Justin Keller

Justin has been a member of the MPC Water Resources team since August 2018 and leads the Drinking Water 1-2-3 initiative, the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative, and much of our suburban water work.

He received a master’s degree in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, during which he specialized in environmental planning and, in particular, water-related issues and opportunities. In addition to his coursework, Justin was the lead researcher on a comprehensive analysis of water planning in northeastern Illinois, worked as a water team intern at the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and was the project manager for an MWRD-led flood mitigation and economic development project in the south-suburban Village of Robbins. He was also a board member of his college’s planning student organization, which received an award from the American Planning Association during his tenure, and he sat on the Executive Committee of the Illinois Chapter of APA.

Prior to graduate school, Justin lived in South Korea for the better part of a decade. After a stint as an ESL teacher, he became a project coordinator for a Korean structural engineering firm which specializes in tall buildings and long-span structures. In addition to participating in many exciting projects, such as a bid for a new airport terminal to accommodate visitors for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, the experience of living in a dense megalopolis of 25 million people was highly impactful.

Justin is an avid bicycle commuter, guitar player, houseplant tender, and amateur (i.e., not very good) cook. He was born in Chicago, raised in the western suburbs, and now resides with his wife, daughter, and houseplants in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood.

Read Justin's MPC Spotlight

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