Madeline Shute Joins Supervisor Joel Anderson’s Office

Master of City Planning student becomes new Assistant Policy and Land Use Director for San Diego’s District 2.

by Nora Leyva

February 3, 2021

Madeline Shute is a current Master of City Planning student at the School of Public Affairs. Madeline also recently completed her B.A. in Public Administration from SDSU, excelling throughout her undergraduate degree and becoming known among City Planning faculty for her commitment and passion for planning.

“Maddie has been a fantastic student in all my classes. She’s very thoughtful, motivated, and has a true passion for city planning. That energy makes her an engaging student but also a great practitioner in the field,” shared Dr. AJ Kim. Moreover, during her undergraduate career she completed an internship with the County of San Diego in the Planning and Development Services department, specifically in the Advance Planning division, and then with Rick Engineering.

Shute chose to enroll in the Master of City Planning (MCP) program to further her city planning education within the San Diego region. She also recognized the significance of the program’s accreditation, especially since she hopes to one day be an American Institute of Certified Planners member, something that our School’s Director, Dr. Sherry Ryan, has no doubt will happen. “Maddie is an excellent, committed student. I have no doubt she will grow into a stellar planning professional and make our School proud,” said Dr. Ryan.

Madeline chose to pursue a career in city planning due to the various facets of the field and because she enjoys problem-solving and serving her community. Madeline loves city planning and the fact that she has the option to work within the public and private sectors.

She recently began working as the Assistant Policy & Land Use Director for Supervisor Joel Anderson’s District 2 office. “I am working on all things land use,” says Shute. Her new responsibilities include reviewing constituent inquiries as well as briefing Supervisor Anderson on land use items for upcoming Board of Supervisors hearings. According to Shute, her brief time in the MCP program has already had a great impact on her career. “I believe my first semester in the grad program helped me to get my new position! I was asked questions, for example, my take on infill vs sprawl and I was able to answer it no problem because I had just finished Dr. Caves’ class. I find myself applying what I am learning in grad school to everyday situations,” said Shute.

For more information on the Masters in City Planning program visit the SDSU School of Public Affairs website.

The content within this article has been edited by Lizbeth Persons.

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