Trey Yelverton’s old residence hall is gone, demolished in 2001 to make way for classrooms and faculty office space. But the memories he and his friends made there linger.

“We loved it,” said Yelverton, who was Student Congress president in 1987-88 and a resident of men-only Pachl Hall. “Playing flag football, all-night movie-thons and social activities at the girls’ dorms … it was a good time.”

It also provided the foundation on which to build a career in public service. Yelverton is Arlington’s deputy city manager for community and economic development. In that role, he “makes sure that our development environment is creating economic opportunity—I want to ensure that we’re able to serve projects when they come along and grow our tax base.”

Current assignments include a broadly sweeping study that will steer economic development priorities in Arlington. He leads the city’s development team preparing for $2 billion worth of investment in the Entertainment District with the 2009 arrival of the Dallas Cowboys, transportation improvements to Interstate 30 and State Highway 360, and anticipated mixed-use development around the stadium.

Yelverton earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1988. He said his course work has proved vital, and he considers Associate Professor Allan Saxe a mentor. But experiences outside the classroom were no less influential.

“My involvement in Student Congress, residential life and student organizations makes me very comfortable working in varying settings on diverse activities, to get things done,” he said. “I look back on my time participating in student activities, along with the course work, as what helped me to be successful.”

Former Vice President for Student Affairs Kent Gardner remembers Yelverton as “very mature, serious and organized.”

“I knew Trey would be involved in big-picture things,” Dr. Gardner said. “He saw how things connected and had a sense for how things work. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s on the fast track.”

— Danny Woodward