Dr. Appleyard is an Associate Professor of City Planning and Urban Design at San Diego State University (SDSU) and the Assistant Director of Active Transportation Research (ATR) where he helps people and agencies make more informed decisions about how we live, work and thrive. Working from the human to regional/ecosystem scale, he is an author of numerous peer-reviewed and professional publications, and is a renowned expert on urban quality, street design for pedestrians and bicyclists, the future of transport, as well as how to coordinate housing, land use, and transportation to help places become more sustainable, livable and equitable. For more, see his online Smart Growth Equity Calculator (http://bit.ly/SmartGrowthEquity) – a planning support tool (PSTs) designed to help people take action to coordinate transportation, housing, and climate action planning. He recently completed serving as Editor for the Special Issue celebrating 25 years of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in the Journal of Planning Education & Research, and is finishing up Livable Streets 2.0 about the conflict, power, and promise of our streets. In 2006, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation named Dr. Appleyard, alongside Barack Obama, as one of their Top Ten “Active Living Heroes” for his work helping communities. Dr. Appleyard holds a Doctorate (as well as a Masters and Bachelors) from the University of California in the town of Berkeley where he grew up.
More On Randy Armenta is a co-organizer of a San Diego based transborder collective known as Los Cruzadores, a group which hosts bike rides from Chicano Park to Tijuana. Originally from Los Angeles, he moved to San Diego in 2011 where he began to explore the region through cycling and eventually made his way into organizing and assisting in local bike events through various social groups. He is a graduate from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. In 2013, he helped re-establish Los Cruzadores in an effort to further cross-border collaboration and regional immersion. Aside from organizing transborder bike rides, Randy is an avid rock climber and aspiring photojournalist.
In 2018, Catherine S. Blakespear was re-elected to her second term as Mayor of the City of Encinitas with 83 percent of the vote. That same year she was chosen by her elected peers on San Diego’s largest regional transportation agency, SANDAG, to serve in leadership as the agency’s vice-chair.
Before running for elected office in 2014, Catherine was appointed and served for four years as the Cardiff representative on the Encinitas Traffic & Public Safety Commission. Transportation improvements, specifically infrastructure improvements that make it easier, safer and more fun, to bike and walk are among her top city priorities.
Under her leadership the City of Encinitas has funded the largest road infrastructure improvement in the city’s history, called Leucadia Streetscape, which will reduce historic Highway 101 from two car travel lanes in each direction to one lane and add dedicated bike infrastructure, roundabouts, expanded sidewalks for dining and walking and 1,000 trees.
Catherine works as an attorney, and previously worked as a journalist. She and her husband have two children in elementary school.
To sign up for Catherine’s popular and topical newsletters, please email her at catherine@blakespear4encinitas.com
Nick Buck has worked for the City of Encinitas since 1999, involved with recreation programs, marketing, special events and project management. Beyond his career in municipal parks and recreation management, he is passionate about service to the community, volunteering and participating on various boards, committees and projects.
He has lived and worked in north county San Diego for over 20 years, with a tendency to say “yes” to projects and roles that he feels impact and improve opportunities and access to nature, active recreation and especially the love of cycling.
An obsessed mountain biker and long-time public servant with a vision for more and better trail riding opportunities for all, he often volunteers and contributes by making connections, offering perspective, insight and advice to diverse stakeholders.
Nick, his wife Lindsay and their two young children reside in the San Elijo Hills community of San Marcos, where trails and play are abundant.
Education:
MBA, 2008, Master of Business Administration, University of Phoenix
B.S. Applied Arts and Sciences 1998, Recreation Administration, San Diego State University
CPRP, 2018, Certified Park and Recreation Professional, National Recreation and Park Association
Affiliations:
Board Member, Friends of San Marcos Parks and Recreation
Board Member and Legislative Representative, California Parks and Recreation Society District 12
Area Liaison and Member, San Diego Mountain Bike Association
Representative, Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve Advisory Committee
Nicole Burgess is a passionate advocate who loves to travel by bike and inspire others to ride. Nicole has traveled by bike through many US states, Mexico, Canada, and Europe. For her, there is no better way to travel and to see a city, to be immersed in the beauty of nature, and to engage with the kindness of strangers. Nicole is a League Certified Bicycle Instructor and a Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor and believes the best yoga practice is on the road while riding. Currently, Nicole is Board President of BikeSD and has visions for San Diego to become a world class bike city where everyone has an option to ride safely everyday. When you’re ready to chat bikes; from bike travel, bike yoga, to bike advocacy, Nicole is always willing to hang out and share some stories.
Marcus Bush is a current policy advisor on transportation & land use for San Diego City Council President Georgette Gómez. Marcus is an urban planner, housing advisory commissioner for the City of National City, and longtime transportation justice activist who has advocated for protected bike lanes, traffic calming, and other regional active transportation projects. Marcus earned his Bachelor of Arts in City Planning at San Diego State University and a Master’s in Real Estate Development from Portland State University.
Nicole Capretz is an environmental attorney with 20 years of experience as an energy, equity, and climate policy advisor for local governments and the nonprofit sector. Nicole was the primary author of the City of San Diego’s groundbreaking, legally binding 100% clean energy Climate Action Plan adopted in late 2015. Nicole has since played a pivotal role in helping other cities in the region adopt similar 100% clean energy climate plans, and is a prominent advocate for Community Choice Energy in Southern California.
Nicole was appointed to the California Strategic Growth Council, effective August 22, 2018. She was named a New York Times Top 10 Californian of 2016. She is a board member of Trees 100. Ms. Capretz received a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master of Arts in Environmental Law, and a Juris Doctorate from Vermont Law School. She currently resides in City Heights.
Previously, Nicole served as the Associate Director for Green Energy/Green Jobs at Environmental Health Coalition, an environmental justice organization in National City. She has also worked as an environmental and energy policy advisor for the San Diego City Council. Nicole’s duties as Founder and Executive Director of CAC include overall strategic and operational responsibility for the organization’s staff, programs, expansion and execution of its mission.
Ethnologist, cyclist and feminist. Originally from Mexico City, Daniel now lives in Tijuana where she is an active member of Bicis Disidentes, a community bicycle workshop in Tijuana, which is part of Enclave Caracol (a feminist community social space). Daniela is a co-founder of Resiste Pedal in Mexico City, an intersectional collective that makes use of the bicycle as a resistance tool. She is also a co-creator of the fanzine: Resist Pedal “Bike trips”. Fanzine brings together stories and advice from women, trans and non-binary people about bike tours.
She was a community organizer in Mexico City, where she led bike rides to bring attention to the process of dispossession of territory and natural resources from indigenous communities in Mexico. She also organized rides against urban gentrification and, in support of social movements such as the 43 missing students of Ayotzinapa and, the mothers of women murdered in the State of Mexico.
Daniela is was an organizer for Bike Bike! Tijuana, a global conference for bike cooperatives, held in October of 2019.
SPANISH
Daniela Cortés. Etnóloga, ciclista y feminista. Organizadora y gestora del Bike Bike! Tijuana 2019 (reunión internacional anual, organizada por y para proyectos comunitarios que trabajan en proyectos de bici).
Miembra activa de Bicis Disidentes que es un taller comunitario de bicicletas en Tijuana, el cual hace parte de Enclave Caracol (espacio social comunitario feminista, que alberga proyectos como food not bombs, apoyo legal gratuito a migrantes, etc …). Co-fundadora de Resiste Pedal en Ciudad de México, una colectiva interseccional que hace uso de la bicicleta como herramienta de resistencia. Co-creadora del fanzine : Resiste Pedal “Viajes en bicicleta”. Fanzine que reúne varios relatos y consejos de mujeres, trans y personas no binarias acerca de recorridos largos en bicicleta.
En Ciudad de México organizó rodadas autogestivas como: en defensa de la madre tierra, las cuales eran rodadas de protesta por todo el proceso de despojo de territorio y de sus recursos naturales que están viviendo varias comunidades indígenas en México.
También, organizó rodadas en contra de la gentrificación urbana y, en apoyo a movimientos sociales como los 43 estudiantes desaparecidos de Ayotzinapa y, en apoyo a las madres de las mujeres asesinadas en el Estado de México.
Organizó y apoyo en logística del ciclocultural en Ciudad de México, encuentro autónomo y autogestivo que durante tres días reunió varias actividades como: talleres, charlas, proyecciones con bicigenerador, rally ciclista y serigrafía, todo alrededor del uso de la bicicleta.
Katie Crist, PhD, MPH is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, San Diego. She is interested in how we can create communities that support health, equity and active lifestyles. She has experience in the delivery of interventions to increase physical activity and her doctoral work focused on data driven collaboration between researchers and transportation planners. Her postdoctoral research aims to study relationships between the built environment, including transportation infrastructure, and health and to integrate behavioral interventions with infrastructure projects to increase active travel. Katie rides her bike to get to most places as well as for exercise. She’s an active member of the bike advocacy community in San Diego and serves on the board of the San Diego County Bike Coalition.
Julio Garcia was born in San Diego but transnationally raised between San Diego and Tijuana, crossing imagined borders every weekend to visit family and friends. He has a BA in Latin American & Latino Studies and a minor in Legal Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. After graduating, Julio advocated for tenant rights, affordable housing and rent control in the Bay Area. Currently, Julio is the community organizing coordinator for the Transportation and Planning Program at City Heights Community Development. He works to bridge the gap between community members, government agencies, and the complex process behind transportation planning.
He facilitates City Heights CDC’s Built Environment Team (BET), which is comprised of Mid-City residents who are committed to Transportation Justice for the entire region of San Diego. Julio is developing an emergency rental assistance program for City Heights families/tenants. He hopes to expand the housing movement work of California to City Heights and the greater San Diego region and continue to advocate for tenant rights and affordable housing.
Jamie Hampton is the CEO of Mixte Communications and Tracks Public Relations, communications agencies dedicated to social good. Mixte is the Bike Coalition’s 2018 Bicycle Friendly Business of the Year and a Gold Designated Bicycle Friendly Business by the League of American Cyclists. Jamie has been a bicycle commuter for more than 15 years in San Diego, and her proudest moments have come from teaching her staff to safely navigate San Diego’s roads on two wheels.
Everett Hauser, AICP, PTP is Mobility Program Manager with the City of San Diego Transportation and Storm Water Department. Working in the Transportation Engineering Operations Division he leads the City’s safe and healthy mobility efforts; specifically the Vision Zero and Bike Program. These efforts create livable communities, promote low cost and healthy travel options that support other city goals such as the Climate Action Plan. An experienced transportation professional Mr. Hauser has over 10 years of local government experience in transportation impact studies, development review, and policy development. He also currently serves as staff liaison to the City’s Mobility Board.
Considered one of the preeminent transportation planning experts in the nation, Hasan Ikhrata is the Executive Director of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). SANDAG is the leading research, planning, and transportation agency for the San Diego region. Mr. Ikhrata has more than 30 years of experience in the arena of Transportation Planning in the Southern California Region, in both the private and public sector.
As Executive Director of SANDAG, Mr. Ikhrata directs day‐to‐day operations of the agency and implements policies set by its governing board. In addition, he is the Chief Executive Officer of the SANDAG Service Bureau, the nonprofit public benefit corporation chartered by SANDAG.
Mr. Ikhrata holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in Civil and Industrial Engineering from Zaporozhye University in the former Soviet Union, a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from UCLA, and a PhD Candidacy in Urban Planning and transportation from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Mr. Ikhrata is an adjunct professor in the business school at California State University, Northridge.
Prior to joining SANDAG in 2018, Mr. Ikhrata worked for Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).
Linda Khamoushian is based in Sacramento and serves as the Policy Director for the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) where she advocates for safer streets, climate action, and a just transportation system for the 21st century. Linda started out her bike advocacy experience as a volunteer for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition while studying Urban Planning at UCLA. Prior to joining CalBike, Linda worked as an urban planning researcher in the intersection of health equity, environment, and transportation. Linda holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Economy from UC Berkeley.
For more than a decade Monique Lopez has been a social justice planner and policy advocate working on transportation justice, environmental justice, and public space access throughout Southern California. Monique works with communities using planning tools through storytelling and arts-based engagement to dismantle unjust systems and build equitable communities. Her work is rooted in a simple principle: The voices of residents should be respected as experts, and as such, should dictate the planning and design of their community. Monique also brings in this social justice approach and practice into the classroom and teaches graduate level courses at Antioch University (Urban Infrastructure) and Cal Poly Pomona (Coalition Building).
She is a certified planner with the American Planning Association and has earned a Master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon and a Master’s in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach. She has also earned her Bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science with a Minor in Religion from Vanguard University. When she is not working with community members, she loves to ride and work on her bike and is an avid storyteller.
Cultural anthropologist Dr. Adonia E. Lugo is the interim chair of the MA in Urban Sustainability at Antioch University Los Angeles. Adonia believes that multiracial social movements are the key to building sustainable transportation systems. Since receiving her PhD from the University of California, Irvine in 2013, Adonia has organized people of color active transportation advocates and professionals around the country, most recently as part of the The Untokening. Her book, Bicycle/Race: Transportation, Culture, & Resistance, is now available from Microcosm Publishing.
Marisa Mangan is an Associate Regional Planner for the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Department of Mobility & Innovation. She leads mobility hub planning efforts while supporting local jurisdictions with micromobility pilot planning and deployment. Marisa is overseeing the establishment of a Regional Shared Mobility Data Clearinghouse that will help cities, transit agencies, universities, and military bases collect, analyze, and securely store dockless mobility data. Additionally, Marisa led the development of two mobility hub strategies that recommended ways of integrating shared mobility services and supporting technologies in communities served by transit. Marisa holds a Master of City Planning degree from San Diego State University, and she completed her undergraduate degrees at the University of California, San Diego. In her free time, Marisa visits new cities to experience their shared mobility offerings and explores vineyards to taste (and collect) wine.
Alison Moss, AICP is an Active Transportation Planner for the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). She has worked in both private and public sectors on the planning and design of Active Transportation systems. In her current role, she manages 5 capital bikeway projects, in various stages of development: 4 in final design and one in construction. She anticipates having the opportunity to shepherd all 5 projects through construction, an exciting opportunity for someone whose primary experience is in planning. She has a Master’s degree in Human Geography and Planning from Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Her time spent living and studying in The Netherlands truly changed her life, and continues to inform her work.
Susie Murphy started riding mountain bikes in the early 1990’s in order to follow her husband who had taken up riding with their young daughter in a backpack. She wanted to keep an eye on them, but they soon discovered a family pastime that took them on many adventures. Some of their best times were camping at the Sea Otter Classic, traveling to races down in Baja, going to 24 Hour races and many other adventures with awesome friends.
Susie has volunteered in the cycling community for many years with over 25 years with various groups. She currently serves on the San Diego County Parks Advisory Committee and the Otay Valley River Park Citizens Advisory Committee. Susie is also on the Board of Directors of the newly formed California Mountain Biking Coalition. Susie is the Executive Director of the San Diego Mountain Biking Association.
She is inspired by the dedicated volunteers of SDMBA and other partner organizations and loves connecting with fellow advocates locally, statewide and nationally. Susie gets to ride new trails (and Bike Parks!) and dream of even more as SDMBA works as a team to get things done to make mountain biking and trails better for everyone.
Frank Proulx, PhD, is Toole Design’s Data Science Practice Lead. Frank works with a broad range of clients on crash analysis, count data collection, and statistical modeling projects. He is especially passionate about using the power of data to prioritize safety improvements for non-motorized road users.
Maya Rosas serves as Circulate San Diego’s Director of Policy, where she leads Circulate’s efforts on Vision Zero and other campaigns for safe streets. She has been working in active transportation advocacy, land use planning, and development in both the non-profit and private sectors in San Diego since 2012. She previously worked at Circulate as the Policy Assistant where she played an instrumental role in advocating for the adoption of Vision Zero in the City of San Diego and also advocated for smart growth projects through the Circulate Mobility Certification. Maya most recently worked as a land use consultant for Atlantis Group, where she helped see development projects through all phases of the entitlement process. She has co-authored Circulate San Diego reports on Vision Zero and democratizing Community Planning Groups.
Sherry Ryan is a professor of city planning in the School of Public Affairs at San Diego State University. Her research focuses on active travel monitoring and planning, transportation-land use interactions, and the influence of land use patterns on travel behavior, physical activity and health. She has published numerous articles on these topics in journals such as Urban Studies, Transportation Research Record, and the Journal of Planning Education and Research. She has participated in multiple funded research grants from such agencies and foundations as the NIH, Caltrans, FHWA and The Walton Family Foundation. In addition to her academic experience, she brings significant practice experience having served as project manager for multiple local and regional bicycle and pedestrian master planning efforts, including the award winning San Diego Regional Bike Plan, the City of San Diego’s Bicycle Master Plan Update, and the City of Carlsbad Pedestrian Master Plan. Her joint academic and practice careers have allowed her to develop a professional foundation of great breadth, part exploratory research–part nuts-and-bolts planning practice.
Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells is the fifth woman to be elected to the Culver City Council in the city’s 102-year history. Her most notable achievements include:
- making Culver City a 100% renewable energy city,
- making Culver City a “Sanctuary City,”
- championing affordable housing, equity and sustainable water initiatives, and
- spearheading efforts to phase out oil drilling in the Inglewood Oil Field.
Known as the “Biking Mayor,” Sahli-Wells helped craft Culver City’s first bike and pedestrian master plan and Safe Routes to School program, and is focused on creating safe, healthy streets for all. She is also responsible for bringing CicLAvia’s signature car-free streets event to Culver City.
Sahli-Wells is a founding Board Member of Local Progress, a national network of progressive elected officials. Her state leadership includes co-chairing Elected Officials to Protect California, serving on the Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force and the Board of the Local Government Commission. Regionally, she a Board Director of Clean Power Alliance, Westside Cities Council of Governments, and Regional Council for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). She previously served on the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority Board.
Sahli-Wells holds two bachelor’s degrees from UCLA where she majored in World Arts and Cultures, and in French. She lived in France for 14 years and has traveled extensively, studying visual anthropology, conducting sociological research, and working as a translator.
Kimball Taylor is the author of “The Coyote’s Bicycle: The Untold Story of the Seven Thousands Bicycles and the Rise of a Borderland Empire,” which was a finalist for the California Book Award. A longtime contributor to Surfer magazine, Taylor’s work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Vice Media, and The Atlantic. He teaches writing at San Diego State University.
Stephan Vance has been a Bike Coalition Board member since 1996. He also served on the Board of the California Bike Collation from 1998 to 2017. Stephan retired in 2018 from a 36-year career with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) where he worked in a variety of transportation and land use planning areas, but his primary focus was on active transportation. He helped developed design guidelines, oversaw grant funding programs that promote bicycle and pedestrian travel, and helped develop a variety of major regions bike projects, including the Bayshore Bikeway, Coastal Rail Trail, Inland Rail Trail, and San Diego River Trail. Now that he’s retired, he’s riding his bike more for recreation and is serving as chair of the Coalition’s Advocacy Committee. When time permits, Stephan enjoys bike touring and has toured a variety of locations around the country.
Councilmember Chris Ward was elected to represent San Diego’s 3rd City Council District in June 2016, and took office in December of 2016. He serves as Chair of the Land Use & Housing Committee and Chair of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, Vice Chair of the Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and member of the City’s Rules Committees.
He has been a strong advocate for designing and building safe, connected, protected bike facilities throughout the city.
Prior to joining the Council, he previously served as the Chief of Staff to State Senator Marty Block, also representing the communities of the Third City Council District and most of the City of San Diego. In these capacities, Chris has been strongly committed to excellence in constituent services, facilitating public participation in policymaking, and organizing state and local resources to make our neighborhoods a better place every day.
Chris earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Johns Hopkins University and a Masters in Public Policy and Urban Planning at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He and his partner Thom are homeowners in University Heights with their daughter, Betty; Billy, their son; and cairn terrier, Monty.
