{"id":87792,"date":"2025-10-10T17:12:28","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T17:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/cahss\/?post_type=stories&p=87792"},"modified":"2025-07-21T17:13:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T17:13:17","slug":"the-ewu-planning-network-in-action-why-spokane-is-a-planning-powerhouse","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/cahss\/news\/the-ewu-planning-network-in-action-why-spokane-is-a-planning-powerhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"The EWU Planning Network in Action: Why Spokane is a Planning Powerhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Picture this: You graduate from EWU’s Urban & Regional Planning program and immediately land a job at a thriving consultancy, where your boss is also an EWU grad, your colleagues are fellow alumni, and current EWU students work alongside you, gaining real experience. Sounds too good to be true? Meet Nexus Planning Services.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Your Entire Team Shares an Alma Mater<\/b><\/h2>\n

Nexus Planning Services is an incredible success story of the skills and dedication of EWU graduates. As of summer 2025, the team was fully staffed by EWU alumni, undergraduates, and master\u2019s students. Principal Planner Ryan Hughes, AICP<\/span>,<\/span><\/i> earned his Urban Planning degree from EWU. Associate Planner Kurtis Johnson? A EWU Master’s graduate. The planning technicians, David Grechko and Anthony Maucione? EWU students. Operations Coordinator Lara Estaris? Also, an EWU student.<\/span><\/p>\n

This isn’t a coincidence\u2014it’s the EWU network effect in full display. When successful alumni hire from their alma mater and create opportunities for current students, everyone benefits. Students get real-world experience before graduation, recent grads find immediate career opportunities, and the region gets planning professionals who understand local needs and challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spokane’s Hidden Planning Goldmine<\/b><\/h2>\n

Here’s what many people don’t realize: the Spokane region is absolutely buzzing with planning opportunities. <\/span>Washington State’s Growth Management Act<\/span><\/a> requires comprehensive plan updates every eight years, creating consistent demand for planning services. Add in climate action planning requirements, tribal planning needs, economic development initiatives, and infrastructure projects, and you’ve got a region where planning skills are consistently in demand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryan Hughes, AICP<\/span>,<\/span><\/i> with 18+ years of international planning experience, chose to base his practice in Spokane precisely because of these opportunities. “There is no limit to what an empowered community can accomplish,” he says, and the region offers countless communities ready to be empowered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Real Experience, Real Impact<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"\"The Nexus model gives EWU students something many programs can’t: immediate professional experience with meaningful projects. Students have had the opportunity to work on tribal economic development plans, comprehensive plan updates, and climate resiliency projects\u2014not just classroom exercises, but work that shapes real communities throughout the Northwest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kurtis Johnson’s EWU experience included projects with the Spokane Transit Authority and recovery planning for fire-damaged Malden, Washington. That experience translated directly into his current role in comprehensive planning and community outreach. David Grechko supported tribal economic development while finishing his bachelor’s degree. Anthony Maucione jumped from Gonzaga’s engineering program to EWU’s planning master’s program specifically because of opportunities like Nexus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond One Firm: A Regional Network<\/b><\/h2>\n

Nexus is just one example of the opportunities waiting in the region. The Spokane area needs planners for:<\/span><\/p>\n