July 1, 2025

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Maria Lancto, an urban planner with the city of Sioux Falls.

Name: Maria Lancto

Age: 30

Hometown: Sioux Falls

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I grew up in Sioux Falls but moved to Colorado for college, grad school and my early career. An opportunity opened up here that would bring me back near family, and it was too good to resist.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

Family is No.1. Other great things about life in Sioux Falls include affordability, reasonable traffic and a great job!

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

I love being able to serve my community. I hope to be able to look back on my career upon my retirement and feel content that the world is a little bit better because of the work I’ve done. In the short term, I love being able to make government feel more accessible.

How did you get connected to your industry?

I originally went to school for archeology. As part of that major, I had to take cultural anthropology classes, and in one of those, we studied water scarcity in Cape Town, South Africa. Specifically, how city planners and engineers were working to forecast and install necessary infrastructure. It was a lightning bolt moment for me – I realized then and there I needed to shift fields. I applied to one grad program for city planning, and figured if I didn’t get in, I would come back to South Dakota for an engineering degree. City planning was meant to be!

Describe your workplace in three words.

Engaged, interesting, impactful.

What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?

I backpacked around Southeast Asia on my own when I was younger. I don’t know if I would have the guts anymore, so I’m glad I did it when I was young. I do like to remind myself that if I can do that, then I’m capable of anything.

What’s your favorite way to give back to your community?

I chose the career I did as a way to serve my community day in and day out. I also really enjoy supporting local businesses, especially our local coffee shops and clothing boutiques. We’ve got some great ones here in Sioux Falls!

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

When I visit Colorado, one of my priorities is eating at Santiago’s. We have so many great Mexican and Central American restaurants here, but I have yet to find a green chile that compares.

If you had $1 million to start a business, what kind of business would it be?

My sister and her fiance have plans to start a nature education center. I’d use the money to partner with them and support their vision for enhancing environmental education and research in the state of South Dakota. Their vision is geared towards rural agriculture, so with my background as an urban planner, I’d probably push for an urban agriculture branch.