Commissioner Valerie Lynne Shaw’s tenure on the Board of Public Works has resulted in groundbreaking achievements.  A few of her career highlights include:

Leadership

• First African American Woman to be President of the Board of Public Works (2001-2005)
• Longest serving woman in the 100 year history of the Board of Public Works
• Vice President of the Board of Public Works (2007-Present) and (1998-2001)

Infrastructure

• Lead Commissioner on the $270 million East Central Interceptor Sewer (ECIS) project, the largest public works project in the history of the Department of Public Works
• Lead Commissioner on the development of the proposed Neighborhood Street Improvement Bond program
• Lead Commissioner in resolving the United States/EPA lawsuit against the City and negotiating the landmark Collection System Settlement Agreement
• Coordinator of the multi-million dollar 11-mile Crenshaw Boulevard Streetscape Program

Economic Development

• Coordinator of the 2008 South Los Angeles Initiatives Plan, a five-year economic development strategic plan led by Mayor Villaraigosa and Councilmembers Parks, Perry, Hahn, and Wesson.  The 10 Initiative Plan involves completing projects in the following areas:  Housing, Retail, Industrial, Infrastructure, Jobs and Workforce Development, Business Development, and Public Education

Jobs

• First Commissioner to initiate and secure the City’s first Project Labor Agreement (PLA) on a major $300 million construction project with local hire and training program components.
• Lead Commissioner in creating the Bureau of Sanitation’s summer youth program
• Founding member of Mayor Villaraigosa’s Faith-Based Construction Jobs Initiative

Neighborhood Services

• Co-founder of the City’s Community Beautification Grant Program that has disbursed 1,429 grants totaling $13 million in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles since the program’s inception in 1998
• Lead Commissioner supporting the development of the DPW Public Affairs Office
• Department lead on the Targeted Neighborhood Initiatives Program which revitalized twelve neighborhoods throughout the city
• Lead Commissioner on the development of the “Community Advisors Program” sponsored by DPW and the Human Relations Commission. The program provides employees an opportunity to volunteer for Human Relations Commission programs which address social issues such as educational equity, race relations and housing.

National and International Projects

• Creator of DPW’s “International Technical Assistance Program” which as provided equipment and technical assistance to Tijuana , Mexicali , San Salvador , and others.
• Creator of DPW’s “Hurricane Katrina Assistance Program” where City employees and labor unions raised over $75,000 to assist seven families who were relatives of DPW employees

Council Offices

• Lead Commissioner who provided project and service assistance to Council Districts #1, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14 and 15

Education

• Guest lecturer and instructor of “The Real City Hall” course at the University of Southern California (USC) Political Science Department (2004-Present)

Community Outreach

• Informed, educated and involved thousands of community residents to effectively access City services

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BIOGRAPHY OF VALERIE LYNNE SHAW

Commissioner Valerie Lynne Shaw is currently serving her 12^th year on the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, the City’s only full-time non-elected policy-making body.  She was first appointed to the Board in 1996 and served as its President from 2001 to 2005.  She also served as the Board’s Vice President from 1998 to 2001, and 2007 to the present. 

Shaw, along with four fellow commissioners, serve jointly as general manager of the Department of Public Works, the City’s third largest municipal agency with more than 5,600 employees and an annual budget of more than $1.5 billion. The department is responsible for construction, renovation and operation of public facilities and infrastructure ranging from curbside collection and graffiti removal to maintenance of sidewalks, bridges, sewers and streetlights, maintenance of wastewater treatment plants, and design and construction of public buildings such as libraries, police and fire stations, recreation centers, etc.

Currently, Shaw serves as the Liaison Commissioner for the Bureau of Engineering.  With a $90 million annual budget and over 1,000 staff persons, the Bureau of Engineering plans, designs, constructs, and manages the City’s public infrastructure.  The Bureau of Engineering also provides services for development and improvement of private property.  Every year, the Bureau of Engineering’s construction contracts total $400-500 million, and the Bureau completes about 50 projects (i.e., bridges, police and fire facilities, recreation centers, wastewater and street improvements).  In addition to Shaw’s general oversight of the Bureau of Engineering, she is a hearing officer for Above-Ground Facilities, project change orders, and emergency contracts. 

In an effort to coordinate with other City departments, Shaw is the Public Works liaison with the following entities:  Building and Safety, the Department of Transportation, the Community Development Department (CDD), the Human Relations Commission, the Library Department, and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).  Additionally, as part of her day-to-day activities, she provides project and program services to Council Districts 8, 9, 10, and 15.

During her tenure, Shaw has led several efforts to improve local neighborhoods including  co-founding the Board’s Community Beautification Grant program, which provides matching cash grants of up to $10,000 to neighborhood groups that undertake improvement projects.  Several years ago, Shaw was the lead Commissioner for the Targeted Neighborhood Improvement (TNI) Program that revitalized 11 low-income neighborhoods throughout the City.  Perhaps her proudest achievement has been the successful completion of the multimillion-dollar Crenshaw Streetscape Project that improved the appearance of Crenshaw Boulevard from Wilshire Boulevard to 79^th Street .

Her honors and awards include the Public Works Leader of the Year Award from the Southern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association, Public Administrator of the Year from the Southern California Chapter of the National Forum of Black Public Administrators, and the Vision Award from the Playa Vista Job Opportunities and Business Services organization.

Shaw entered City service in 1987, holding the positions of District Director and Deputy to former Los Angeles 6th District Council Member Ruth Galanter until 1994. Following a run as a candidate for the 47th Assembly District seat, she accepted an appointment to the Los Angeles Civil Service Commission in 1995. She was appointed to the Board of Public Works the following year.  

Shaw received a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from California State University in Los Angeles and Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California (USC).  Presently, she serves as a guest lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Southern California , teaching a class on City Hall politics and the structure of City government.

Shaw’s involvement with the community and her desire to make City government relevant to everyone seems natural since she grew up in a household where community advocacy was one of the main themes of family life.    A native Angeleno and Crenshaw-area resident, her activism follows in the footsteps of her mother, retired civic leader Ann Shaw, and her father, the late Leslie N. Shaw, Sr., the first African American postmaster of Los Angeles .