Within eight years of graduating from Missouri State University, Keegan Stanton has achieved one of his career goals — to become a city planning director. 

On Feb. 18, he started his new job as planning director for the City of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. A northwest Arkansas native, Stanton is excited to contribute to Pea Ridge’s growth and future development.  

“Pea Ridge is a growing city. It has such a great future ahead of it and I couldn’t pass up this opportunity,” Stanton said. 

A positive educational experience

Stanton began his studies at MSU in 2014. He graduated in 2017 with his bachelor’s degree in community and regional planning.   

Seeing changes in his hometown community of Bentonville, Arkansas, led him to gain interest in the field. 

“Watching the city grow so quickly and transform in such a short period of time really drew my attention to development and the built environment,” Stanton said. 

He also recognized the career path’s potential for supporting community members. 

“I saw how important it was for people like my grandpa to be able to get around their town on their own terms,” he said. “I was drawn to the idea of being able to advocate for people like my grandpa.” 

He added being at Missouri State was one of the best experiences of his life.  

“I met my wife through the Honors College. We’ll celebrate eight years together this year.”  

It was also a rewarding experience for him professionally, too.  

“I started planning through an internship at MSU’s Center for Resource Planning and Management,” Stanton said.  

The Center provides public outreach services to the public such as land use planning and parks, recreation and greenways planning. Through the center, interns can provide services like how they would in a city planning position. 

Moving up in his career

His time at MSU prepared him well for career opportunities in the planning field.  

“I started out my career as an entry level planner in Joplin, Missouri. I then returned to Bentonville, where I took on senior planner duties,” Stanton said. 

His new position as planning director is one, he has desired. 

“It has always been an aspiration to be in this role,” he said. “This position came up and I felt I had enough experience to take on these new responsibilities.”  

What this new role entails

As Pea Ridge’s planning director, Stanton’s responsibilities include:  

• Administer the city subdivision regulations 

• Ensure new developments follow the city code 

• Verify that existing properties are compliant with ordinances 

• Conduct analysis and provide recommendations on rezoning proposals 

• Communicate with the planning commission and city council as a professional staff member 

• Engage with the public 

He looks forward to being an active participant in the local community.  

“It’s rewarding to get to know the community,” he said. “My job is to be a steward or a translator of what the community is saying and what it wants.” 

He encourages citizens to contribute to city planning, even without a degree. 

“You don’t have to be professionally trained as a planner to be engaged,” he said. “Every community has some form of a planning commission or city council. There are opportunities for the public to share their comments and vision.”  

Learn more about the community and regional planning undergraduate program