff’s academic, professional, and personal interests. Notable projects have explored joint university/community planning efforts in “student districts” or “campus neighborhoods”, how communities and resident institutions of higher learning engage in place-building, and land-use and regulatory strategies designed to address problem off-campus housing.

Jeff is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and holds the National Charrette Institute (NCI), Charrette Management and Facilitation Certification. Currently, he is working to build his facilitation credentials by becoming a Certified Master Facilitator® (CMF®) through The International Institute for Facilitation.

Jeff lives in Indiana, PA, where in addition to his full-time, part-time, and volunteer commitments, he is part of the adjunct faculty in the recently accredited Regional Planning Program at IUP where he teaches public participation and civic engagement. With whatever he has left over, he enjoys working around the house, coaching baseball, and talking with his neighbors about local planning issues.