Ralph Ochsner earned his Bachelors in Sociology and Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of Oklahoma. He is also a member of the Board of Visitors for both the Regional and City Planning program and the College of Architecture. He is also a Charter Member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Born in Frederick, Oklahoma, Ralph Ochsner began his career as a city planner in Stillwater, Oklahoma after graduating from the University of Oklahoma. He then moved to Independence, Missouri in 1963 to become the city’s Director of Planning. Four years later he became Kansas City’s Director of Planning.
In 1969, Ralph left that position to create his own private planning consulting firm, Ochsner & Associates, which focused on comprehensive plans, community plans, redevelopment planning, community planning department assistance and ordinance writing.
In 1979, Ochsner & Associates acquired the landscape architecture firm of Hare & Hare. Hare & Hare was originally founded in Kansas City in 1910 by Sid Hare and his son, Hebert. Hebert Hare was a landscape architect who studied under Frederick Law Olmstead at Harvard University.
After acquiring Hare & Hare, Ochsner & Associates became Ochsner Hare & Hare and began to offer landscape architecture services in addition to planning. Ochsner’s firm has been involved in countless planning and landscape architecture projects in Kansas City and the Midwest region.
Neighborhoods designed by Ochsner Hare & Hare were characterized by broad sidewalks set far back from the street to make pedestrians feel safer. Ralph was also known for his technique of rehabbing a “demonstration block” of homes to show surrounding residents in the neighborhood the benefits of following new neighborhood plans.
Ralph Ochsner and Hans Butzer, Dean of Gibbs College
John C. Harris, director of the OU Division of Regional + City Planning said, “Ralph Ochsner has always pursued the highest aspirations of the planning profession, aiming to create livable and healthy communities.” Harris continued, “He is a cherished member and friend of the OU Regional and City Planning family and his career has been an inspiration to alumni for years.”
In 2014, Ochsner Hare & Hare merged with Olson Associates, who has nearly 30 offices in the Midwest and Southeast and is a multi-practice engineering and design firm. More recently, Ochsner Hare & Hare has been helping small towns in the Midwest effected by natural disasters and economic decline set up new financial mechanisms to improve infrastructure, create amenities, and help property owners make needed repairs.
In 2017, Ralph retired after a successful, 60-year career, entrusting the firm to a group of nine partners.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
Gibbs Construction Science and Architecture students recently traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to compete in the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 8 Student Competition. The team partnered with Czech Technical University and secured third place in the Design-Build category.
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition Vollendorf in Oklahoma: The Architecture of Dean Bryant Vollendorf during the Spring 2026 semester. It will be on display in Gould Hall, on the OU-Norman Campus, from February 16, 2026 - March 13, 2026.
