Jamilla Vollmann, a deputy project manager on the Long Beach Civic Center project, was first attracted to the city because of the many developments taking place. “I wanted to participate in the city’s urban design,” she said. After starting her career in the bay area, she moved to Long Beach about 15 years ago to work as a city planner. Vollmann then became a project manager for the city’s former redevelopment agency, where she had the opportunity to collaborate on the Gov. George Deukmejian Courthouse and the City of Long Beach Downtown Plan, an outline for the design guidelines and development standards for the area. “It’s exciting to see the planning stages of what I did earlier with the city come to fruition,” she said. Vollmann became an employee of the Port of Long Beach Harbor Department, a department of the city, almost six years ago. She described the civic center, which will house the new port headquarters, as a “once in a lifetime project.” Her responsibilities include designing and reviewing the plans for the site. “Each day is very different,” Vollmann explained. “I’m in meetings most of the week with our own team at the port, as well as with the architects and contractors for the project onsite at the construction trailers. We coordinate many items with the city.” Vollmann said the project is on track for completion next summer. “I’ve always been a big fan of design and seeing a project grow from a concept all the way to construction,” she commented.