Speaker Bios

Wes Marshall, PhD, PE, is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado Denver, where he holds a joint appointment in urban planning. He plays a pivotal role as director of the CU Denver Human-Centered Transportation program and the Transportation Research Center at CU Denver. Wes is a licensed Professional Engineer and focuses on transportation teaching and research dedicated to creating safer and more sustainable transportation systems. Wes is the author behind the 2024 book Killed by a Traffic Engineer. He also has more than 80 peer-reviewed journal publications and book chapters to his name and has received millions of dollars in research funding. Wes was the winner of the campus-wide CU Denver Outstanding Faculty in Research Award. He also has a passion for teaching and mentoring students and is the only three-time winner of the CU Denver College of Engineering Outstanding Faculty in Teaching Award. A native of Watertown, Massachusetts, Wes is a graduate of the University of Virginia (BS) and the University of Connecticut (MS and PhD). He is a recipient of the Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Australia’s Endeavour Fellowship, and the Transportation Research Board’s Wootan Award for the outstanding paper in policy and organization.

Mike Dever is a long-time public servant and entrepreneur whose career reflects a deep commitment to environmental stewardship and community development. Born in Chicago, Mike’s early passion for the environment led him to the University of Kansas, where he earned a dual degree in Environmental Studies and Geography in 1986.  Following his graduation, Mike began his career in Lawrence, Kansas at Hall-Kimbrell Environmental Services, where he applied his expertise until the company’s sale. His journey then took him to Indiana and Arkansas before he returned to Lawrence in 1998. In 2000, he founded GuideWire Consulting, a venture that flourished and saw its operations relocated to Lawrence in 2004. Mike’s dedication to his community is evident in his lengthy public service career. Serving as a City Commissioner from 2006 to 2015, he was entrusted with leadership responsibilities on multiple occasions, including two terms as mayor.  Mike was nominated to serve as Mayor on December 3, 2024 his term as Mayor will end on December 2, 2025. 

Dave is a licensed professional engineer with 25 years of experience, proudly serving the Lawrence community for the last 13 years in the role of City Engineer. 

Dave oversees and coordinates various programs and activities within the Municipal Services and Operations Department, ensuring that the city's infrastructure remains robust and resilient. His passion for transportation extends to implementing the city’s Complete Streets Policy – working to plan, design, and implement projects that support safe and accessible transportation for all users.

Dave holds both Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Kansas.  Beyond his professional endeavors, Dave enjoys an active lifestyle of golfing, fishing, biking and exploring the outdoors with his three year old daughter - Annika.

Haley Dougherty currently serves as the State Highway Safety Engineer for the Kansas Department of Transportation. For a decade, Haley has been actively involved in various facets of transportation, leveraging expertise in design, construction and field inspection, and severe crash prevention. She is a Professional Engineer and a certified Road Safety Professional, demonstrating a commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and promoting effective road safety strategies to mitigate risks.

Jay is a lifelong Kansan, proud dad of two young bike-riding girls, and proud owner of several analog and electric bikes. In his day job, Jay is a transportation engineer and planner who focuses on improving roadway safety locally and across the country, especially for pedestrians and cyclists.

Tammy is the Director of Toole Design's Kansas City Office and a Transportation Planner with more than 25 years experience leading a broad range of project types including bicycle and pedestrian plans, Complete Streets design guidelines, wayfinding plans, transit studies, and traffic studies. Her extensive project management experience includes leading several "first" bike plans for major North American cities such as Seattle, WA and Washington, DC, and managing a multimillion year on-call contract for the Kansas Department of Transportation to support their active transportation program. Tammy is known for working to ensure access and connectivity for all users through deep listening, flexibility, strong communication, and creative problem solving.

Michael serves as the policy director for BikeWalkKC. In that role, he leads the organization's efforts to advocate for the policies, plans, and projects that make it safer and easier to walk, roll, bike, and use public transit in the bi-state Kansas City metropolitan region and beyond. He also serves as vice chair of the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance.

Edward Erfurt is the Director of Community Action at Strong Towns. He is a trained architect and passionate urban designer with over 20 years of public- and private-sector experience focused on the management, design, and successful implementation of development and placemaking projects that enrich the tapestry of place.

Edward holds a Master of Architectural Design and Urbanism from the University of Notre Dame, and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami. He believes in community-focused processes that are founded on diverse viewpoints, a concern for equity, and guided through time-tested, traditional town-planning principles and development patterns that result in sustainable growth with the community character embraced by the communities which he serves.

Kelli Mark is the Director of Healthy Communities at the Sunflower Foundation. In this role she leads the Sunflower Trails program, which supports organizations and communities working to provide safe, accessible public trails and outdoor spaces where Kansans can reap the many health benefits of being more active and connecting with nature.

Kelli also spearheads the foundation’s work in food and nutrition security, including co-leading the foundation’s Food is Medicine work, which focuses on the critical role nutrition plays in preventing, treating, and managing chronic disease.

Before joining Sunflower, Kelli spent six years in the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Bureau of Family Health, working to improve maternal and child health across the state.

Kelli obtained a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition from Kansas State University and a Master of Public Administration from Wichita State University. She is a lifelong Kansans and resides in Topeka.

Jeff is the owner of Ottawa Bike and Trail, an independent bike shop located at the intersection of the Prairie Spirit and Flint Hills Trails. He founded the shop with his wife, Leigh Ann, in 2018 to pursue his passion for cycling and to cultivate a community of cyclists while promoting Ottawa as a cycling hub in Kansas. Since its opening, Jeff has expanded Ottawa Bike and Trail to offer services beyond traditional retail, including trail transportation, twice-weekly group rides, and bike rental services. He recently opened a second location in Ottawa that focuses exclusively on e-bikes. Additionally, the shop hosts the annual Moonrise Bike Ride, a bikepacking, music, and food festival that has become the largest bikepacking event in Kansas. Prior to opening the bike shop Jeff spend 28 years as a software development and product manager in the Financial Services industry.

LeLan Dains is a nationally recognized gravel cycling advocate, event organizer, and community builder based in Emporia, Kansas. As a former co-owner of Unbound Gravel and a member of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, LeLan has played a leading role in elevating gravel riding into a celebrated form of recreation, sport, and rural tourism. He is also the founder of Gravel Kansas and a founding board member of Kansas Trails, Inc., organizations dedicated to expanding trail access and promoting cycling across the state. Drawing on years of experience designing and leading gravel events, LeLan champions cycling not only as a competitive sport but as a sustainable form of transportation, a catalyst for economic growth, and a tool for connecting communities across Kansas and beyond.

Kim Negrete graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001 and began her 20 year career working in public health policy at the Sedgwick County Health Department. She assisted local jurisdictions, businesses, and schools with the development and implementation of health-focused policies; engaging under-represented voices,  and facilitating coalitions. In 2013, she helped found Bike Walk Wichita, a grassroots nonprofit, working to make biking & walking safe, equitable, and appealing  for people of all ages and abilities. In 2018, she shifted her policy work to part-time and became the Executive Director of Bike Walk Wichita, expanding the organization to represent more than 15,000 residents and successfully leading the organization's capital campaign to purchase and renovate a downtown property. Kim's work through Bike Walk Wichita introduced her to the intricacies of street design and safety improvements while serving on various state and local committees and advisory boards. Her work over the years has led to successful collaborations with government entities, businesses, school systems, and transportation professionals.

In March of 2024, she accepted the Multi-Modal Transportation Safety Planner position with the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. She is currently leading a Safe Routes to School project with 53 schools and a Regional Active Transportation Plan to better connect communities in southcentral Kansas. She enjoys bikepacking long distances with her husband and friends, and she has a lot to say about our local and state roadway systems.

Jessica Mortinger (she/her) is the Transportation Planning Manager for the Lawrence - Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization. Jessica began her journey at the student run bus service KU on Wheels, working in partnership with stakeholders to acquire accessible buses and implement a fare free system. As an Urban Planner her work focuses on engaging with the community and using data driven approaches to develop policy, process and programmatic solutions to improve mulitmodal transportation. Jessica spends her free time with her husband and daughter venturing outdoors, gardening and leading a Girl Scout troop.

Aaron enjoys wearing many hats in a rewarding career with the City of Lawrence, KS. Working in civil engineering in the public sector for 9 years and as a professional engineer since 2020, he manages pre-design, design, and construction of a range of projects that includes road reconstruction, reconfiguration, and maintenance and utilities. In his personal life Aaron is an advocate of lower-impact modes of transportation and lifestyle supporting the well being of people and the planet.

Allison is a project manager and professional engineer for Burns & McDonnell’s transportation practice. She has over a decade of experience in transportation facility design across the Midwest, emphasizing in corridor safety improvements for all users. Allison is currently assisting with the management of a multiyear contract for the Kansas Department of Transportation to support their active transportation program.

Greg has worked at KDOT for 23 years after graduating from the University of Kansas.  He has spent the majority of his career on the Operations side of KDOT within the Bureaus of Construction, Materials and Research.  In his current position as the Deputy Secretary and State Transportation Engineer he serves as the chief engineering officer for the Kansas Department of Transportation.  He is responsible for directing and coordinating all KDOT engineering activities as KDOT delivers their current 10-Year IKE Transportation Program.

Gayle Donaldson is Assistant Manager of the Behavioral Safety Section at KDOT. She leads a team of grant managers who help local communities invest in traffic safety education and enforcement activities to help the state reach its goal of reducing fatalities from traffic crashes. Gayle joined KDOT in 2024 after working in a variety of project management, marketing and communication roles in healthcare and government.

Bradley Eilts is the City Manager of Larned, Kansas, where he leads with a strong commitment to public service, community development, and long-term planning. A graduate of Wichita State University with a Master of Public Administration, Bradley brings decades of experience in municipal management and a reputation for being hardworking, ethical, and community-focused.

 Throughout his career, he has guided projects that strengthen infrastructure, enhance quality-of-life amenities, and support economic growth. Dedicated to collaboration, Bradley works closely with local leaders, state partners, and residents to ensure Larned continues to thrive.

 Beyond his professional role, Bradley is a devoted husband of more than 35 years, proud father of three sons, and a new grandfather. He enjoys classic rock—especially The Rolling Stones—and is an avid Kansas City Royals fan.

Sara is a Principal Planner at Toole Design with more than 15 years of experience with Safe Routes to School, bicycle and pedestrian planning, community engagement, and transportation safety education campaign development. She has been the consultant project manager for the Kansas Safe Routes to School Program since it’s relaunch in 2023, working with KDOT staff to create the program’s structure, Strategic Action Plan, communications strategies, numerous toolkit and event planning resources, and more. Before joining Toole Design, Sara worked for the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, where she wrote the City’s groundbreaking Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan, one of the first in the country to incorporate equity into the programs’ education, engagement, and engineering work.