Joseph Jarzen

With a background in historic preservation and community engagement and a passion for environmental advocacy and creating sustainable places, Joseph Jarzen is thrilled to be part of the Schmidt Associates business development team where he is helping to lead and grow the Community Studio. As a client liaison, he seeks to understand Owner perspectives and needs to be authentic and transparent.

After 21 years in the nonprofit sector working with communities, Joseph is proud of his successful preservation effort to save the Richmond Depot designed by Daniel Burnham, his vision to establish an impactful outreach division for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, creating strong relationships with neighbors, and realizing how his contributions have helped his colleagues’ successes.

Outside of work

Outside of work, Joseph sits on the City of Indianapolis Greenways Development Committee, is a member of Indiana Landmarks, and serves as the treasurer of the Franklin County Citizens for Historic Preservation. Additionally, he has authored two books about the National Road and has been featured in a PBS documentary.

Beyond his advocacy work, Joseph loves traveling, camping, hiking, Sunday mornings with classical music, a good book and coffee, and spending time with his wife and daughters.