Debra Stein was co-founder of GCA Strategies and the author of several books on NIMBYism. Her expertise in building community support for controversial land use projects was balanced by her success in translating public attitudes into political action.
Debra was the author of groundbreaking books on entitlements such as Winning Community Support for Land Use Projects and Making Community Meetings Work, as well as numerous articles on hostile audience management, building public acceptance for master planned communities, housing for the homeless and special populations, and Smart Growth and infill development. Debra provided overall outreach and advocacy strategy and communications training for GCA clients. Because of GCA Strategies’ expertise in fighting NIMBYism, she was often called to speak at land use conferences and events nationally. (Debra passed away too young last summer. She was a great friend in addition to her accomplishments as a nationally-recognized land use expert and public affairs professional.)