Sept. 23, 2026

A leader in city and county government with a background in managing large infrastructure projects has been named the next director of planning and development services for the city of Sioux Falls.

Mayor Christine Erickson announced today that she is appointing Tom Greco to the role, which was held by Jeff Eckhoff from 2019 until his retirement earlier this year.

Greco currently serves as the commission administrative officer for Minnehaha County, a role he has held since 2023. Before that, he served seven years as the city clerk for Sioux Falls.

“I selected Tom Greco because he brings a rare combination of leadership, strategic planning, infrastructure experience and knowledge of local government,” Erickson said.

“Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an ability to bring people together, solve difficult problems and move complex initiatives forward.”

Greco was born and grew up in New York and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, commonly known as West Point, with a degree in American politics. He later taught political science as an assistant professor at West Point and holds master’s degrees in engineering management and public policy.

“As long as I could remember growing up as a kid, I wanted to be an Army officer,” he said. “It was just an opportunity to serve the nation. My time at West Point was very formative, but also my time ‘growing up in the military’ was equally if not more formative with real-life experience working for really great leaders.”

His military service included multiple assignments in Iraq as well as a role in Sioux Falls in 2010 where he served as senior active duty adviser to a local Army Reserve unit. He then was assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in West Palm Beach, Florida, from 2012 to 2015, where he served as deputy district commander for South Florida.

He had extensive involvement in water management for Lake Okeechobee and the Corp’s permitting process, as well as supporting a mission related to restoration of the Everglades. It involved working with 16 counties, multiple municipalities, Native American tribes, environmental groups and other stakeholders.

“I got to see what local governments do, how impactful they could be,” Greco said. “State and federal governments are just as important, but to me, you really have an opportunity at the local level to shape things.”

When he retired in 2015, he and his wife, Jennifer, moved back to South Dakota. She is from Madison and is a physician at the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center.

“I’ve been coming here a long time and love South Dakota,” Greco said. “I’ve seen it grow tremendously in the past 25 years, and I think it’s just exciting to be part of that.”

Leading planning and development services, Greco will oversee areas of city government such as building services, neighborhood planning, transit, housing, business development and the arts.

“As Sioux Falls grows, we need to be intentional about housing, infrastructure, redevelopment, land use and the strength of our core neighborhoods,” Erickson said.

“We also need a planning and development department that is proactive — one that identifies opportunities, provides predictability for residents and developers, and works collaboratively with public and private sector partners. Growth should be managed thoughtfully, but our processes also must be responsive and ensure Sioux Falls remains a place where people want to invest.”

Greco “has the experience and leadership style to help us fill development gaps, strengthen existing neighborhoods and plan responsibly for the next generation,” Erickson said.

“His record of service and ability to execute give me confidence that he is the right person to lead this work.”

Greco said he’s excited by the direction and momentum Sioux Falls is experiencing.

“To have Mayor Erickson’s support and her confidence in me to be part of that was a huge factor in my decision to take the job,” he said. “But overall, this is our community. I’m a part of it. I want to be a central part of seeing how it grows and how it’s shaped for the next several decades.”

While he brings a level of familiarity with the players in local government, “one of my top goals will be getting to know all the people on the team, not only in the Planning and Development Services Department but other departments,” he said.

“There will be learning curve, but that’s something I pride myself on is learning as quick as I possibly can but also jumping right into it. This job really needs someone who can communicate with members of the community, help achieve Mayor Erickson’s vision and keep things moving in the direction they should move. To me, that’s very exciting.”

Greco said he has a long list of areas he plans to dive into.

“I think anything in government, when stepping into a new role, it’s taking a look at what works and doesn’t work, but to me, the most important thing is just looking to see how can we improve on what we’re already doing,” Greco said. “Can we find efficiencies and streamline processes? I think when folks are trying to work with really any city department what they want is some predictability and understanding of what expectations are, what timelines are.”

Sioux Falls has seen multiple years of billion-dollar building permit valuation, and this could become another as the Smithfield Foods pork processing plant moves toward construction.

“I think getting shovels in the ground, watching it progress and bringing the community along with that is critically important,” Greco said. “I think it goes back to how can we ensure that we’re providing for a vibrant community and giving the tools and resources that our business community needs to do what they need to do but also being mindful of the broader community.”

He sees local government as “a facilitator … making sure we set the right conditions so we can thrive as a community, certainly not throwing up obstacles but also having the sense of mind and the expertise to make sure we’re doing things smartly and rightly.”

Greco’s first day as planning and development services director is expected to be Nov. 2. His appointment will need to be approved by the City Council.