Letter from Alumni: Steve Gunnells

Letter from UAP Alumni Steve Gunnells

Steve Gunnells sent this note in response to our call for input about the UAP Strategic Plan and we thought we’d share his insightful update with the UAP community

I graduated with a BA in Urban Affairs and Planning in 1989. When the Westmoreland County office building caught fire in 1990, my original degree went up in flames. My replacement diploma, signed by then-president McComas, says that I am a Bachelor of Urban Affairs. I kind of like the ring of that. I don’t know what it means, but it sounds nicely esoteric.

I earned my Master of Planning degree at the former UVA graduate center in Northern Virginia in 1995. I only found last month from Chris Nelson that the Northern Virginia planning program is now part of VA Tech. By the way, I live and work in Southern California now, so I miss a lot of what goes on in the Old Dominion, although I do seem to read a lot about that new governor.

I also have a second masters from the London School of Economics. Since leaving Blacksburg, I have worked in local government in Westmoreland County, Virginia; worked for the World Bank in Yemen; worked as an Economic Development Fellow with the International Economic Development Council; worked as a community planning and economic development consultant in Michigan; taught English in Yemen; and now I am the Senior Economist with The Planning Center|DC&E in Santa Ana (the capital of Orange County), California.

From my office, I spend much time staring out the window at the San Bernardino Mountains, the planes flying into John Wayne Airport (SNA), and a parking lot otherwise known as the Costa Mesa Freeway (CA-55). I also spend a fair amount of time glued to my computer, and an unbelievable amount of time in meetings, workshops, presentations, and public hearings, working for cities, counties, councils of governments, and developers from small to large. I consider myself pretty darn lucky to still be employed as a planning consultant. As a matter of fact, I have weathered three recessions during my career—1990/91, 2001, and 2007/09—but remain humble enough to know that the next one may be the one to send me back to Wendy’s, where I worked all those years I lived in Blacksburg.

All of this to say, I guess I know a thing or two about planning and I am an alumnus of VA Tech’s UAP program, so maybe there is something I can contribute. On the other hand, I haven’t been back to Virginia since 2001, so I probably know little of use about planning issues and post-secondary education in the Commonwealth.

If you’re outside of the Blacksburg or Northern Virginia area (like Steve), we encourage you to participate in the UAP Strategic Planning effort via our blog...or feel free to email us.  We look forward to your feedback and ideas!