John Shepard

John Shepard is the senior adviser at the Sonoran Institute, responsible for strategic initiatives and partnerships that help align the organization’s programs with the mission and vision of the organization. John advises staff in program planning, implementation, and evaluation, and assists with fundraising at the organizational and program level. Over his 25-year tenure at the Sonoran Institute, John has launched the Institute’s renewable energy program, as well as training programs on community land-use planning for rural western county commissioners, integrating conservation into master-planned communities for developers, and partnership building for public land managers and gateway communities. He also established Building from the Best of Tucson, a project that promotes development consistent with Tucson’s building traditions and appropriate for a desert community. Before joining the Institute, John worked for seven years in resource development at The Wilderness Society and for five years conducting a series of investigative reports on federal health and safety programs for a consumer advocacy organization.