Steve Shepelwich is a lead community development advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in the Oklahoma City Branch Office. Shepelwich’s work connects workers with jobs, improves the quality of lower-wage jobs, and helps institutions leverage the Community Reinvestment Act to support workforce development programs. He is currently partnering with the Atlanta Fed on the role of External Linkpublic benefits in supporting positive employment outcomes.

Shepelwich began his community development career in the Peace Corps in Kenya as a small business advisor, then worked with other organizations in the region for six years. Before joining the Kansas City Fed in 2004, he worked for a Washington, D.C. consulting group assisting CDFIs, asset-building and economic development organizations.

A Texas native, Shepelwich studied marketing as an undergrad at Texas A&M. A six-month internship with a rural development program in India sparked his interest in community development. Shepelwich received his master’s degree from Michigan State University and attended the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin.

Shepelwich is active with Goodwill Industries and Rotary, part of a community disaster response team, and volunteers with Wildcare Foundation, Oklahoma’s largest wildlife rehabilitation program.

Shepelwich lives in Norman, Oklahoma, with his wife and two children.

Highlights of his work include:

About the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., make up our nation's central bank. We work in the public’s interest by supporting economic and financial stability. The Kansas City Fed’s territory includes Colorado, Kansas, western Missouri, Nebraska, northern New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming. Our headquarters is in Kansas City, with branch offices in Denver, Omaha and Oklahoma City.

The Kansas City Fed Community Development Department promotes economic development and public understanding that leads to progress for lower-income individuals and communities. Our focus areas include community development investments, digital inclusion, small business / entrepreneurism, and workforce development.