Debra Stein

Biography: September 2008 " Debra Stein is president of GCA Strategies, Inc., a San Francisco-based public affairs firm specializing in controversial land use projects. " She is the author of several books on NIMBYism and hostile audience management, including the ground-breaking Winning Community Support for Land Use Projects and Making Community Meetings Work, published by the Urban Land Institute and the International City/County Managers Association. " Current GCA projects include winning political and community support for: - 12,000 new units of housing for mentally disabled homeless people in New York City; - A life sciences center in Hawaii; and - A five-mile underwater pipeline across the San Francisco Bay " Debra is a member of the International Association of Participation Professionals, the Association for Conflict Resolution, and the Urban Land Institute. " She has a B.A. in Political Management from the University of California at Berkeley and a law degree from the University of San Francisco. " Additional information about GCA Strategies and articles on winning community and government support for land use projects may be found at www.gcastrategies.com.