ABOUT WBA
OUR TEAM
A. Lyn Barnett, AICP
Senior Principal
Lyn has more than 35 years of public and private sector planning experience in California and Nevada. Prior to co-founding Wells Barnett Associates, Lyn was Chief of the Environmental Review Services Branch and Chief of the Project Review Division for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, positions he held for more than 12 years. In these capacities he reviewed or supervised the permitting and environmental review of thousands of development projects in the Tahoe basin, and was responsible for the management of nearly 50 memoranda of understanding with public and quasi-public governments. Lyn also worked as a planner in Lake County, California, where among his other responsibilities he was the lead for surface mining and reclamation projects.
Lyn holds a B.S. degree in natural resources planning and interpretation with a minor in geography from Humboldt State University. He is active in his community and is a founder and current president of Saint Joseph Community Land Trust, a nonprofit affordable housing corporation; and is on the board of directors for Saint Joseph Community LLC which owns 76 affordable apartment units at Lake Tahoe. Lyn is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is a member of the American Planning Association (APA).
Jesse W. Walker
Principal
Mr. Walker has over 20 years of experience in land use consulting, providing strategic advice to public and private sector clients on various aspects of land use and development. His expertise blends traditional land use planning with a perspective rooted in economics and financial analysis. His consulting expertise has been focused primarily on real estate development, infrastructure funding, land use policy, and economic development initiatives throughout the U.S., focusing primarily on Northern California and Nevada (including the Lake Tahoe Basin).
Mr. Walker holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from U.C. Berkeley with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies (focusing on Management and Innovation) and a minor in City and Regional Planning. Mr. Walker also obtained an MBA from California State University Sacramento with a concentration in Urban Land Development. Mr. Walker is a long-time resident of the Lake Tahoe region and is active in several community-oriented organizations including the Northern Nevada Chapter of the American Planning Association, the Tahoe Prosperity Center (a regional economic development organization), and the Saint Joseph Community Land Trust (a non-profit affordable housing provider for the Lake Tahoe region).
Melissa Shaw, AICP
Senior Planner
Melissa brings 25 years of planning experience to the Wells Barnett team. She has worked in local and regional governments in both Arizona and Nevada and her experience ranges from current and environmental planning project review to long range and advance planning projects. Melissa worked with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency as a Senior Planner and Recreation Program Manager. She is a New Jersey native with master’s degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and Socio-cultural Anthropology. Melissa enjoys being outdoors hiking, running, and traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Marlon Charneau
Associate
Marlon has over four years of land use management experience in California and Nevada and a He has been employed at Wells Barnett Associates since 2021. As an Associate, Marlon reviews environmental permits on behalf of TRPA and other municipal agencies, and helps clients implement land use strategies for recreational, commercial, and residential projects. Previously, Marlon worked as a Sierra Corps Forestry Fellow where he developed strategies to increase the pace and scale of forest health projects and fire-adapted community programs. During his time as a Forestry Fellow, Marlon collaborated with various local, state, and federal entities to create a regional collaborative. Marlon has a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Marlon also volunteers with the 100% Renewable Committee, the League to Save Lake Tahoe, and other local non-profit organizations.
