Aj Fawver

About Aj Fawver

AJ Fawver is a strategic advisor, community planning professional, and trusted partner to public sector leaders, with nearly two decades of experience helping organizations translate long-range vision into actionable, fiscally grounded outcomes. Her work sits at the intersection of fiscal-based planning, policy development, and executive communications, bringing clarity and forward momentum to complex public sector challenges. Throughout her career, AJ has built a reputation for connecting big-picture strategy to practical implementation — enabling leadership teams to move beyond plans on paper toward measurable results. While she brings deep experience in fiscal sustainability and responsible growth, her work spans the broader spectrum of planning, governance, and organizational alignment. She has extensive experience leading multidisciplinary teams and aligning people, process, and policy to move complex initiatives from concept to completion. Her career includes leadership roles in multiple municipalities across Texas, where she led high-impact initiatives that improved organizational effectiveness, streamlined processes, and strengthened alignment between planning, policy, and day-to-day operations. Her work has been recognized nationally, including multiple placements on the Traeger List honoring the top 100 local government leaders in the United States. AJ specializes in guiding communities, organizations, and decision-makers through complex planning and governance challenges. She is particularly known for facilitating high-stakes conversations, translating technical issues for diverse audiences, and helping leadership teams build alignment around difficult decisions. She brings a steady focus on practicality, accountability, and forward movement — particularly in rural and fast-growing communities navigating change. In addition to her advisory work, AJ actively mentors emerging professionals and contributes to the field through the American Planning Association, national speaking engagements, podcasts, and published writing. She is particularly valued for her ability to bridge long-range planning with on-the-ground execution in complex public sector environments. Across every engagement, she brings a systems-oriented perspective and a strong bias toward implementation, helping public sector leaders not only set direction but execute with confidence.

Experience

1. National Director of Long-range Planning

   MRB Group

   Sep 2025 — Present · Fort Worth, TX, US

   Building and leading MRB Group’s national Long Range Planning practice, establishing service offerings, delivery standards, and growth strategy- Providing executive oversight of comprehensive, area, and policy planning projects nationwide, ensuring teams deliver on scope, schedule, budget, and plan adoption goals- Designing projects tailored to community needs, political context, and available resources to maximize implementability and client value- Monitoring project performance against budgeted hours and timelines; proactively identifying risks and implementing course corrections to maintain commitments- Supporting business development and marketing efforts, including proposal strategy, thought leadership content, and conference participation- Developing and delivering workshops, webinars, and presentations on planning best practices and emerging trends in the field- Contributing to firmwide visibility through conference presentations, webinars, and other initiatives- Mentoring and developing a growing team of planners while building scalable internal processes for practice expansion- Identified and matched public sector clients with competitive grant opportunities aligned to strategic priorities and capital needs- Supported delivery of grant-funded planning initiatives, ensuring alignment with funding requirements and reporting expectations.

Education

• Pepperdine University School of Public Policy

  Certificate , Advanced Public Engagement

  2021 — 2021

• Angelo State University

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Government

• The University of Texas at Arlington

  Masters, Public Administration

• The University of Texas at Arlington

  Certificate, Public Budgeting and Financial Management