Op-Ed: Crossing Guards Protect Our Kids, But Who Protects Them? December 13, 2024 — It’s heartbreaking, yet again… In the
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Director of Operations
Trenton Cycling Revolution
Wills Kinsley owes his life to the bicycle as his parents met in college when his dad repaired his mother’s broken English 3 speed and has been trying to repay the debt ever since. He is the Director of Operations of Trenton Cycling Revolution, a 501c3 bicycle advocacy group that operates the Community Outreach Garage, a neighborhood bike repair shop. He is a Board Member of Freedom NJ, an indoor public skatepark in Trenton, a trustee of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail and the founder of Trenton Bike Polo. He is also the fabrication department at Zienowicz Signs and Bike Arts LLC, making commercial signage and bicycle sculptures.
Instructor
Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
Ted Green, P.E. (NJ, NY, PA) has been providing technical training as part of the national Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) community for 15 years on various roadway related subjects including accessible public pedestrian networks across the country. Ted has over 30 years of experience as a civil engineer performing training, project management, design, and condition inspection of various highway and railroad bridges and the associated roadway safety features, parking structures, bus maintenance facilities, and airport terminal buildings. With a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from North Dakota State University he is a licensed Professional Engineer in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Ted is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) with leadership positions held at the local level, past Region 1 Governor (New England, NY, NJ), and past chair of national committees.
AARP New Jersey Speakers Bureau
AARP New Jersey
Marty’s New Jersey credentials include growing up in nearby Highland Park, graduating from Rutgers and being named a Loyal Son of Rutgers for his volunteer efforts. Many years ago, he ran a number of 5Ks down the Jersey Shore and throughout the state, and participated in nine New York City Marathons. His current physical fitness regimen consists of daily walks around his neighborhood in East Brunswick and scenic trails such as the Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath. Marty is a member of the AARP’s New Jersey Speakers Bureau and a volunteer mentor for SCORE. He works as a consultant in the non-profit field.
Northeast Regional Director
Rails to Trails Conservancy
Tom has been with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy since 1991 and presently directs policy and trail development work in the 10-state northeast region where he communicates with volunteers, local officials, planners, and state and federal agencies to preserve rail corridors and facilities. He is also the conservancy’s lead on maintenance, resiliency, user counts, and sharing with electric utilities.
In the early 90’s Tom was the leader in implementing the federal Transportation Alternatives Program in Pennsylvania, still the single largest funder of rail-trail development in the nation. He served on the Pennsylvania Greenway Commission, launched the New England Rail-Trail Network Vision, and is presently a member of the New Jersey Trails Council.
He has authored several trail guidebooks and was the founder and organizer of the Greenway Sojourn, a week-long trail mass ride in the mid-Atlantic states totaling almost 5000 bicyclists over two decades. He was also co-chair of the 1997 International Trails and Greenways Conference.
Prior to RTC, Tom worked as a congressional staffer, a naturalist in NYC and six years with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation during which he also served as an officer in the US Naval Reserve. He has a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts.
Research Project Coordinator
Voorhees Transportation Center
Jon Dugan is a Research Project Coordinator for the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University. Jon works in pedestrian and bicycle mobility and safety with the main goal of making it easier and safer for both children and adults of all abilities to walk and cycle more. Jon’s professional work at VTC focuses on access, mobility, safety, and equity issues through projects including Safe Routes to School, Complete Streets, and Mature Drivers. Prior to joining VTC, Jon worked as a Safe Routes Coordinator for RideWise TMA, the Education Manager at Duke Farms, and a Project Coordinator for NJDEP’s Coastal Land Use Management team where he assisted in creating the state’s public access map. Jon also spends his time as the Volunteer Monitoring Manager for the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership where he educates and trains citizen-scientists on water quality monitoring. Jon received his B.A. from Rutgers University.
Managing Director & Adjunct Professor
Voorhees Transportation Center, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
Leigh Ann Von Hagen, AICP, PP is a Managing Director and Adjunct Professor with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center and a founder of the Planning Healthy Communities Initiative at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She has worked in the transportation-planning field for over twenty years with a focus on developing sustainable and equitable transportation and land use solutions for communities. Leigh Ann is a licensed professional planner, both nationally and in New Jersey and is a leader in creating multi-disciplined approaches to environmental and policy change through community-based initiatives and partnership building. Leigh Ann manages the NJ Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School Resource Center and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center. She specializes in initiatives that address pedestrian and bicycle safety, health, equity, and access through research, training, education, community engagement, and best practice in policy and design.
Director of Transportation Planning
City of Jersey City
Mike Manzella has served as the Director of Transportation Planning for the City of Jersey City, NJ since March 2022. The Division of Transportation Planning is responsible for leading the City’s Vision Zero Task Force, developing conceptual plans for the design of Complete Streets, administering the City’s transportation services, including microtransit and shared use mobility, overseeing the management of curb space (parking, loading, and other operations), deploying street amenities, including bus shelters, bike parking, and parklets, and conducting low-cost pilot intervention projects to evaluate enhancement to the safety for all users. Jersey City was fortunate to have experienced zero traffic fatalities on City streets in 2022. In the five years prior, Mike served as the Director of Transportation for the City of Asbury Park, NJ. Mr. Manzella is a proud MCRP alum from the Bloustein School at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ and studied undergraduate engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ.
Director, Transportation and Parking
City of Hoboken
Ryan Sharp has served as the Director of Transportation and Parking for the City of Hoboken since 2017. He is responsible for the safe, equitable, and efficient operation of Hoboken’s surface transportation systems. Ryan oversees Hoboken’s award-winning Complete Streets and Vision Zero Programs, which have received national acclaim after seven consecutive years without a traffic death. Ryan is also responsible for Hoboken’s shared mobility programs and green transportation initiatives, such as bike share, car share, local public transit, and the buildout of New Jersey’s largest public on-street EV charging network. Ryan also oversees Hoboken’s Parking Utility, which generates over $22 million annually in revenue and is responsible for curbside management, maintenance and operation of municipal parking facilities, permit parking, and more. Ryan is an alum of the MCRP program at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and studied public administration at Florida International University in Miami, FL.
Supervising Engineer
Middlesex County Office of Planning
Michael Dannemiller is a Supervising Engineer with over 30 years of experience in transportation planning, traffic engineering analysis, community outreach and the management of sustainable transportation planning and design contracts. His transportation planning and design work spans way to implement Vision Zero project through transit access, accessibility assessments, community engagement, complete streets, bicycle and pedestrian planning, traffic calming, concept development, streetscape design, and roadway and shared-use path planning and design.
Program Manager
New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition
Paul is an enthusiastic bike education instructor with over 15 years of experience leading Learn to Ride and Street Savvy Cycling programs for people of all ages from around the state. He is a passionate advocate for safe streets as a means to building bike and walk friendly communities to support environmentally friendly active transportation, equity in mobility, sustainable communities and the mental health benefits derived from the joy of getting around by bike!
Transitioning from a 40 year career with the YMCA building healthy communities, Paul is now working as the Program Manager for New Jersey Bike Walk Coalition, a member of the Montclair Vision Zero Task Force and the Verona Neighborhood Traffic and Safety Advisory Committee. A long time board member and current President of Bike&Walk Montclair, Paul and his wife Andrea Silk, are certified cycling Instructors through both the League of American Bicyclists and the American Bicycling Education Association. They can be found leading bike education classes just about every weekend from April through October.
Co-Founder
Montclair Bike Bus
Jessica Tillyer is the President of RoAndCo, a brand studio focused on supporting underrepresented visionary leaders. She is an avid everyday bike commuter and joy rider. In the early 2000’s she founded the Brooklyn Bike Adventure Club. More recently, she’s the co-founder of Montclair Bike Bus and Bike Bus World. She serves as a Board Member of the National Women’s History museum and more locally is a representative on Montclair’s Vision Zero Task Force. Most importantly, she’s the mother of two bike-loving girls.
Vice President
Bike JC
Tony has served on the board of Bike JC since 2014 after volunteering for several years; today he is the manager of the Bike JC social media presence, a liaison to the Jersey City government, and a chief marshal for many organized bike rides. A native of Queens, Tony lived in several urban and suburban towns in North Jersey before moving to Downtown Jersey City’s Hamilton Park neighborhood in 1997. He lives on the same block today. After a decade as a newspaper reporter, and stints editing and writing for Manhattan management and marketing firms, Tony is currently a proofreader and copy editor for Prudential Insurance in Newark, where he is also a member of the revived Brick City Bike Collective advocacy and riding group. A longtime explorer of Jersey City and its urban environs by bike and mass transit, Tony also enjoys triathlons, marathons and distance running, and Jersey City’s art, music, dining, and nightlife scene.
Founder
Girls In Gear
Dr. Gabrielle Rossi’s blended background of educational and practical experience uniquely poised her to start Girls in Gear in 2021. She has 10+ years of experience leading youth development organizations that use recreation as a platform for life lessons. As the executive director of Girls in Gear, Gabrielle has the pleasure of seeing girls take what they learn on their bikes and apply it to their lives with verve, tenacity, and pluck. Gabrielle is a full-time faculty member at Rutgers University where she’s been honored for her work in the Camden community. Her research focuses on how biking makes you a better person. She is a Wilderness First-Responder and League Cycling Instructor.
Transportation Outreach Coordinator
Clean Air Council
Titania Markland was born and raised in Jamaica. Protecting the environment and native species has always been near and dear to her heart. Humans contribute a tremendous amount to the changing climate resulting in more natural disasters. During high school in Jamaica, she competed in track and field, and earned a scholarship to the University of Minnesota. After undergrad, she completed her Master’s Degree in Land and Atmospheric Science.
After graduating and moving to Philadelphia, she was determined to find a job and company culture where her colleagues shared her passion for environmental protection. As Transportation Outreach Coordinator for the Clean Air Council, she gets to work directly with residents of Philadelphia to find alternative ways to commute throughout the city with the big aim of reducing transportation greenhouse gas emissions.
Founder
Trenton 365
Jacque Howard is Trenton’s modern-day visionary. Through civic engagement, he aims to help Trenton unleash its untapped potential, making it a worthy reflection of its population’s vibrant talent and diversity. Howard has taken many strides towards achieving this goal through various community-building projects and partnerships over the years.
Although Jacque’s many projects are multifaceted, diverse, and seemingly disparate, they all have one thing in common—they are each a testament to Howard’s gift at transforming the sometimes-overlooked facets of quotidian life into a means to enact greater social change and inclusion. Overall, Howard doesn’t wait to be prompted or to find glaring oversights to get involved. He seeks not merely to fix, but to improve and create anew. Howard’s many efforts to change his community for the better are conveniently spelled out here by the acronym R.E.A.C.H. (Recreation, Environment, Art, Civics, Health).
Senior Associate
Michael Baker International
Peter brings more than 30 years of project and managerial experience to his planning practice focused on multimodal transportation systems, mobility, and safety. He has a diverse background in project planning, policy analysis, and travel demand modeling with expertise in Complete Streets, bicycle, pedestrian and trails planning, statewide and metropolitan transportation planning, safety, land use and redevelopment, community engagement, and traffic operations.
Council President
Borough of Hopewell
Krista Weaver is the president of the Hopewell Borough Council and a pedestrian and bicycle safety advocate. She was first drawn to this work when her complaints about speeding in her small town were dismissed by some local officials. After a cyclist was hit by a truck and killed in her town, Krista joined other advocates and formed a Pedestrian and Bike Safety Advisory Committee. Seeking a broader platform to enact change, she decided to run for borough council. After a productive freshman year, Krista continues to work towards greater pedestrian and bike safety in her town and beyond. She lives with her husband, two children and many cats.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Coordinator
Greater Mercer TMA
Kathleen Ebert is the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Coordinator at Greater Mercer TMA. She works with schools and municipalities to educate children and residents on street safety. Her focus is building community relationships by collaborating with community groups to promote bike and pedestrian safety. She is the founder of Point Pleasant Borough Complete Streets, a group created for residents and business owners to learn about and promote the benefits of Complete Streets. This group advocates for safer streets for all users, all ages, and all abilities. Kathleen graduated from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, especially the beach, and attending her children’s various activities.
Eatontown Council Member
Complete Streets Advisory Committee
Candace Faust is a lifelong resident of Eatontown, New Jersey and serves on the Borough Council. She graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Political Science. Candace has served on the Traffic Advisory Committee, Community Garden Committee, Recreation Advisory Committee, Shade Tree Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment. She is the co-founder of the Eatontown Complete Streets Advisory Committee. The Borough has won six grants totaling nearly $900,000 related to Complete Streets initiatives. Eatontown is the first town in the state to adopt the NJ DOT Complete and Green Streets For All Model Policy by ordinance.
Manager, Regional Trails Program
Office of Climate and Environment
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Shawn Megill Legendre is manager of the Regional Trails Program at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). The Regional Trails Program supports trail development partners across the nine-county Greater Philadelphia region with funding, technical assistance, and coordination to implement the Circuit Trails, an 800+ mile regionwide network of multi-use trails. Shawn also helps to facilitate DVRPC’s trail user counting program, serves as co-chair of the Pennsylvania Committee for the East Coast Greenway, and is a board member of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. Shawn has worked at DVRPC for nearly 13 years. Shawn received a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in government from Colby College.
Principal Engineer & Planner
NV5
Matt Ludwig, PE, AICP is a licensed civil engineer and certified planner with over 15 years of experience on a wide variety of transportation projects, including the planning and design of trails and greenways, protected bicycle lanes, complete streets, modern streetcars, and developing comprehensive active transportation networks. Matt has been involved in the design and planning of multi-modal projects throughout the country, which allows him to apply a specialized toolkit to modern transportation issues. Matt is currently a Principal Planner and Engineer for NV5, where he manages transportation projects throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He lives in Philadelphia where he commutes by bike daily to NV5’s Center City office. Matt received his Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering at Iowa State University.
Transportation Planning Specialist
Greater Mercer TMA
Chris Townley is a Transportation Planning Specialist at the Greater Mercer TMA, where he has worked on the East Trenton Neighborhood ‘Inspired Safe Streets’ demonstration project in addition to Vision Zero and street safety plans. Previously, he worked as an Urban Designer at Arterial Design Studio, focusing on designing and implementing street designs. He was part of award-winning projects such as the Millburn Complete Streets Initiative and the Stuyvesant Avenue Streetscape Improvements. He is a graduate of the Bloustein School at Rutgers University, where he earned a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning. His goal is to make streets great again, where people can choose to travel safely without a car.
Principal
Mercer Planning Associates
Courtenay D. Mercer, PP, AICP is a land use planner with substantial public sector experience that enabled her to provide assistance to diverse and complex planning projects, and to work with all types of communities. Her project experience ranges from rural conservation planning to urban redevelopment. In addition to public and private sector planning work, Courtenay is involved with many civic and volunteer efforts, including public community boards and non-profit organizations.
Courtenay is the former Director of Planning at the NJ Office of Smart Growth, which staffs the State Planning Commission in developing and implementing the NJ State Plan. She was also the NJ Director of the Regional Plan Association, a non-profit research and advocacy organization working in the NY metropolitan area. She has overseen myriad projects, including traditional neighborhood design (TND) plans, transportation oriented development (TOD) projects, contaminated site cleanup and reuse plans, as well as rural and historic preservation projects.
One of Courtenay’s core assets is her ability to coordinate diverse stakeholders and garner inter-governmental coordination for complex planning projects. Courtenay capitalizes on her vast public and non-profit sector experiences to assist her clients in attaining Regional, State and Federal-level assistance and approvals.
Constituent Affairs Coordinator
Town of Dover
Yahayra Mejorada is a native Peruvian who moved to the US at age 9. She is a first-generation graduate, she earned the Drew University Presidential Merit Scholarship and majored in International Relations and Public Affairs.
Following her graduation, she consulted for the Commission on the Status of the Woman (CSW) to decrease the NGO’s intergenerational gap through marketing and program development.
She spent 12 years working and advocating for adults with developmental disabilities as a developmental instructor, and later, as a business development professional. Yahayra also held a parallel career as a political consultant with a focus on new candidate training.
Yahayra uses her passion for government and community engagement in her current role as the Town of Dover’s Constituent Affairs Coordinator. She humbly serves on the boards of:
Yahayra is thrilled to moderate this year’s panel at the 2nd Annual NJ Women Economic Forum alongside the esteemed Dr. Denise Fernandes- former outreach coordinator for the United States White House.
Director of Sustainability Programs
EZ Ride
Lisa is a League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor and received a B.A. from Wellesley College, an executive M.P.A. from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary. Currently studying Urban Planning at Rutgers University Bloustein School.
Lisa connects and encourages stakeholders to use policy, environment and system change to create safer and healthier places to live, work, study, and play. Serves as the regional Safe Routes to School Coordinator for Monmouth, Bergen, and the urban parts of Essex, Union, and Passaic Counties. Lisa assists communities to conduct Street Smart NJ pedestrian and driver safety campaigns, walk/bike audits, and writes travel plans for municipalities and schools to apply for New Jersey Department of Transportation grants. Works on walking, biking and Complete Streets policies, infrastructure change, and tactical urbanism demo projects to support safe active transportation. Helps promote walk and roll to school days, walking school busses/bike trains, wellness councils, community gardens, and healthy corner store/barbershop partnerships. Lisa developed Healthy Community initiatives/coalitions in Asbury Park, Long Branch, Farmingdale, Plainfield, Belmar and Fanwood-Scotch Plains.
Board Member
New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition, Rails to Trails Conservancy
M. Katherine Kraft (Kate) is a nationally recognized expert on the impact of the built environment on health outcomes. She is immediate past Executive Director of America Walks and was the founding Director of the EveryBody Walk! Collaborative at America Walks. America Walks is the only national organization focused on cultivating local and state walking and walkable community champions to push for safe, accessible, equitable places to walk and move.
Prior to leading America Walks, Kate worked as a planning and program consultant with local foundations, national organizations and research groups developing and evaluating local community change efforts and designing comprehensive prevention initiatives. The hallmark of her work is implementing policy and environmental changes at the local level, including the development of cross-sector coalitions.
Before that, she spent a decade as a senior program and evaluation staff member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). While at RWJF, Dr. Kraft was involved in developing several of the foundation’s major initiatives designed to promote healthy behavior. Specifically, she was the chief architect of the Active Living research, community change and leadership portfolio. These programs worked to link public health, urban planning and community development to improve health outcomes and have been models for the nation’s efforts to address obesity and prevent chronic disease.
Kate speaks and writes about the impact of the built environment on health and why place matters. Dr. Kraft received her Ph.D. in social work and social research from Bryn Mawr College and was a Lenard Davis Fellow in health economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining RWJF, Dr. Kraft was on the social work faculty at Rutgers University.
Princeton Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee
Lisa Serieyssol is a transportation professional, with an emphasis on creating safe, equitable, accessible, and climate-conscious places to walk, bike, and roll.
She is active in Princeton’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC), and collaborates with elected officials and municipal staff to advance walking and biking safety infrastructure. While PBAC’s chair (2018 – 2021) she worked with Princeton elected officials to commit to Vision Zero policies and establish a Vision Zero Steering committee.
Lisa has worked as Executive Director of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail and as Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator at Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association, arranging programs and events around New Jersey to teach communities about walking and biking safety and to broaden safety awareness among drivers. Through extensive analysis and discussions with the community as well as engineers, planners, and elected officials, she has compiled reports with recommendations. Often these led to successful grant applications to improve the safety and accessibility of roads and trails around New Jersey.
Executive Director
New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition
Debra currently serves as Executive Director of the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition. She leads the organization’s strategic planning, policy, and programs including the advocacy and community outreach for the Essex-Hudson Greenway project, the Safe Passing Law campaign, and the Safe Streets For All Network. She comes to the Executive Director position after serving as Director of Programs for NJBWC, including producing the 2020 NJ Bike & Walk Summit. She currently serves on the Hudson County, Meadowlands and Montclair Vision Zero Task Forces, the Executive Committee of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council, the Steering Committee of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan, and the Advisory Board of the September 11th National Memorial Trail. She previously served as President of Bike & Walk Montclair, and currently serves as a member of the Bike & Walk Montclair Board. She also has led the revitalization of the Lenape Trail as New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Trail Manager for the trail. Previously, she worked for over 25 years in the education field in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors, as a partnership and program director, and non-profit management consultant.
Principal Planner
North Jersey Transportation Authority
Jasmine is a Principal Planner at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. She oversees the Transportation Management Association (TMA) program and works on other mobility and regional planning initiatives such as the NJTPA’s Complete Streets Demonstration Library, to support the broader use of tactical urbanism. She has experience in municipal and county planning, landscape design, master planning, and redevelopment studies. Jasmine also teaches an urban planning and design course to undergraduate students at Rutgers. She holds a master’s degree in city and regional planning and a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and design, both from Rutgers. Additionally, she has her LEED Green Associate certification and a certificate in community sustainability.
Program Director
Cross County Connection TMA
Patrick Farley is the Program Director at Cross County Connection TMA. He has been with the organization for 12 years. In his role, he oversees the organization’s work with local governments, businesses, social service organizations, and residents to plan and create a more equitable and sustainable regional transportation network that encourages walking, biking, and public transit. Patrick grew up in South Jersey and is deeply invested in Cross County Connection’s work in the region. He received a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Penn State University and a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
Access Nature Disability Advocate
Pinelands Preservation Alliance
Sean joined Pinelands Preservation Alliance in November of 2022 as the Access Nature and Disability Advocate. Attending Rutgers University, He graduated with a B.A. in American History & Political Science. Since 2014 he has worked in the New Jersey Park Service at Batsto Historic Village in Wharton State Forest as a member of the history department. A lifelong Southern New Jersey resident. Being an avid outdoorsman – any chance he gets, you’ll find him kayaking one of the many rivers in the Pinelands or exploring the countless historic/cultural sites. He’s devoted to the preservation of natural, cultural, and historic sites being a proud member of American Battlefield Trust which protects hallowed ground. He’s thrilled about working in an organization that shares the same goals and commitments as he does for preserving, restoring, and interpreting natural and historic resources for current and future generations and ensuring everyone in our diverse collective community has a chance to enjoy the magnificence of New Jersey’s great outdoors. Sean leads efforts in working with land managers to establish best practices for accessible trail designs, and inclusive programming. Completing site surveys on accessibility. In addition to managing an interactive story map that is populated with nature sites that have accessibility built into their sites. As well as organizing an online forum for individuals with disabilities, land managers, and advocates to learn from each other and build ideas to break down barriers to accessing nature.
Contact (609) 859-8860 ext. 117 or sean@pinelandsalliance.org.
Transportation Systems Engineer/Accessibility Specialist
U.S. Access Board
Juliet Shoultz is a Transportation Systems Engineer with the U.S Access Board where she serves as lead staff on accessible transportation. She has fifteen years of experience in transportation planning and engineering for state government, and extensive experience in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) policy and standards development as well as ADA transition planning. Juliet has been an active participant on Transportation Research Board standing committees, and a member of a National Cooperative Highway Research Program panel.
Active Transportation Program Manager
Tri-state Transportation Campaign
Born and raised in rural New Jersey, Corey is a compassionate, interdisciplinary communicator with a deep interest in transportation and land-use reform throughout the tri-state region. As a planner at NV5, he worked on NJDOT Road Safety Audits, Complete Streets training webinars, local Vision Zero Action Plans, and NJT’s Transit Friendly Planning initiative, while also providing GIS support for NYC’s East Side Coastal Resiliency project. Prior to that, while working at the NJ Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center within VTC at Rutgers, he proposed revisions to NJ’s statewide Residential Site Improvement Standards and helped plan the first-ever NJ Trails and Greenways Summit. Formerly an ESL educator, Japanese interpreter, and IT project manager, Corey understands the challenge of negotiating tradeoffs between a wide variety of actors, and he is an avid supporter of community-led projects that provide independence and dignity for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Corey received his Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning at Rutgers University with a concentration in transportation and land use and graduated cum laude from Tulane University. He currently lives car-free in Queens, NY.
Research Project Coordinator
Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, Rutgers University
Sam Rosenthal, AICP, is a Research Project Coordinator at the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University. As a staff member at the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center, Sam contributes to planning for safe and accessible active transportation in New Jersey. His work involves transportation research, report writing, and graphic and web design. His recent projects have focused on developing public-facing resources related to e-bike and e-scooter legislation and safety, as well as research on Complete Streets approaches that improve safety for those with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Prior to joining VTC, Sam served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Hoboken, NJ, coordinating community engagement and job training programs related to green infrastructure. Sam received a Master of City and Regional Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University and a B.A. in Urban Studies from Vassar College.
Research Project Coordinator
Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, Rutgers University
Greg Woltman, AICP, is a Research Project Coordinator at the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center. His work with the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center includes research focused on micromobility safety, pedestrian access for older adults, best practices in pedestrian scale lighting, and federal zero deaths initiatives and grant programs. As a staff researcher at the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center, Greg dedicated his efforts to researching and synthesizing information on different federal discretionary grants to identify optimal funding opportunities for State, MPO, county, and municipal governments to expand their active transportation networks and enhance safety for vulnerable road users.
Greg has provided Complete Streets technical assistance to multiple municipalities throughout New Jersey. This assistance has included developing bikeway plans, conducting walk audits, and facilitating community visioning at public outreach activities. Greg has also conducted research and provided technical assistance for metropolitan planning organizations and the state on best practices in pedestrian and bicyclist education and awareness campaigns for the public and law enforcement.
In his research, Greg has focused on identifying the political, bureaucratic, and technical barriers to the implementation of active transportation projects. His research has helped local communities more confidently focus their resources when applying for appropriate federal programs and projects that will help them reach their safety goals.
Senior Director of Planning
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority
Jeffrey Perlman is a principal planner at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, managing the agency’s climate change research activities, notably the regional greenhouse gas inventory and forecast project. He has worked as a planning consultant for a number of New Jersey municipalities, where he conducted a variety of planning studies including master plans, redevelopment plans, and affordable housing plans. He holds a Masters of City and Regional Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, and is a NJ licensed professional planner. Jeffrey also holds LEED-Accredited Professional status from the US Green Building Council.
Research Project Manager
Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, Rutgers University
Sean Meehan is the Research Project Manager for the New Jersey Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Resource Center at the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University. With over fifteen years of experience, Sean oversees projects for the New Jersey SRTS program in conjunction with the New Jersey Department of Transportation and with the state’s eight Transportation Management Associations (TMAs). In addition to conducting research, Sean provides services, training, coordination and technical assistance to TMAs, local and regional governments, schools and school districts and other organizations to encourage more walking and bicycling and to identify opportunities for infrastructure and policy improvements that make walking and biking to school safer. Sean received a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from the Bloustein School at Rutgers University and a BS degree in Environmental Policy from Cook College at Rutgers.
Senior Transportation Planner
Department of Infrastructure, City of Jersey City
Lyndsey Scofield is a Senior Transportation Planner in Jersey City’s Department of Infrastructure, where she has the privilege to work on impactful transportation projects that improve safety and comfort for all users. In this role, she coordinated Jersey City’s Greenway Connectivity Plan to envision how existing and future greenways will link to each other and to neighborhoods. She now serves as Project Manager for the Bergen Arches Feasibility Study, an effort to transform an abandoned rail corridor into a greenway and transitway. Lyndsey has a Master of Urban Planning from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service and a B.S. in Environmental Science & Policy from the University of South Florida.
Administrator, Office of Urban State Parks & Initiatives
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Maggie McCann joined the NJDEP as the Administrator for Urban State Parks and Initiatives within the DEP’s Parks, Forestry and Historic Sites Program Area November 2023. Previously, Maggie was Director of Camden County Parks managing 4,000 acres of parkland and open space in a landscape that included urban, suburban, and rural areas. She is passionate and focused on revitalizing aged parks infrastructure, creating new, equitable urban open spaces and working with diverse groups of partners to create access and programs that reconnect people to their natural resources.
Land Project Director
Open Space Institute
Dene “Dene Hofheinz Lee directs the Open Space Institute’s Northeast Land Protection program. With close to 30 years of conservation expertise, she structures and completes acquisitions that create and enhance public open space across the Eastern United States, with a specialty in linear greenway parks. In this capacity, she originated and built OSI’s Greenway Trails acquisition program that focuses on rail line acquisitions for parks and economic development. She structured and closed on the $65M acquisition of 9 miles of rail-line that traverses the two most densely populated counties in New Jersey. In addition, in 2021 she closed on the purchase of the 9-mile Schunnemunk Rail Trail in Orange County, NY, which will ultimately provide green mobility between the Harriman Trail Station in Harriman NY and the Salisbury Mills Station in Cornwall, NY.
Along with her rail trail portfolio, she directed, initiated, and executed over 40 conservation transactions from 2021 to 2023 protecting more than 4,000 acres of land and representing almost $100M in FMV. Her broad range of real estate experience includes negotiation, valuation, and project and public finance.”
Principal Planner
NV5
Tiffany Robinson brings over 19 years of invaluable planning experience to the table. As a seasoned professional in both the public and private sectors, she has dedicated her career to shaping communities through transportation planning and community outreach. Having worked on projects both domestically and internationally, Tiffany’s insights are truly global.
Recently returning to the U.S. after nearly six years in Auckland, New Zealand, Tiffany’s passion extends beyond city limits. She serves as a Committee member for Women in Urbanism Aotearoa, advocating for safe and inclusive environments for women. Her commitment to empowering others is unwavering.
Tiffany holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Public Policy from Boston University, a foundation that has fueled her drive for positive change. But it’s not just about policy and plans—Tiffany’s spirit thrives when she’s walking or cycling (on her e-trike), defying norms and embracing life’s lessons. Her motto? “You live and you learn…and then you learn how to live.”
Senior Research Specialist
Voorhees Transportation Center
James Sinclair is a Senior Research Specialist at the Voorhees Transportation Center, located within the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. With over ten years of experience at the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center (NJ BPRC), James has dedicated his efforts to research and technical assistance aimed at improving safety for vulnerable roadway users and enhancing travel options across New Jersey to promote shifts to more sustainable modes of transportation. James holds a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. He earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Boston University, where he was involved in the introduction of a bike share system to the Boston region. This experience solidified his interest in planning for sustainable transportation.
Post Doctoral Research Associate
Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
Dr. Hannah Younes is a Post Doctoral Research Associate in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University. Her research interests revolve around sustainable transportation and promoting equity. In her role at Rutgers University, Dr. Younes is focusing on crash detection from micromobility, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on everyday behavior, and on reducing vulnerability to crashes in New Jersey. Prior to her work as a post-doc, she was a research assistant for the Maryland Transportation Institute (MTI) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UMD, focusing on transport geography issues. Dr. Younes received her PhD in 2021 and her B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy in 2015 from the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park. She was a recipient of the Ann Wylie Dissertation Fellowship in 2021 and named as a U.S. DOT University Transportation Center Outstanding Student of the Year for 2020.
Principal Planner
New Jersey Department of Transportation
William Riviere is a principal planner for the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the Safe Routes to School Coordinator for the NJDOT’s Bureau of Safety, Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs. As the lead administrator for NJDOT’s Local Technical Assistance Program for bicycle and pedestrian projects, Mr. Riviere provides guidance and expertise in creating streets as corridors for all modes of transportation for all ages and abilities. As the New Jersey Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Mr. Riviere oversees the technical assistance program working closely with the Safe Routes Resource Center at Rutgers and all eight New Jersey Transportation Management Associations.
Executive Director
South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization
Jennifer Marandino is the Executive Director of the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO). Mrs. Marandino began with SJTPO in March of 2011, previously serving as Team Leader of Capital Programming and Safety. Before she worked at SJTPO, Mrs. Marandino worked in the traffic and transportation engineering field for 10 years. Mrs. Marandino has over 20 years of experience in the transportation industry. In her current role as Executive Director, Mrs. Marandino oversees overall SJTPO operations, including semi-annual reporting, the development of SJTPO’s annual budget, and the advancement of project development efforts. She has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Science in Transportation from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of New Jersey. Mrs. Marandino lives in the Borough of Newfield (Gloucester County) with her 14-year-old daughter, her husband, and their dog, Flynn Rider. She was recently elected to the Borough Council in Newfield and enjoys serving on the Recreation (Special Events) Committee and is actively involved in planning the annual fall festival and other fun activities.
Manager, Office of Safe Streets
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Over 25 years with DVRPC Kevin has become a seasoned team leader guiding safety-focused planning studies, regional safety plans, and Road Safety Audits. He facilitated the adoption of Regional Vision Zero 2050, and the setting of regional safety targets, and is currently leading the development of a regional Vision Zero plan to advance the region’s 2050 zero fatalities goal. He possesses a comprehensive knowledge of transportation safety planning and is a thoughtful collaborator in diagnosing problems and building consensus to advance safe and equitable access for all system users.