Eric is the Planning Manager for Fiver Rivers MetroParks. He has been responsible for developing the trails master plan for Five Rivers MetroParks.
What does the future of the Regional Trail Network look like in the region? How do the missing segments get completed? Five Rivers MetroParks and the Miami Regional Planning Commission will present their plans for a few of the missing segments including the MetroParks Trail Master Plan, Funding Opportunities and the need to work together as a region to complete these segments. Find out how we can come together as a region to make the nation’s largest offroad paved trail system even better!

Nick currently serves as the Active Transportation Planner at the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission. After graduating with a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University, he began gaining professional experience in community planning as well. He is excited to bring a broad perspective to his role at MVRPC. In his spare time Nick enjoys playing music and roasting his own coffee.

Cait manages ODOT’s Safe Routes to School funding program and serves as ODOT’s Active Transportation Manager where she works across the agency on bicycle and pedestrian priorities.

Bree Hetzel has been with the Ohio Department of Transportation, District 8, for more than 12 years. Bree has been in the planning department for 11 years, and has been the District Traffic Studies Engineer for over 5 years. Part of her role at the District also includes permits, speed zones, the safety program, customer complaints and bike/ped coordination. Bree is a big hockey fan and still supported her Columbus Blue Jackets this dreadful season. Bree resides in Butler County, very close to the Great Miami River Trail with her husband, 3-year old daughter and 2 dogs.

Mary Hoy is the District Traffic Planning Engineer for the Ohio Department of Transportation at the District 7 headquarters in Sidney. As the chair of the District 7 Safety Review Team, the District Safe Routes to School Coordinator, and the District Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator, Mary collaborates with ODOT colleagues and local officials to improve safety for all modes through studies, funding and even project plan reviews. Mary is a graduate of Ohio Northern University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio.

Angela Jenkins is the newly elected President of the Major Taylor Cycle Club of Dayton (MTCCD). She has been cycling with the club for a short six years. Angela has a passion for encouraging new riders to join the sport, and does everything she can to make sure they have a great time on the pathways. She is a former Marine, Mother of two adult sons, and a Grandmother to a very sweet little girl. Angela resides south of Dayton, and works at a local HealthCare company as a Systems Analyst. Major Taylor Dayton is part of an International Cycle Club, named after the great Marshall “Major” Taylor. Major Taylor was an African-American Professional Cyclist, during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, that even by modern cycling standards, considered the greatest American sprinter of all time. Taylor’s legacy lies in his willingness to challenge racial prejudice as an African American athlete in the white-dominated sport of cycling. MTCCD will continue the legacy of Major Taylor, so one day we will all, “Live Free, Live Well, and Ride Free.”

Gwen is National Board-Certified Heath & Wellness Coach, Associate Certified Coach, Board Certified Coach and Certified Wellness Inventory Coach. She is a seasoned professional with more than 27 years combined experience in coaching, training & development, social services and non-profit management focusing on women’s empowerment and family advocacy. She currently serves as Life Coach at The Glen at St. Joseph, an educational & residential campus for single mothers. In 2020, she was awarded The Brother Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., Ph.D. Award, by the Family and Children First Council (FCFC); and in 2019, she received the City of Dayton, Mayor’s Award – Giving Back to Neighborhoods; Community. For the past eight years, she has served as President of Carillon Civic Council collaborating with community partners on creation of The Dayton Bike Yard at Welcome Park; and other redevelopment efforts. She has served as a grass-roots community organizer; and volunteered in the Dayton Community for over 28 years with numerous community organizations.

Jeff Upshaw is a Professional BMX racer and Coach of Driven Cycling Academy with 25+ years of experience in the BMX industry. He is 2016 Olympian and currently ranked #2 in the Vet pro class in the United States. With His Driven Cycling Academy program, Jeff teaches riders how to have success in life through the sport by creating good habits through their passion for two wheels. Jeff is passionate about using his knowledge and skills to inform and inspire others to seek greatness within.
Jeff is also a Father of 2 girls. Loves fishing, travel and finding local mom and pops restaurants for a good meal.

As the Injury Prevention Coordinator, Abbey implements injury prevention programming in Dayton Children’s 20-county region. Abbey serves as a hospital, community, and regional resource for injury prevention with a focus in active transportation and early childhood safety programming. She manages multiple injury prevention grants to provide education and concrete safety equipment to the
community. Abbey also serves as the coalition coordinator for Safe Kids Greater Dayton which focuses
on unintentional injury for children ages zero to eighteen.
Abbey has managed the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School grant for the
Dayton Public Schools since 2019. Abbey is a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and has training from the American Trauma Society in Injury Prevention program coordination. In 2023, Abbey will serve as the chair of the Ohio Injury Prevention Partnership.

Chad Ingle is a Project Engineer for the City of Kettering and has worked with Kettering for 16 years. He manages both Capital Improvement Projects and ODOT funded projects within the City. Through his years at Kettering he has worked on many multi-use side paths that Kettering has incorporated into roadway projects.

Joe Weinel is the Chief Engineer of Design for the City of Dayton. Mr. Weinel received a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from the University of Dayton. He has worked for the City of Dayton for 30 years. He is an avid runner and cyclist and has rode 95% of the Regional Trail System.

Louis Agresta is the Transportation Director at the Clark County Springfield TCC. Louis was appointed as the Transportation Director in July of 2022 after serving as a Transportation Planner with the organization for the previous 13 years. Louis has worked for years to further bicycle and pedestrian planning in his community and it is one of his career passions.

Dan Boron is community planner for the City of Springboro where his responsibilities include bicycle and pedestrian programming as staff liaison to the City’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

Lee grew up in the Dayton Area attending St. Luke Grade School in Beavercreek and Carroll High School in Dayton. He began working for the City of Fairborn in 2010 as the Assistant City Engineer. He became the City Engineer for the City of Fairborn in 2018. 

Kyrsten is an urban planner working for the City of Piqua. She received her Master’s of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina, and has worked as a planner for five years. She recently helped lead the City of Piqua’s zoning code replacement to allow more bike-friendly development patterns. Kyrsten is passionate about creating a true multimodal transportation system designed for safety and comfort of all riders.

Jonathan Westendorf is the current City Manager and Director of Safety for the City of Franklin.  Mr. Westendorf holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California and is a Doctoral Candidate through West Chester University. Westendorf ran the River Ride program between Franklin and Miamisburg, and was a establishing member of the Great Miami Riverway upon its inception.

Andy grew up in Centerville, Ohio. He received a Bachelor of Urban Planning degree from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Public Administration degree from Wright State University. Andy has been with the City of Kettering Ohio for 30 years. Andy has been an avid cyclist most of his life. He is the staff liaison to Kettering’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

Ms. Vincent is a professional urban planner with a passion for implementing community and economic development strategies. She has over 15 years of experience working with and for public and nonprofit organizations. Ms. Vincent is committed to utilizing her planning practice to positively impact communities and move plans forward. She is AICP, a current member of the American Planning Association, and an active community volunteer.

Ms. Vincent will talk about the progress the City of Dayton has made on their upcoming active transportation plan and potential lessons learned from the first round of community engagement.

Matt is a third-year general surgery resident physician at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and Premier Health. He’s an aspiring trauma surgeon with a passion for examining the built environment’s impact on violence and injury prevention. He envisions more walkable and bikeable cities leading to fewer trauma activations, better surgical outcomes, and happier and healthier lives.

During this session, Matt will discuss Wright State and Premier Health’s creation, results, and next steps of a bicycle safety survey.

Carli is a planner in Toole Design’s Columbus office. She has received a Bachelors in Science in City and Regional Planning and a Master of City and Regional Planning. She brings experience in policy, community development, and greenway planning. She is committed to helping create equitable and resilient communities.

Catherine is a Principal Planner in Toole Design’s Columbus office. With two decades of experience in active transportation, she enjoys helping community leaders understand how accommodating our most vulnerable travelers also forwards the important health, safety, and economic goals that all communities have. She has designed and operated multiple award-winning programs to encourage mode shift and has personally taught hundreds of people to lawfully and joyfully get from one place to another by bike. Catherine has a long, rich, and diverse history of participating in the development and implementation of policies to create beloved community.

Ms. Vincent is a professional urban planner with a passion for implementing community and economic development strategies. She has over 15 years of experience working with and for public and nonprofit organizations. Ms. Vincent is committed to utilizing her planning practice to positively impact communities and move plans forward. She is AICP, a board member of the American Planning Association Ohio Chapter, and an active community volunteer.

He is a passionate volunteer dedicated to serving nonprofits, and is the past Board Chair of the national bikepacking advocacy organization, bikepacking roots, and held numerous roles in other outdoor and cycling related non-profits over the years including as a past Vice President of Bike Miami Valley and one of the founders of the Miami Valley Cycling Summit.

Casey is the Recreation and Natural Resources Coordinator for the City of Lebanon. She oversees Lebanon’s park system, including the Premier Health Bike Park and 12 miles of paved multi-use trails, along with a variety of other projects. Casey has a bachelor degree in Natural Resources Forestry from Ohio State University and a life long lover of the outdoors.

Trent, a mountain biker and vice president of the Miami Valley Mountain Bike Association (MVMBA), has recently taken on a new role at American Ramp Company. In his new role, he will be implementing new technology to improve the design and layout of bike parks.  He has been a mountain biker for 25 years and has had the opportunity to visit and ride trails and bike parks across the globe. He was involved in both the Dayton Bike and the Monita Field Bike and Skate park projects. In his previous role at Trimble, he worked for 23 years designing and working with innovative technologies.

Laura has served as the Executive Director of Bike Miami Valley since 2015. She coordinated the launch of Link: Dayton Bike Share which serves more than 3,500 unique users annually. Laura currently serves as a co-chair of the Regional Bikeways Committee and as Vice President of the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District board. She is a League League Certified Instructor (LCI) through the League of American Bicyclists. Laura is a graduate of the University of Dayton and loves using her bike for transportation and recreation, especially on our regional asset, the Nation’s Largest Paved Trail Network.

Joe Weinel is the Chief Engineer of Design for the City of Dayton. Mr. Weinel received a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from the University of Dayton. He has worked for the City of Dayton for 30 years and currently lives in Dayton with his wife and three kids. He is an avid runner and cyclist and has rode all but about 30 miles of the Regional Trail System.