Panel Discussion - Creating Walkable Communities for All

Jon is the Director of the Transportation Division for Salt Lake City, leading a dynamic group of professionals who are actively working to create a more safe, sustainable, multimodal, and human-scaled transportation system. Prior to joining the City, Jon led the technical group at the Wasatch Front Regional Council that provided forecasting, modeling, and data analytics support. While Jon’s training is in traffic engineering, he has spent much of his career focusing on walkability and the transportation/land use interaction. Prior to joining WFRC, Jon worked as a consultant where he managed projects and performed travel demand modeling, traffic engineering, and transportation planning. In addition, Jon served on the board of the Utah Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), including time as president.

Megan oversees planning technical assistance and economic development activity as the Director of Community and Economic Development of the Wasatch Front Regional Council. Her career is dedicated to helping communities enhance the quality of life available to all current and future residents. Megan has a Master of City and Metropolitan Planning (MCMP) from the University of Utah with a Graduate Certificate of Real Estate Development. She also serves as the Board Chair for the Seven Canyons Trust non-profit organization which she helped to found.

Jeff Silvestrini is serving his second term as the first mayor of Millcreek. Millcreek was the first settlement outside of Utah Fort in 1848, but did not incorporate until 2017. With a population of about 62,000, it is Utah’s 12th largest city. Jeff is working to form a new, transparent and technologically advanced city and appreciates creativity and initiative in local government. Jeff believes that having solid representation at the decision-making table is important to residents of our city. Jeff has involved himself lobbying the Utah Legislature on local government issues affecting Millcreek and has volunteered to serve the city on various boards whose operations affect our residents. Jeff graduated from the University of Utah College of Law and before that the University of Michigan. He and his wife, Leslie, have two grown daughters. Jeff practiced law in Salt Lake City for 37 years and served as a volunteer on the Mount Olympus and Township councils before becoming mayor.

Kristen holds a Bachelors in Geography from the University of Utah and a Masters in Urban Planning and Policy with a specialization in Transportation Planning from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Kristen worked as a transportation planner in California for six years before taking a position at UDOT and moving back to Utah. It was here that Kristen developed a passion for traffic safety and after three years was asked to manage the Zero Fatalities and Safe Routes Utah programs, which she has done for the past seven years. Kristen feels very strongly about reducing fatalities on Utah roadways and encouraging children to walk and bike to school safely.

Liz is part of the HEAL (Healthy Environments Active Living) team for the Weber-Morgan Health Department. She completed her Master’s in Public Health, Health Education and Promotion from Utah State University. She runs the OgdenCAN Healthy Lifestyles Workgroup, sits on the Ogden Food Policy Council, and loves the opportunity to work within the Ogden community. Liz is also a yoga instructor and is passionate about the need for holistic health in all spaces, be those walkable communities or equity and access to physical activity opportunities.