Her Story
About Jessi
Jessi Lammers serves as Land Use Planner for Boulder County in Colorado. In this role for nearly three years, she evaluates new developments to confirm adherence to environmental regulations and land use codes, balancing economic growth with environmental protection. Her path began with a high school environmental science class that sparked her passion, leading to a Bachelor's of Science in Environmental Science and Policy from Cal Poly Humboldt. After her first post-undergrad position in environmental compliance for a construction company, she pursued a Master's in Public Health with a focus in epidemiology from George Mason University to better address how environmental issues affect public health. This education transitioned her into local government roles centered on water quality before moving into development review. She attributes her success to passion for environmental stewardship and values being present and intentional in her work, finding deep fulfillment in a role that does not feel like work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jessi
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say passion. A lot of this comes from passion. I think, my drive kind of stems off of that, you know, integrity kind of stems off that. I think it's something that I'm so passionate about, not only in… I think that it's something important, you know, in… as a, like, employment opportunity or a job as a whole, but I think it's also important as, like, a moral aspect of my character, where I think that, you know, the land use regulations are important for a reason, because it protects… we have… we have one natural world that we get to defend, and I think that we should be, you know, environmental stewards. So I think that the passion behind that, makes me want to go to work today and makes me kind of, you know, want to do my job as best as I can.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think the best career advice I've ever received was find something that doesn't feel like work. You know, I think everyone at some point has had a job that truly does feel like work, and you know, it's… you kind of put your head down and do what you need to do to pay the bills, but I knew I didn't want to do that for 40, 50 years, and I think I'm really fortunate to find something that I enjoy enough.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think fighting against money. Money… people of influence of a different kind, those with monetary influence. Oftentimes will be the ones to push back the hardest or the loudest, and I think there's a very delicate balance of working with other people in power to, you know, still encourage economic growth by putting money into, like, different developments, different, you know, if there's an apartment complex, goes up, a shopping center. Still recognizing that those things are important, but also realizing that money should never buy away environmental safeties.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think being… I think both probably highlights for… I like feeling present in both. It's important for me in my personal life, I'm really… I try to be present in every conversation I have, and intentional with my relationships. I think that's something that this job and this field kind of allows me to bring in as well, where I can, you know, every day I walk in, and there's not really anything… there's no such thing as Sunday scaries, because I just love the work that I do. And I can come in with that intention and with a purpose of making sure that if I show up, I can get things done and make sure that things are changed in the way that they need to be, or that they're executed, you know, with environments in mind.
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