Graduate Spotlight: Meet James Furr, a Recent Graduate of the Military Master Planning Institute
Meet James Furr, a recent graduate of the Department of Defense Master Planning Institute! James served in the Army for four years and has worked in the master planning field for many years, which led him to the MMPI program at UVA | Northern Virginia. We spoke with James about his career, what he gained from the program, and how he plans to apply these skills moving forward.
Q: Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your background?
A: I started in the Master Planning field about eight years ago when I was contacted by Rubicon Planning. I had worked with my co-worker, Jason Clary, at Radford University when I was studying business. He and I worked together in the military resource center, which was a program to help veterans transition back to college from the military. He was hired by Rubicon and then he reached out to me and got me involved in it. So that’s how I learned about the whole world of Federal Master Planning and DOD Master Planning from that. Before that, I had been in the Army for four years as an enlisted soldier. I was a communication and radio maintainer repair. I did anything and everything that they needed me to do, from administrative work, to repair and maintenance, to gate guarding, to IT work when I was deployed.
Q: What first drew you into the MMPI program at UVA | Northern Virginia, and what were you hoping to get out of this program?
A: One of our first contracts, the Installation Management Command (IMCOM), made us aware of [the program] and we were curious about it. We knew of the Corps of Engineers program where Master Planning courses were held for just the Army, and IMCOM made us aware of this through UVA. We went to the first session with the IMCOM folks and we really enjoyed it. It was an interesting exposure to how other people think about Federal Master Planning so then we stuck with it. We’ve been interested in getting more of us certified in planning through the APA but we went through the courses for that, it was a bit removed from what we’re doing over here on the federal side. That’s why this program to get this certificate felt like a great fit. It furthered all of our organizational goals but also professional goals for myself.
Q: Which course or part of the program had the biggest impact on your skills, your perspective, and why?
A: I would say the capstone course we did in person where I got to meet other planners from different branches. One of the things I have not done very much of is the mapping content, and this course gave exposure to that. Learning how to do this has helped us, and we’ve gotten more into the GIS side. That’s what the biggest takeaway was for me, and that capstone course had the biggest impact. Seeing how someone with an architectural background approaches it while we’re approaching it from much more of a planner background here at our company.
Q: Was there a memorable project, assignment, or real-world planning challenge that you worked on during the program?
A: The capstone course, where we worked with the Arlington National Cemetery, was one of the most memorable. We had three groups and we all approached it in our own unique ways. I had never talked about how to plan a cemetery and the future of a cemetery when it hits that maximum capacity. Normally, we’re talking about the active or “in use” installations, while a cemetery has a very defined purpose and doesn’t change too much. It was quite an interesting experience to have exposure to something that is not what you typically plan for. It was very different from other assignments I’ve done. I just got back from two weeks of site visits for the Army National Guard– I was over in California, and then I was up in Alaska, and even they are so different from each other. Going to the actual site is quite the experience and being able to do that as part of the course and having that unique exposure was very helpful.
Q: How has this program shaped your career path or your day-to-day responsibilities in your current role?
A: We’re curious to see how the certificate will help us in the future, particularly for our marketing and how contracts might be shaped as this picks up more steam. On a day-to-day level, this course is our day-to-day, so it was good to see that validation. Our day-to-day work didn’t change too much—I’ve done several master plans—so it felt like the same song and dance for me. That said, there were a few techniques to pick up, along with new viewpoints and ways to apply them to the criteria. We joke that every time you reread a regulation, you start thinking about how to apply it in a new way.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is considering this program?
A: My advice would be to read everything, listen to what the professor is telling you, and be prepared to research. Know how to look up a topic, know how to speak military, and understand that while the language used by the military may sound similar to the civilian sector, it can mean something completely different or have a very specific definition.
About the Department of Defense Master Planning Institute
UVA | Northern Virginia, the UVA School of Architecture, and the US Army Corps of Engineers are partnering to offer a Department of Defense Master Planning Institute in Northern Virginia. This Institute allows participants to become Military Master Planners through an innovative and immersive program that is the perfect blend of academic prowess and hands-on military planning expertise.