Download - Robert Solby Resume
ROBERT D. SOLBY [email protected] � (714) 333-‐6779
401 9th Street, Davis, California 95616 SUMMARY
I am passionate about environmental planning and highly motivated by project-‐specific opportunities and challenges encountered during the environmental analysis and review process. I have professional experience working with multi-‐disciplinary teams and have helped prepare multiple environmental impact analyses (e.g., ISMNDs, Negative Declarations) and urban planning reports, making me proficient at managing technical and comprehensive documents. I embrace and excel at both the technical “know-‐how” and interpersonal communication aspects of environmental planning. EDUCATION
University of California, Davis GPA – 3.87/4.0 Bachelor of Science: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning
• Summa Cum Laude • University Honors Program (Davis Honors Challenge) September 2011 – June 2013 • College of Ag. & Environmental Sciences Dean’s Honors List Spring 2012 – Winter 2015
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Mintier Harnish Sacramento, California Intern (6 months) June 2014 – September 2014 February 2015 – Present
• Conduct research and analysis as part of multi-‐disciplinary teams to prepare environmental and urban planning documents (e.g., Negative Declarations, Housing Element Updates, General Plan Updates)
• Assist project managers in community outreach by preparing public presentations, writing workshop summaries, and initiating correspondence with relevant local stakeholders
• Manage all aspects of planning documents with a high level of technical and graphic content • Coordinate with local and regional jurisdictions to collect relevant data for professional reports
UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment, and the Economy Davis, California Research Aide (1 year) January 2014 – June 2014 September 2014 – February 2015
• Organized various environmental seminars and forums sponsored by the UC Davis Policy Institute • Provided research regarding environmental and planning issues to better inform policy makers • Supported senior staff members with administrative and managerial responsibilities • Collaborated with additional Research Aides to track and record the Policy Institute’s budget
Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Sacramento, California Constituent Affairs Intern (4 months) June 2013 – September 2013
• Focused on issues within California’s Environmental Protection Agency and Natural Resources Agency • Attended California State Assembly and Senate committee hearings regarding environmental legislation • Drafted numerous reports on current environmental and natural resource issues
UC Davis Plant Sciences Department Davis, California Computers and Technology (PLS 21) Intern (5 months) September 2012 – January 2012
• Worked directly with students to answer technical questions regarding course material • Graded student exams, quizzes, and homework assignments on a weekly basis • Participated in weekly meetings with course professor Daniel Frank to evaluate student progress
RELEVANT CASEWORK
Town of Windsor 2040 General Plan Background Report As an intern at Mintier Harnish, a consulting firm specializing in planning, land use development, and environmental issues, I prepared the Public Services and Utilities chapters for the Town of Windsor2040 General Plan Background Report. Windsor’s General Plan Background Report is a supporting document to the Town of Windsor 2040 General Plan and provides information on a wide range of topics that describe the physical and socioeconomic characteristics of the town and planning area. I coordinated closely with various town staff members, reviewed existing municipal documents (e.g., Urban Water Management Plan, Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports), and collected quantitative data in order to form the baseline existing conditions for Windsor’s public services and utilities. This task closely resembled the Initial Study process that accompanies CEQA projects and provided me invaluable experience working with town staff members to acquire necessary information. SunPower Henrietta Solar Project: Initial Study Mitigated Negative Declaration As part of my undergraduate Environmental Impact Assessment course (ESP 179), I helped compose an Initial Study Mitigated Negative Declaration. My ten-‐person team worked on the SunPower Henrietta Solar Project located in Kings County, California and systematically worked through the Project Description – originally assembled by Michael Brandman Associates – in order to write a Mitigated Negative Declaration. Not only did this project require group coordination and simulate the environmental consulting process, but tested my research and technical writing skills. I individually wrote the Aesthetics resource section and the Geology and Soils resource section for this project. In order to determine the impact significance for both respective resources, I frequently consulted the Kings County General Plan and thoroughly examined several sections, (e.g., Health and Safety, Open Space, and Land Use Elements) to determine if impacts exceeded thresholds of significance. City of El Cerrito 2015-‐2023 Housing Element Update and Initial Study Negative Declaration I was the lead researcher and writer for the City of El Cerrito 2015-‐2023 Housing Element Update (project) and coordinated closely with city staff and Mintier Harnish’s project team throughout the Housing Element update process. I used my research, data analysis, and technical writing skills to prepare the Housing Needs and Inventory and Constraints Analysis sections of the report. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) completed its review of the City’s draft housing element, and project is to be considered for adoption by the City Council on April 23, 2015. In addition, the 2015-‐2023 Housing Element Update is an amendment to the City of El Cerrito’s General Plan and is therefore subject to environmental review pursuant to CEQA. I took the lead in preparing the Initial Study Negative Declaration that accompanied this project and frequently consulted El Cerrito’s General Plan EIR and San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan EIR to gather relevant information. In addition to the projects described above, I performed various tasks on the following projects:
• Union City 2040 General Plan Background Report • City of Mt. Shasta General Plan Amendment Initial Study Negative Declaration • City of Gilroy General Plan Amendment Initial Study Negative Declaration • Town of Moraga General Plan Amendment Initial Study Negative Declaration • City of Healdsburg General Plan Amendment Initial Study Negative Declaration • City of Healdsburg 2015-‐2023 Housing Element Update • Town of Windsor 2015-‐2023 Housing Element Update • City of Patterson 2015-‐2023 Housing Element Update
References are available upon request.