Zach D. Taylor
The Hall of Fame for City and Town Officials encourages an appreciation for the heritage of municipal officials who have dedicated at least a portion of their professional career to the advancement of municipal government.
The next Inductee has served in city management and Councils of Government positions in both Oklahoma and Oregon. However, he is being honored principally for his work in advancing municipal government through his more than 20 years as Executive Director of the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments.
Pecos, TX native Zach D. Taylor began his municipal government career in Norman and Moore but was drawn early to the new enterprise of regional planning and cooperation. In Oklahoma, these are established as Councils of Governments in the two metro areas and as Regional Planning Districts in nine other regions of the state. At ACOG, Zach has established a reputation as a serious administrator with vision and determination. He uses this to marshal whatever resources are needed to maximize local government services.
Whether at a town meeting with a handful of citizens or in the great, ornate government halls in Washington, D.C., Zach is always advocating and prodding for cities and towns. His passions for environmental quality, emergency response services, sound water resource utilization, efficient transportation systems, and economic development are well known.
He has been a long-time member of both the City Management Association of Oklahoma and the International City-County Management Association. Zach has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Regional Councils and is a past Chairman of the Association's Executive Directors Board.
Zach conceived Central Oklahoma 2020, a regional planning initiative that ultimately led to the creation of the Central Oklahoma Citizens League, a public-dialog organization active in regional strategic initiatives.
Zach Taylor's visionary and collaborative talents have allowed him to turn countless visions into the reality of communities pulling together to build a dynamic central Oklahoma.