Department of History, Roanoke College

Wayne Strickland
Senior Lecturer

Wayne Strickland was appointed Executive Director of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (formerly the Fifth Planning District Commission) in February, 1988. Mr. Strickland previously held the position of Chief of Land Use and Environmental Planning with the Commission. He has been with the Commission since 1979. His academic background includes a B.A. degree in Political Science and an M.A. degree in Geography from Georgia State University; and a Masters degree in City Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Mr. Strickland, a native of Georgia, resided in Atlanta before moving to Virginia. While in Atlanta, he served as a professional consultant to several neighborhood planning organizations. For several years, he worked at Georgia State University as a research associate in the Office of Institutional Planning and as an instructor in the Department of Geography and the College of Urban Life where he taught urban geography and environmental planning courses. He currently serves as a senior lecturer (part-time) at Roanoke College where he teaches geography courses.

Mr. Strickland has assumed leadership roles in various professional organizations in the State and region. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Southeast Regional Directors Institute. He has formerly served as the 2nd Vice-President of the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions; past president of the Southwest Virginia Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration; past president of the Rural Planning Caucus of Virginia; past vice-president of the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association; and past president of the Development District Association of Appalachia.

Through the Planning District Commission, Mr. Strickland has been instrumental in: (1) developing the first regional geographic information system (GIS) in the Commonwealth of Virginia (Mr. Strickland also served as the first chairman of the GIS Committee for the Development District Association of Appalachia); (2) developing a regional approach to stormwater management planning; and (3) establishing a Regional Greenway Commission for the Roanoke Valley.

Mr. Strickland also serves on several State Commissions including the World Trade Alliance of the Blue Ridge, and the Commission on the Future of Transportation in Virginia’s Advisory Committee. Mr. Strickland's civic activities include serving on the Board of Directors of the Roanoke Symphony, and the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is currently the President of the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge. He is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke.