Will P. Wynn
- Class Year
- 1984
- Award Year
- 2006
- Degree
- BED
- Profession
- Public Service
- Biography
- Will Wynn '84 (ARCH) served as two-term mayor of Austin from 2003-09 as well as Chairman of the Board of Austin Energy, the 9th largest public power utility in the U.S. He is a sought after speaker on the international stage and advises numerous public and private entities on greenhouse gas reduciton strategies.
Mr. Wynn graduated cum laude and also completed the departments cooperative education program, working for Shefelman & Nix Architects in Austin, 1981-84.
Mr. Wynn has over 25 years' experience in the commercial real estate development industry. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and believes that only through dramatically better (mixed and dense) land use practices can Austin, or any city, appropriately deal with challenges like traffic, air quality, housing affordability and environmental protection.
Prior to first being elected to public office in 2000, Mr. Wynn served as Chairman of the Downtown Austin Alliance, and has long been a leading advocate for transforming Austins urban core into one of the most vibrant in the country. Under his leadership at city hall, downtown Austin saw unprecedented residential development and streetscape improvement.
In addition to his many duties locally, Mr. Wynn also rose to a leadership position within the U.S. Conference of Mayors. As Chair of their Energy Committee for five years, he helped drive national debate on federal energy policy and climate protection. He was featured in Time Magazines watershed issue on global warming as well as Newsweeks The Greening of America issue.
Mr. Wynn was named Austinite of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce; received the Alliance to Save Energys prestigious Charles H. Percy Public Service Award; was awarded Scenic Austins first annual Scenic Hero Award; was named Energy Executive of the Year by the 9,000-member Association of Energy Engineers; and following Austins response to Hurricane Katrina, was named Local Public Official of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers.
Mr. Wynn lives in downtown Austin with his two daughters ages 16 and 14. He walks to work and for most of his weekly errands. His electricity bill averages less than $45 (500 kilowatt hours, all from renewable sources) per month; he welcomes questions about his carbon footprint.
