Planning Welcomes Planning Services Technicians Oscar Iniguez and Shelley Gray

Oscar joined us in May and immediately established himself as a friendly face at the front counter. Originally from a small town in Mexico, Oscar moved to California as a teenager. He then attended California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. Though he started in the architecture program, he quickly moved into the urban planning program where he earned a bachelor’s degree. After graduation, he began working on construction and handyman jobs, and was ultimately connected to real estate agents who kept him busy working on their listings. He continued to do this even after he and his wife moved to Tennessee to be closer to family – she has relatives here in Knoxville and Oscar’s sister is in neighboring Oak Ridge. Now that he is in the Planning Technician position, he is connecting planning concepts he learned in school to real world applications.

Shelley Gray joined our team shortly after Oscar and quickly jumped into learning the innerworkings of the agency. A California native, Shelley recently moved to Tennessee to be closer to family. She grew up in the Central Bay Area and has spent much of her adult life in a more rural setting in Siskiyou County in the northern part of the state. While her early career was spent working in finance in the private industry, Shelley later transitioned into government work. She spent the last few years working as an Assistant Planner for Siskiyou County and gained great experience while working in a small office that required her to wear many hats.

Outside of the office, you will find both keeping themselves very busy. Oscar continues to take on handyman projects, and spends as much time as possible with his wife and two young children. In addition to working full time, Shelley is going to school to earn a degree in public administration. She is also looking for a new church so she can get back to one of her favorite pastimes – working with children in a Sunday school setting. She also manages to carve time out to watch and cheer for the UT basketball teams!

Though they have only been with us a short time, Oscar and Shelley have quickly settled into our team. Please give them a warm welcome the next time you visit the front counter or call our office!