Members' 25-Year Reminiscences

Diane Kushlan, AICP

Boise, Idaho

Thirty Years in the Planning Profession

My career has spanned three APA Chapters: California (southern and central sections), Washington State, and Western Central. I am currently a planning consultant working for local governments.

My first planning conference was in San Francisco in 1972. I saw Allan Jacobs give a multi-media presentation on San Francisco streets, using three Kodak projectors. Wow! I was impressed and hooked on the profession.

After graduate school, my first job was with Orange County, California. The photos are the Orange County Planning Department around 1974 and then some of the same group 24 years later. (Click on the photos for larger versions.) From Orange County, I moved to Washington State and worked for Bellevue, then a move to Carmel, California, then back to Washington State, and now, I am loving Idaho. I have had a three APA Chapter career!

Family and work commitments have kept me less than active in APA through the years, but now I can devote my energies to the profession. I am serving as the Chapter PDO and working on getting a planning school started in the state of Idaho. Some day I will write a book on experiences working as a planning director for a celebrity mayor. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this small remembrance.