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Alumni Awards List

SHELLI (BARR) RUSHING grew up moving back and forth between St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri. She played volleyball in high school in St. Louis. While at Southwest Missouri State University, now Missouri State University, Shelli was introduced to the field of planning by a professor. She was initially interested in geography, but wasn't clear where that would take her, and she wasn't interested in teaching. After talking with her professor, Shelli began to learn about the variety of careers within the field of planning and found that appealing.

Throughout her undergraduate studies, Shelli considered urban design, long-range planning and school facility planning. It was in graduate school at K-State that she gained interest in long-range planning, working as a project planner to help develop the comprehensive plan for St. Marys, Kansas. This was a great experience for Shelli, not only on the technical side of planning but dealing with the political realities of small communities. During that time, she had the chance to speak at the National American Planning Association Conference on her master's report topic of telecommunications and home-based businesses in rural areas in northeast Missouri.

After graduating from K-State, Shelli found a position as a community planner with Bucher, Willis and Ratliff. It didn't take a year for Shelli to realize that consulting was not for her. Moving from community to community working on plans, she realized she would not be part of the implementation of those plans. So, Shelli moved on to the public sector as a neighborhood planner in Overland Park, Kansas. She really enjoyed neighborhood planning and getting to know and work with the people of a community at the grass-roots level.

In 2000, Shelli moved to northwest Arkansas where she was concerned that she would find a suitable planning position. She soon learned to her delight that area was one of the fastest growing communities in the country. Living in northwest Arkansas, Shelli has been able to experience the explosive growth of the area, due in large part to the home offices of Wal-Mart and Tyson. While working as a planner for the City of Fayetteville, she received her certification through the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Shelli began working for the City of Bentonville, Arkansas, in 2003. She started as the long-range planner and eventually became the manager for planning services, focused on not only long-range planning but most special projects for the city. The City of Bentonville had grown by 45 percent between 2000 and 2006, presenting significant challenges for a small town of approximately 19,000 in 2000. Shelli loves being part of a community with so much potential and so many opportunities. The best part of her job is being involved in such a critical time for a community and helping to guide its future. One of her favorite on-going projects is the redevelopment of downtown Bentonville, which has the new nationally renowned Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art under construction and is bringing wonderful opportunities to the community. The city's challenge is finding the right mix of businesses to support that facility and expand its tax base.

Shelli is on the board of directors for Downtown Bentonville, Inc. and on the executive committee of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. Currently volunteering for the United Way and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Shelli also serves as an ex-officio board member of the Northwest Arkansas Children's Museum.

Shelli loves being a mom to her two boys, Hagen, 7, and Austin, 2. She spends all of her extra time having fun with them.