Despite their youth, these stars already are making waves

Despite their youth, these stars already are making waves

Date: Sunday, August 19, 2007, 11:00pm CDT – Last Modified: Thursday, August 16, 2007, 2:46pm CDT

L’Tryce Slade is not out to change the world, but she would like to see it better organized. As its name suggests, her firm – Slade Land Use, Environmental, and Transportation Planning – does pretty much that.

L’Tryce Slade is not out to change the world, but she would like to see it better organized.

As its name suggests, her firm – Slade Land Use, Environmental, and Transportation Planning – does pretty much that.

Founded in February 2006, the company helps clients make smart planning, taking into account all the above factors with an eye toward economic sustainability.

“I started my firm because I was overqualified for all the positions I was applying for,” Slade quips, and she’s only half joking.

She has worked for Arcadis G & M and the North Carolina Department of Transportation and interned at Federal Highway Administration , Department of Environment and Natural Resources and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Slade stood out even before hanging her own shingle. In her third year at University of North Carolina’s law school she became the first African American, and among a handful of women, to be elected president of the School of Law’s Student Bar Association.

“It started to mean even more to me when some of the African American law professors began to express how proud of me they were,” said Slade, 30. “Seeing that it was a big deal to them, it made it almost more special for me.”

Her latest big deal is a job related to land use around the McCoy Center for Community Services.

As organizer of the “Reclaim the Vision” conference, she brought together local residents, business owners and politicians to conceptualize the future of the community.

“Once the plan is actually unveiled to the city council, I hope they will get interested in doing this in other communities as well,” Slade said.