A city planner since childhood when he mapped the neighborhood around Fontenelle Park for a school project, Martin Shukert attended Omaha schools until he enrolled in Yale University where he received his bachelor’s degree in city planning in 1971. He went on to achieve a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California at Berkeley. In 1976, Mr. Shukert and his wife, Aveva (CHS ’68) returned to Omaha, and he joined the City of Omaha Planning Department. For the next 13 years, Mr. Shukert worked to support his hometown’s growth in a dynamic, yet orderly, fashion, including designing redevelopment plans for many neighborhoods. At the same time, his work focused on creating a plan for the revival of downtown Omaha, a successful initiative that continues today. In 1979, Mr. Shukert became head of the Omaha Planning Department, and, under his leadership, the City developed the ConAgra campus and Heartland of America Park, the new Riverfront area, several North Omaha housing initiatives and Omaha’s recreational trails system. In 1989, Mr. Shukert joined RDG as a planning consultant and continued his work in several significant projects throughout the Midwest region. Mr. Shukert has developed long-range and short-term projects involving transportation and traffic systems and recreation / parks / trails systems, and he has supported housing / neighborhood / ordinance development, business development, and urban / suburban development and redevelopment. In 2004, Mr. Shukert was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners, among other recognitions, for his career achievements. Mr. and Mrs. Shukert are the parents of two daughters, Rachel (CHS 1998) and Ariel (CHS 2002).