Five Questions with Stephanie Villanueva
December 23, 2024
Meet Stephanie Villanueva the administrative support associate for the UNC Institute for the Environment. She comes from a background in local government. For the last 18 years, she has worked in various departments helping the public. She has worked in planning and zoning as well as building and permitting departments. She approaches all aspects of any job with a positive, hardworking mindset, and is passionate about helping find a solution to any challenge. Her role in the UNC Institute for the Environment is managing the suite, and helping staff at events and in day-to-day needs. In her spare time, Villanueva loves traveling and photography with her husband, and spending time with their 2 golden retrievers.
Tell us about your career so far.
All of my career has been in the public sector of local government. I worked in local government for almost 19 years before joining the UNC Institute for the Environment (IE). In those 19 years, most of it was in zoning and planning. My most recent position before IE was with the Town of Apex in the building and permitting department.
You previously worked in various local government positions, primarily in urban planning spaces. What made you want to join the IE?
I always loved working in the public sector, but wanted to venture into administrative tasks and working with employees in a department I felt made a difference. Moving to North Carolina in 2015, I always dreamed of working for UNC. A few years later a perfect position opened up for me at IE, and I have been here since Dec. 2022. It truly has been a perfect fit for me.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is being able to help in any way I can–especially with anything related to planning. I naturally love to plan things at work and in my personal time. This contributes to the success of projects, IE activities and trainings, and ultimately makes IE the wonderful institute that it is!
What does your day-to-day look like as administrative support assistant?
My day-to-day does vary depending on the time of year. Most of the time I am busy with the day-to-day operations and making sure the IE suite is running smoothly. Other times I am busy with planning and executing IE projects and events such as the Cleantech reception and Board of Visitors events and meetings. If you need anything related to the office, I can help.
What’s something not many people know about you?
I love training and competing with one of my golden retrievers in sporting events.