Celebrating a Legacy of Service: Gary Jastrzab Earns UB Alumni Honor

Gary J. Jastrzab (BA ’76), one of the early graduates of the UB School of Architecture and Planning, has been honored with the 2025 Philip B. Wels Outstanding Service Award. This accolade recognizes individuals and groups whose achievements, contributions, or volunteer service have advanced the University at Buffalo.

Jastrzab’s connection to UB began in childhood when his father worked in a medical lab under contract to student health services. As they walked together through the halls of the South Campus Student Union and cheered on the UB Bulls football team, a lifelong interest in the university was sparked.

He also had an early curiosity about architecture, frequently scouring the newspaper for floor plans that he could cut out and study. When UB established the School of Architecture and Planning (then called “Architecture and Environmental Design”) in the late 1960s, his interest was officially piqued.

He enrolled in 1972, and the year-one curriculum included some introductory courses in environmental design. “That was mind-blowing because it opened my eyes to a larger world of planning and urban design,” he reflected. “And that’s when I decided I was more interested in planning than in architecture.”

Over the next four years, the environmental design program not only provided the foundational knowledge necessary for a successful career in urban planning but helped him sharpen his writing and presentation skills, learn to navigate group dynamics in a collaborative work environment, and forge close relationships with his fellow students.

“A common theme at that time was to imagine ourselves as problem solvers,” he recalled. “To understand what an urban problem might be before trying to come up with innovative or creative solutions to it. I carried that problem-solver ethos throughout my whole career."

Opting to also pursue an additional degree in sociology to better understand the dynamics of society and its impact on urban planning, he graduated from UB in 1976.

With graduate school in mind, Jastrzab followed a piece of advice from one of his sociology professors: choose a school in a city where you’d want to build your life. “Because you form social and professional networks there,” he explained. Taking that to heart, he enrolled in the Master of City Planning program at the University of Pennsylvania, setting down roots in Philadelphia, where he’s lived ever since.

“I love Philadelphia,” he shared with a smile. “I’ve lived here for 48 years now, more than twice as long as I was in Western New York. If you go back in planning history, one of the nationally important planning directors was Edmund Bacon—he was the planning director of Philadelphia in the post-World War II years until the late 1960s. He was responsible for revitalizing much of the downtown area.” Fun fact: Edmund Bacon is also the father of actor Kevin Bacon.

After graduate school, Jastrzab was hired by a fellow UB alumnus to work in the Philadelphia City Planning Commission’s housing unit, and he continued to rise in the ranks over time. In 2008, following in Bacon’s footsteps, he was appointed Executive Director by Mayor Michael Nutter. 

During his 10 years in that position, the planning commission took on the monumental task of developing a new comprehensive planning and zoning process—for the first time since Bacon’s plan 60 years prior—paired with extensive community education that enabled and encouraged citizen input and participation. This achievement was recognized twice by the American Planning Association, winning awards for “Best Planning Practices” in 2013 and “Best Planning Agency” in 2016, in addition to multiple state and local awards.

“Those national awards by a professional association made up of planners, guided by planners, really established a legacy to a certain extent,” he noted. “It’s something that I’m very proud of. I used the knowledge and skills that I developed at UB in this planning process, and it resulted in national recognition.”

Jastrzab has also been involved with the UB Alumni Association for most of his career, frequently attending events, and serving seven years as a board member, working diligently to establish a stronger connection between UB alumni and the Philadelphia region and to support the Office of Alumni Engagement’s efforts to strengthen its role in university fundraising.

As Jastrzab approached retirement from the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, the board president encouraged him to consider taking the reins. After thoughtful reflection, he recognized how much he would enjoy this opportunity to further deepen his impact as a champion for UB, and he was elected president of the board in 2019.

During that time, he played a key role in guiding the UB Alumni Association through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he partnered closely with the university’s development team to strengthen alumni relations in support of fundraising efforts. “We became much more involved in fundraising activities, which was a major goal during my tenure as president, and that continues today.”

While term limits ended his tenure as president after six years, Jastrzab remains involved in the Alumni Association, is a member of the Dean’s Academic Council at the School of Architecture and Planning, and is a self-proclaimed enthusiast for sharing UB news on social media.

Jastrzab’s commitment to UB has shone brightly for many years, showing just how worthy he is of this recognition. “I’m very humbled to have been chosen for this award,” he acknowledged. “It really cements my relationship with UB and gives even greater meaning to my efforts to give back to the university. The recognition of those accomplishments means a great deal to me.”

Drawing from decades of lessons and successes, Jastrzab offers three key pieces of advice to current students:

1.    Seek ways to serve others. “As your career develops, you have more responsibility to become a servant—not an autocratic leader but someone who works with your staff and empowers them to work more effectively and productively.”

2.    Cultivate your connections. “Stay connected to your school, department, and university. Build and maintain networking relationships with your student colleagues and professors as a source of knowledge, camaraderie, and professional opportunities. Planners and architects build their careers through the networks that they develop over time.”

3.    Give back. “You can mentor a student, speak in a class, or help recruit students to the program. It’s important to be an ambassador for UB and stay engaged and involved—the success of the UB alumni community makes your degree shine even brighter over time. UB gave a lot to me, and I feel it’s important to give back to those that gave so much to me.”

“One of several reasons why I still remain so close to the university as a whole, and certainly to the school, is because it was such a mind-opening experience for me,” Jastrzab shared, reflecting on this honor. “Those years were among the best of my life. I was a young kid growing up, becoming an adult, becoming more responsible. It's a time I wish everybody could experience—a time of such personal and intellectual growth. It was unmatched.”

On October 3, Jastrzab joined fellow 2025 alumni award winners from the UB School of Architecture and Planning—including Mitchell Joachim (BPS ‘94), Murat Soygeniş (MArch ’85), and Sema Soygeniş (MArch ’86)—in Crosby Hall to speak to current students and the school community about his rise to success and how UB made it all possible.

Practicing what he preaches, Jastrzab was glad to spend time sharing his story and inspiring the next generation of planners and architects. “This university was good to me,” he mused. “It created the foundation of my career.”