Sylvia Vega, an environmental professional with more than 30 years of experience at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), joins GPA Consulting as a Principal Environmental Planner.

“I’m so excited to be on the GPA team! This is giving me the opportunity to use my environmental compliance knowledge for transportation projects,” Vega says. “In the short time I have been with GPA I have been so impressed with staff, and I feel privileged that I will be able to make a difference for not only our team but for clients and all levels of public agencies. “

Vega began her career at Caltrans District 7 in 1984 in transportation planning. A self-proclaimed “Caltrans Brat,” Vega was influenced by her father’s career with the state’s transportation agency. “I grew up with an orange truck in my driveway,” she recalled.

Vega transferred into environmental planning while at Caltrans, retiring from District 12 in Orange County as Environmental Deputy Director. While at Caltrans, Vega specialized in California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act compliance, reviewing documents and technical studies, and assisting on consultant oversight and obtaining regulatory compliance permits from local, state, and federal resource agencies. Her expertise is mediation, bringing stakeholders to consensus, trouble-shooting problems to achieve solutions.

“Sylvia brings many years’ experience managing environmental planners and engineers on transportation projects in California,” said Andrea Galvin, president of GPA Consulting. “She has worked on the executive team while employed by the state, and was honored by Women in Transportation (WTS) as Woman of the Year in 2014 and Caltrans Emerson Award in 2015. We couldn’t be more pleased to have Sylvia join GPA!”

Vega obtained her B.S. in Natural Resources Management with a minor in Wildlife Biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

About GPA
GPA Consulting is a multi-disciplinary firm offering a range of services in environmental planning, biology studies, and historic preservation to a variety of municipalities, private-sector clients, and state and federal agencies. GPA’s expertise includes managing the environmental process and completing CEQA and NEPA documentation, technical analysis, peer-reviewing environmental documents, regulatory permitting, agency coordination, and construction and mitigation monitoring. GPA, founded in 2003, is a certified woman-owned, disadvantaged, and small business enterprise registered as a California Corporation.