Angie Schmitt
TREASURER

Angie Schmitt is a Cleveland-based writer and urban planner. She is the author of Right of Way: Race, Class and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America, which was published in 2020 by Island Press and named one of the top urban planning books of 2020. She is the founder of 3MPH Planning and Consulting, which works with leading change-makers around the country to advance safer policies and infrastructure. Her writing has appeared in Slate, Vox, The New York Times, CNN Business, and other publications. She is a mother of two and hasn’t owned her own car in nearly a decade.  

Christina Jesse
CLERK

Christina Jesse is a Planning Administrator at the City of Carmel, a graduate from Indiana University Bloomington, summa cum laude, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She holds three bachelor’s degrees in Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Gender Studies, and Media. In 2020, Christina completed two master's degrees at Ball State University, one in Urban and Regional Planning and another in Urban Design. Since 2019, Christina has worked with the City of Carmel Department of Community Services and specializes in residential and commercial development. Christina is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) with the American Planning Association and holds CNU-Accredited professional membership with the Congress for the New Urbanism. She hopes to utilize her design experience and passion for environmentalism to specialize in sustainable urban agriculture, affordable housing operations, and transit-oriented development.

Justin Mondok
OPERATIONS

Justin is a Planner with the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, where he has worked on projects relating to the dam removals along the Mahoning River, community wastewater planning, the Youngstown SMART2 Network, improving transportation in the region through the lens of multimodal accessibility and active transportation, and has been a part of the Healthy Community Partnership of the Mahoning Valley at the Steering Committee and Action Team level for the past few years. He also spends his time volunteering as the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Thrive Mahoning Valley, a Board member and Mill Creek Maple volunteer for the Rocky Ridge Neighborhood Association, and a member of the Wean Foundation's Neighborhood SUCCESS Resident Council. The common thread through Justin's professional and volunteer work is that those efforts result in a better quality of life for the people who are often overlooked or ignored by the system. He believes that people deserve safe and equitable access to resources and should have the autonomy and dignity to do so on their own terms.

Dan Baisden
COMMUNICATIONS

Dan Baisden is the Director of the City of Fort Wayne’s Department of Neighborhoods and the past chair of CNU Midwest. Before his current position, Dan spent several years as a neighborhood planner/public art manager for the City and was the Executive Director of Main Street Van Wert. Growing up near Akron, Ohio, Dan is passionate about the Legacy Cities of the Midwest and has dedicated years of research to community development and engagement strategies for these communities with limited resources.

Dan is a graduate of Arizona State University with degrees in Urban Planning and Urban Sociology and received his Master's in Community Development from Penn State University. Dan won the Edison Research award in 2011 and was named one of Fort Wayne's 40 Under 40 in 2015. He has worked on several community-oriented research projects, including a case study on community development in Cairo, Illinois, and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design for neighborhoods in Fort Wayne.

Baird Bream
CHICAGO SUBCHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE

Baird Bream is a Senior Associate at Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (CS) team with a specialization in human services transportation planning, regulatory compliance and performance management. He has experience applying regulatory standards to operational environments, organizational frameworks, and planning processes to ensure compliance with Federal and state program standards and to encourage the adoption of best practices. He has developed project prioritization and policy analysis frameworks to support long-range planning efforts for transportation departments and transit agencies across the country, with a focus area on emerging mobility solutions for non-traditional transit markets and populations.

Maggie Connor
at-large

Maggie’s interest in architecture and urban design is rooted in a passion for social and environmental responsibility and creating sustainable communities that deliver equity in the quality of design – whether repairing a built environment or designing a new one. Her affinity for complex problem-solving can be seen in the diverse array of projects in which she’s been engaged, from revitalization plans for depressed urban neighborhoods to brand-new neighborhoods, villages, and towns. Leading a process-oriented, multidisciplinary team, Maggie’s dedication to achieving consensus in her client’s goals and stakeholders’ vision has significantly contributed to the successful development of numerous projects that, among other considerations, successfully incorporate traditional architecture and planning.

Maggie’s 25-year career has looked at creating vibrant and sustainable urban places from many angles: the perspectives of gender, the archive, and the development as a Principal and Senior Urbasenior urban designer of Urban Places. Her home is in Pittsburgh, PA.

Thomas Dietz
At-large

Professionally educated at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, with further graduate studies in architecture principally conducted under Renaissance historians at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, notably as Henry A. Millon’s last student. Additional studies in the humanities were completed at the University of Chicago Graham School, and in business through the Quantic School of Business and Technology. Architectural internships executed under the design directorship of Duncan G. Stroik, Mary Kay Lanzillotta of the Washington-based partnership of George E. Hartman and Warren J. Cox, and 2013 Richard H. Driehaus Prize laureate and former Yale School of Architecture Dean Thomas H. Beeby. Now a design architect with the office of David Kuhlman.

Mary Kate Genis
AT-LARGE

Mary Kate Genis is an Architectural Designer for KZF Design in Cincinnati. Mary Kate is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Architecture. In addition to her role with CNU Midwest, she is the VP of Development for the League of Women Voters of Greater Cincinnati.

She believes that physical and social connection is central to the success of communities. Mary Kate joined CNU Midwest to act on her beliefs through the principles of New Urbanism and connect with others that are working to do the same. 

Jacob Hyman
At-large

Jacob Hyman was born and raised in Florida, but made his way to Steubenville, OH following military service, desiring to make ‘the move to end all moves’ and be a rooted person in a community he could love. He founded Strong Towns Steubenville, a Local Conversation of the national Strong Towns non-profit after two years of living in Steubenville. In this work, he leads a team of committed volunteers in this work, with a heavy emphasis on action: coordinating bike rides, hosting local election forums, comprehensive plan read throughs, street safety advocacy, and more.

Professionally, Jacob is a civil-site engineer in training who works for the new-urbanist centered Crabtree Group, which focuses on providing site engineering services for TNDs and infill development across the country and the globe. His experience has taken him to work on projects all across the US, providing both conceptual level civil engineering oversight, and detailed construction level drawing design for TNDs.

Jeffery Justice
At-Large

Jeffery Justice is a lifetime resident of the Appalachian Region of Kentucky. He started his career in finance as a financial advisor serving the Eastern KY market before entering the economic development industry and local government.

Justice founded Pine Mountain Partnership (PMP) with local government and business leaders in 2022. PMP focuses on the strategic redevelopment of small towns in east KY. Justice serves on several boards including Treasurer of HOMES Inc. a non-profit housing developer, Chairman of Letcher County Airport Board which is beginning construction of a general aviation airport to serve 2 counties. Justice is also Chair and co-founder of Letcher County Community Foundation established in late 2023.

Justice is a dedicated leader, focused on reshaping communities and instilling urbanist principles in future generations.

MK Lindsey
AT-LARGE

MK Lindsey is Vice President of Real Estate Development at Crawford Hoying in Columbus, OH. For the last decade, MK's work has centered around creating dynamic destinations - distilleries, museums, corporate visitor centers, parks, and walkable neighborhoods. MK has a unique blend of experience in storytelling, master planning, project management, construction, historic redevelopment, and finance. She works with architects, designers, engineers, municipal staff, builders, bankers, and equity investors to make difficult, multi-year projects happen across the region. With a project portfolio of ~$1.5B across 7 states, her key projects have included the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience in downtown Louisville, KY, Sagamore Spirit Distillery in Baltimore, MD, the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, VA, and mixed-use district developments in Dayton, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Ann Arbor. A proud liberal arts advocate and Louisville native, she received her B.A. in Political Science + History from the University of Louisville.

Matt Pleasant
AT-LARGE

As a planning and community development professional, Matt Pleasant enjoys collaboratively working with diverse groups to cultivate vision, build consensus, and guide strategic land use decisions to improve the quality of life in Indianapolis.

Most recently, Matt worked as a Land Use Professional for the City of Indianapolis and at Nelson & Frankenberger, a law firm representing both residential and commercial developers seeking zoning approvals with various jurisdictions of the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Prior to that role, Matt worked as an Associate Planner for the City of Westfield.

Matt has also served as President and Vice President for the Irvington Community Council. He is accredited with the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and graduated from the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute. Matt holds a Master of Community Planning and B.A. in Geography (Human Emphasis) from the University of Cincinnati. Matt lives in the Historic Irvington neighborhood with his wife, daughter, twin sons, and two dogs. He enjoys supporting local restaurants and bars, streaming the latest tv series, and enjoying the City parks with his family.

Jeff Raser
AT-LARGE

Jeff Raser, AIA, is the owner of Cincinnati Urban Design and Architecture Studio (CUDA Studio). Jeff has worked as an architect in a 30+ year career designing dozens of projects. Early in Jeff’s career he realized it is the space outside and between buildings that is the focus of his passion.

Since then, Jeff has studied the art, science, and economics of Urban Design – especially the creation of pedestrian-friendly places. He has master-planned new communities, created strategic urban design plans for existing urban neighborhoods, and created zoning codes (including form-based codes) which allow developers to profitably create what communities want and need. As an architect he’s designed many new urban-infill buildings – and restored historic ones – helping communities realize their full potential. Jeff is an advocate for the design and codification of pedestrian-friendly mixed-used places and has written and lectured on the fundamentals of good urban design.

Katy Shackelford
AT-LARGE

Katy is an award-winning urban planning professional and funding specialist with more than ten years of experience. She specializes in transportation planning, economic development, and public policy in distressed and disadvantaged communities. She has a talent for creating catalytic community impacts using infrastructure investment. As a member of Stantec’s North American Funding Program, Katy helps clients navigate complex funding opportunities and position their projects for maximum community benefits.

Skilled in project management and policy analysis, she ensures impactful and meaningful community-driven outcomes in all her work. Katy is passionate about building places people love and has helped communities and clients secure over $240M in federal, state, and private funding to bring their ideas to life.

Jeff Siegler
At-Large

Jeff Siegler is an author, speaker, elected official, and consultant concerned with the powerful role “place” plays in our lives. He is the founder of the civic pride consulting firm, Revitalize, or Die and co-founder of the organization Proud Places. After obtaining his Master's in Urban Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University, Jeff went to work on Main Street. First as a downtown manager, and later as the Ohio Main Street State Coordinator. His first book, “Your City is Sick” was published in September of 2023 . Jeff and his wife Amber and their four kids call Pittsburgh home.

Ben Simmons
AT-LARGE

Ben Simmons is a results-driven project leader with more than 20 years of experience in the architecture and construction industry, having designed and managed some of the largest, most complex projects in the Midwest. He is a strategic thinker, communicator, and motivator who enjoys cultivating an environment that maximizes potential and elevates overall output of project processes through trust and collaboration.

Ben leads Schmidt Associates’ Community Studio in Kentucky with specialized expertise in community and workplace design. He believes the best projects emerge from strong partnerships, and he eagerly seeks out those individuals and groups who believe in the power of design and what it can do to elevate physical and cultural environments.

Wade Splinter
At-large

Wade Splinter serves as a Senior Technical Coordinator and Associate Principal at STL Architects, Inc., focusing on educational and community development projects. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Architecture from DAAP at the University of Cincinnati.

Wade has been instrumental in delivering key educational and community projects at STL Architects, such as the Taft Freshman Academy, Beard Elementary School, and Cragin Park Fieldhouse. His professional background includes roles at GLUCK+, 4240 Architecture, and EDCO Design London where he focused on public realm design and landscape masterplans.

Licensed as an Architect in six states, including IL, IN, WI, and a LEED AP BD+C accredited professional, Wade is a member of the American Institute of Architects, Urban Land Institute, and Strong Towns. He also contributes to leadership groups at the Friends of the Chicago River (Planning) and the High-Speed Rail Alliance (Ambassador). Beyond his professional commitments, Wade enjoys both birding, paddling and supporting the Arsenal Football Club.