OUR STORY
Mintier Harnish is a consulting firm specializing in planning, development, land use, and environmental issues. Since our founding in 1985, we have served more than 160 public agencies, law firms, organizations, and companies.
Our mission is to help public agencies, residents, businesses, and other stakeholders plan their communities and improve their quality of life through solid research, community involvement, innovation, and policy leadership.
OUR PEOPLE
Jim Harnish
JD, Principal/Owner
Jim has been a planner and manager for many large public agencies and private consulting firms since 1970. He is also an attorney with extensive experience in land use and CEQA. He specializes in project management for general plans, specific plans, and large private planning projects; CEQA compliance and environmental document peer review; zoning and regulatory ordinance preparation; and public outreach and consensus building. His broad experience, in both the public and private sectors, in land use planning, regulatory codes and ordinances, permit processing, environmental analysis, toxics and hazardous materials, wetlands and endangered species, and legal analysis enables him to bring a wealth of experience to every project. He holds a Juris Doctor from McGeorge School of Law (University of the Pacific) and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of California, Davis.
Rick Rust
AICP, GISP, Principal Planner
Rick Rust, AICP, GISP has more than 33 years of experience in the management and preparation of general and comprehensive plans, housing elements, specific plans, zoning codes and environmental compliance documents. His work is based on a comprehensive set of skills in community planning, downtown planning, urban design, economic development, environmental compliance, and community engagement. He also has an extensive background in the application of GIS technologies to planning.
For general and comprehensive plans, Rick brings extensive experience managing successful projects in California and nationwide. This mix of experience gives Rick insight into a wide range of issues and solutions developed in consultation with dozens of communities.
Larry Mintier
FAICP, Project Advisor
Larry is one of California’s leading general plan practitioners. Since the founding of Mintier Harnish in 1985, he has worked for over 160 public agencies, law firms, and private clients. He supervised the firm’s work in preparing over 50 general plans, specific plans, and master plans; 70 housing elements; nearly a dozen zoning and subdivision ordinances; and numerous other special studies and projects. Many of these projects involved managing multi-disciplinary teams and the preparation of environmental impact reports. Larry specializes in land use planning and policy, housing, seismic safety, intergovernmental relations, permit facilitation, and land use litigation support. He has extensive experience in public outreach and consensus building, and is very effective interacting with staff, elected officials, stakeholders, and groups of people. He relates well to a broad spectrum of people and is an effective problem solver. Larry holds Master’s Degrees in City Planning and Public Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Bob Lagomarsino
AICP, Project Advisor
Bob has over 30 years of planning and public policy consulting experience throughout the United States. After having spent the first 12 years of his consulting career with Mintier Harnish, Bob worked for an increasingly large architectural and engineering firm for 17 years before returning to Mintier Harnish at the beginning of 2016. He focuses on multi-disciplinary coordination, with an emphasis on strengthening the relationship between land use and transportation planning, particularly in infill settings. His background is rooted in comprehensive planning, with participation in over 30 general plans throughout the western United States. Bob has a BA in Political Science (with minors in English and Education) from UC Davis and completed coursework for a Master’s in Public Administration at California State University, Sacramento. In his spare time, he is actively involved with APA and ULI and serves on the Board of Directors of the Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA). He is also a member of Lambda Alpha International (the honorary society for the advancement of land economics).
Chelsey Payne
AICP, Senior Project Manager
Chelsey Payne is an AICP-certified planner with 11 years of experience. She specializes in the management and preparation of planning documents for public agency clients, with an emphasis on land use and affordable housing policy. She has managed and/or prepared 50 housing elements and nearly a dozen general plans. Chelsey is a versatile planner that provides writing, research, and technical support on a variety of projects, including zoning ordinance updates, hazard mitigation plans, airport land use plans, and HUD-required housing studies. She holds a Master’s Degree in Regional Planning from Cornell University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College.
Brent Gibbons
AICP, Associate
Brent has been a planner in both the public and private sectors since 2013. He specializes in architectural applications, urban design, site design, land use planning, public policy, geographic information systems, regulatory code and ordinances, CEQA analysis, and community engagement. Prior to working for Mintier Harnish, Brent worked for several San Joaquin Valley jurisdictions including Madera County and the City of Turlock where he gained experience in zoning ordinance development and the formation of community/area plans, as well as community park planning and design in conjunction with public health agencies. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Amy Yang
Planner
Amy Yang specializes in community development, healthy communities planning, international development, and geographic information systems. Prior to joining Mintier Harnish, she has been involved with projects concerning transit-oriented development, public park financing, and retail mix. She has also led efforts to analyze health care facility accessibility in Lower Manhattan, New York, and created an interactive online mapping tool for an emergency management agency in Ohio. Currently, Amy is involved with the Union City General Plan Update, Folsom General Plan Update, Ventura County General Plan Update, and Sunset Industrial Area Plan Update, while also providing writing, editing, research, and GIS support for a variety of other projects.
Renée Funston
Planner
Renée is a planner specializing in housing, community development, and transportation. She provides research, writing, and editing for a variety of projects including general plan updates, housing elements, and regional plans. Renée has experience working in both the public and private sectors. Prior to her position with Mintier Harnish, Renée interned with the City of Rancho Cordova Housing Division and Domus Development. She has been involved with affordable housing projects, Federal grant administration, and land use policy. Renée holds a Master’s degree in urban land development from California State University, Sacramento, and a Bachelor’s degree in global studies from UC Santa Barbara.
Judy Harnish
CFO, Business Manager
Judy has been with Mintier Harnish since it began in 1985. As Chief Financial Officer and Business Manager, she supervises the administrative staff and oversees daily operations. She handles all accounting and financial duties for the firm. She is also the final editor of planning reports and documents. Her previous experience includes various administrative positions in commercial real estate and executive suite companies.
Ryan Lester
Graphic Production Manager
Ryan works in a number of roles at Mintier Harnish. As a member of the administrative staff, he provides team support and manages inventory, shipping, printing and binding, and daily office upkeep. Serving as Graphic Production Manager for the planning staff, he manages all aspects of graphic production and layout design, and assists with research, document preparation, formatting, and editing. Ryan has over ten years experience working in administrative support and graphic design roles in the Sacramento region. Ryan holds a Master’s Degree in U.S. Social and Cultural History from California State University, Sacramento, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in U.S. History from the same institution.
Theda Justiniani
Office Manager
Theda has been the office manager for Mintier Harnish for over 15 years. Her roles include project billing and maintenance, contract review, budget analysis, human resource manager, and managing everyday office activities. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of Phoenix, Sacramento.
JOIN OUR TEAM
Mintier Harnish continually seeks people who are enthusiastic about the planning profession and who want to have a positive impact on communities. The office environment at Mintier Harnish is energetic, team-oriented, and professional. Our values and commitment to hiring people who share similar goals, principles, and outward focus lead to lasting relationships.
Mintier Harnish seeks to be the place where individuals grow personally and professionally, as opposed to simply providing a job to a person seeking employment. The interests and passions of our staff lead and direct the firm’s activities, whether it’s venturing into new areas of planning and public policy or using state-of-the-art technologies and practices in our work. We look for professional, administrative, and technical staff who will take advantage of the opportunities provided and create new ones for others. Because of our commitment to the growth of our staff, many employees stay with Mintier Harnish for years and become leaders in the planning field.
