Jeffrey Williams has been the Director of City Planning and Development for Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO) since March 2015 after joining the department in July 2013 as its Principal Assistant to the Planning Director. He leads a staff of over 130 employees comprised of planners, certified building officials, engineers, architects, landscape architects, plans examiners, permit technicians, construction code inspectors, environmental health specialists, master code professionals and administrative staff that guides the future growth and development of Kansas City, MO – a city that covers 319 square miles with a population of over 464,000 residents. The department handles two primary functions: Planning Services – managing development policy, conducting research, crafting the long-term vision of the City, and administering the process surrounding the public boards involved in land use approval and Development Services – Reviewing plans, issuing permits and enforcing development policies.

Jeffrey has worked in the fields of urban design, historic preservation, and city planning at local and county government agencies for almost 30 years. Prior to joining the KCMO City Planning and Development Department, Jeffrey has served as the Commissioner of Planning and Development for the cities of Yonkers, New York and Mount Vernon, New York and was the Principal Historic Preservation Planner for Westchester County, New York. He has a Bachelor of Architecture degree (with a focus on Art Education) from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York and has held an American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) designation since 1998.

Jeffrey is originally from Yonkers, New York and served as the president of the Yonkers Historical Society and a chair of the Yonkers Occupational Education Advisory Council (now Advisory Council for Career and Technical Education). He became an advisory board member for the University of Missouri – Kansas City Department of Architecture, Urban Planning + Design in 2016.