Fiscally-informed planning, design, and community engagement to cultivate strong neighborhoods.
Kevin Shepherd, PE, ENV-SP
Founder & CEO
Based in
Dallas, Texas
Contact
kevin@verdunity.com
214-430-4450 ext. 200
Follow Kevin On
Registrations
Professional Engineer
State of Texas – No. 88642
Professional Affiliations
Strong Towns
Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU)
APA – Texas
Strengthsfinder Top 5
Maximizer, Achiever, Relator, Strategic, Individualization
Education
B.S. Civil Engineering
Texas A&M University
I've been blessed to live in numerous states and overseas, so my exposure to so many diverse places has definitely impacted my work. My 'a-ha!' moment came back in 2010 when I was working with urban planners, economists and sustainability specialists to help cities across the country recover from the 2008 recession. It was then when I realized the importance of building walkable places for people to the long-term financial, environmental and social health of our communities and country, and how engineers must play a leading role in affecting change. As a father of two, I'm deeply concerned about the world we're leaving to future generations. My personal purpose is to use my experience, resources and abilities to lead and accelerate this change.
About
Kevin is a licensed engineer with over 27 years of experience in civil engineering, planning, site development and municipal finance. He spent 17 years at global A/E firm HDR as a leader of the Dallas office's municipal services program and later as National Director of the Community Planning + Urban Design market sector. In 2011, he founded Verdunity to provide people and resource-focused planning and engineering solutions to progressive cities and developers seeking to move beyond business as usual.
Known for his willingness to challenge the status quo, Kevin enjoys educating others on fiscal and environmental impacts of various development patterns, and thrives in environments where multiple perspectives must be brought together. Kevin has served as a Verifier for ISI’s Envision rating system and a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for the STAR Communities program, is a vocal advocate for the non-profit group Strong Towns, and serves on the board of the north Texas chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism. He hosts the Go Cultivate! podcast and writes and speaks regularly on the topics of fiscally-based planning, small scale development, economic gardening and neighborhood revitalization.
Just Because…
Favorite podcast? Strong Towns, EntreLeadership, and Serial. And Go Cultivate!
Music you put on while you’re working? I'm a big fan of Bastille, 90s grunge bands (Pearl Jam, Live, and Nirvana are faves), and still love the old stuff from 60s, 70s and 80s (all genres).
One book (or more, if you must) you'd recommend that you've read in the last 2 years? I read a lot, so can't go with just one: The New Localism, The Big Sort, Thinking Fast and Slow, Prosperity without Growth, ReWork, 5 Voices, Building a StoryBrand, Back of the Napkin.
Favorite childhood breakfast cereal? Fruit Loops were a favorite as a kid. These days I’m a fan of Cinnamon Life and good old fashioned granola with some blueberries or strawberries.
Learn More
Head on over to the Go Cultivate! podcast and tune in to Kevin’s episode of our ongoing “Meet the Verdooners” mini-series!