Danae Hall

Danae Hall(opens in new window), who graduated with a BA in Economics and an emphasis in Environmental Economics in May 2013, is project manager at Kimley-Horn(opens in new window) in Oakland, California.  She also earned a minor in Spanish.  Danae began her career as an intern for Circlepoint(opens in new window), a consulting firm that specializes in communications and environmental services in Oakland, California.

After completing her internship, Circlepoint asked her to remain with the firm as assistant environmental planner, and later they promoted Danae to associate environmental planner. Danae wrote applications for the California Environmental Quality Act(opens in new window) (CEQA) and for the National Environmental Policy Act(opens in new window) (NEPA) that analyze the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects. She also worked on land use development, transportation, and transit projects including such projects as the BART Silicon Valley Extension(opens in new window) and California High Speed Rail(opens in new window) (CHSR) Palmdale to Burbank Section.

Danae completed her MS in Environmental Management at University of San Francisco(opens in new window) in 2017 and continued working for Circlepoint until 2019 when she accepted her current position as project manager with Kimley-Horn, planning and design engineering consultants.

“In a recent email Danae stated that, “I use the critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills learned from my degree on a daily basis. Additionally, many of the courses I took in the program directly fostered interest and knowledge of my current industry. During my time at Chico, I found myself very interested in Developmental and Resource Economics, and I am excited to be a part of an industry that aims to ensure that future development happens in the most sustainable manner possible. The Community Planning course introduced me to the principles and regulatory setting of planning that I draw from every day. Possibly most related to my current work, in Dr. Gallo’s Energy Economics course I performed an analysis of the energy efficiency of the CHSR. This exercise trained me to identify reasonable assumptions, draw appropriate information from previous reports, and write critically; it also exposed me to the general CHSR project which I am now a part of.  My time at Chico was invaluable in preparing me for a career in Environmental Planning, and inspired me to continue my education by pursuing an MS in Environmental Management.”  (Last Updated 5/20/19)