Jenny Whitson serves as Vanir’s Sun West Area Manager, based in San Diego. In this role, she oversees area operations, leading business development, client relationships, strategic growth, and project delivery throughout San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Inyo Counties, as well as the state of Arizona. She partners with Vanir’s executive leadership and local teams to identify opportunities, develop innovative solutions, and successfully deliver complex capital programs for public and private sector clients.
Jenny brings more than 20 years of experience leading programs and projects across healthcare and life sciences, higher education, government, justice, transportation, commercial real estate, energy, industrial, mission critical, and science and technology markets. Throughout her career, she has supported the planning and delivery of more than 25 million square feet of development and infrastructure projects spanning the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and the Middle East. Her expertise includes capital planning, owner representation, program and project management, integrated project delivery, consultant management, procurement, quality assurance, stakeholder engagement, sustainability, resilience, infrastructure modernization, and organizational strategy. She has successfully guided projects from early planning and feasibility through design, construction, commissioning, and occupancy. She previously helped lead Vanir’s Sustainability team from 2017, playing a key role in securing and supporting major projects for clients throughout California, including the Department of General Services California Air Resources Board, Judicial Council of California, UC Davis, San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission, CSU Sacramento, and the Department of State Hospitals.
Jenny is known for building trusted partnerships, aligning multidisciplinary teams around shared objectives, and delivering innovative solutions that improve project performance and long-term value. She is passionate about developing high-performing teams, expanding client partnerships, and growing Vanir’s presence throughout Southern California and Arizona, while delivering exceptional service and innovative solutions. Her collaborative leadership style, technical expertise, and strategic perspective enable her to help clients successfully execute complex capital programs while advancing their organizational goals.
Jenny holds a bachelor’s degree in applied arts and sciences from San Diego State University and a master’s degree in sustainable design from Philadelphia University. She is also certified as a Project Management Professional, holds NCIDQ certification, Certified Interior Designer credentials, OSHA 10-Hour certification, and maintains LEED AP BD+C and ID+C accreditation since 2010.