SMART GROWTH PARTNERSHIP OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Vice - President ( Founding Member 2000 )

Allen Kukovich is a Westmoreland County Attorney. He has served formerly as Executive Director of the Power of 32 Regional Visioning Project, a two-year process that provided an opportunity for every resident of the 32-county, four-state region to participate in creating a shared vision for the region's best future.

Job Titles:

• Sales Manager / Engineer at Holland Manufacturing Corp

Andy Pinskey is a Sales Manager/Engineer at Holland Manufacturing Corp. where he has been active in the metals industry for 45 years. Andy also serves as a Scottdale Councilman, as the President of the Westmoreland County Boroughs Association, on the Pennsylvania State Borough's Association P&R Steering Committee, on the Coal and Coke Trail Board of Directors, and as the President of the Central Westmoreland Council of Governments.

Job Titles:

• Cindy Leonard Consulting

Cindy Leonard works with Smart Growth on its website and digital content. Cindy has devoted over 20 years working in and with nonprofit organizations, and has served on numerous boards and committees, in various volunteer capacities, and as a consultant, a trainer, an executive director, a program manager, and an IT director. Cindy holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Education in Instructional Design, all from Seton Hill University. Learn more at https://www.cindyleonardconsulting.com.

Daniel serves as the Vice President of Community Investment with Westmoreland Community Action

Job Titles:

• Planning Director at the City of Greensburg

Dr. Jeff Raykes is the Planning Director at the City of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Jeff has an undergraduate degree in Communication from Frostburg State University (FSU) and graduate degrees in Planning and Administration & Leadership from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). The unique dynamics of college towns have been the focus of Jeff's academic, professional, and personal interests. Notable projects have explored joint university/community planning efforts in "student districts" or "campus neighborhoods", institutional place-building, and land-use and regulatory strategies designed to address problem, off-campus housing. Jeff lives in Indiana, PA, home to IUP, where he enjoys working around the house, coaching baseball, and talking about local planning issues with his neighborhoods.

Job Titles:

• Member of the American Institute of Certified Planners
• Professor

Richard is a Professor in the Department of Geography, Geology, Environment, and Planning at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His research involves the intersection of environmental quality, community health, and economic sustainability. He teaches courses in environmental planning, land use and environmental laws, community planning, public health, and geographic information systems. He received his undergraduate degree in History from the University of Pittsburgh, and his graduate degrees in Geography from West Virginia University where he specialized in geographic information systems and remote sensing, and regional development. Richard's personal interests are water advocacy, sidewalks, and maps. Prior to academia, Richard worked in industry and the non-profit sectors as a watershed planner, geospatial manager, and spatial data analyst. Richard is currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), a Certified Environmental Planner (CEP), and a past Certified Floodplain Manager. When Richard is not working you can usually find him somewhere along the Youghiogheny River or tending to his garden.

Job Titles:

• Professor

Professor Watts taught in the department of Geography and Regional Planning at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he specialized in the areas of site planning, urban design, land use policy and law. He received his undergraduate degree in urban studies from the University of Wisconsin and his graduate degrees in landscape architecture and environmental planning from the College of Architecture at Virginia Tech. Over the years he has worked in support of community-based organizations and local municipalities on a variety of recreation, housing, traffic management and land use initiatives. His current areas of research and practice include urban horticulture, civic engagement and urban design. Whit has served the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County as the Projects Committee Chair.

Job Titles:

• Secretary
• Analyst for Duquesne Light Company

Emily serves as a GIS Analyst for Duquesne Light Company, responsible for the back-end processing of data for the electrical grid modernization project. A native Westmoreland County resident who has called this area home for 27 years, as a child Emily was active in the local Westmoreland 4-H organizations focused on Equine and Llama showmanship and husbandry. She ended up at the State Equine championship and was able to secure a Top 5 placing before graduating high school. Graduating in 2017 from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, she had the ability to be a part of the 2016 National Champion Soil Judging team. She has worked as an Environmental Consultant in Pittsburgh, owns a home in Mount Pleasant Borough (due to the livability of the area), and has since attained a Collegiate Geospatial Intelligence and Analysis certification and a Master of Science degree in Geography at IUP focused on Environmental Planning. During her graduate work, Emily was awarded the Jack Robertshaw Jr. Community Planning Fellowship and began meeting local government and community leaders. Her fellowship resulted in the Coal and Coke Trail Initiative Plan.

Job Titles:

• Certified Planner
• Folino Construction As GIS Director

Evan is a certified planner and GIS consultant with lifelong roots in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Evan is working with Smart Growth on geospatial analysis on initiatives such as the Westmoreland County Communtiy Asset Interactive Map and the ‘Historic Vandergrift Mapping & Self-Guided Tour Project' that was funded by the PA Environmental Council's 2021 Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape Mini-Grant program. His experience involves positions in both the public and private sectors. Evan currently works for Folino Construction as GIS Director. Before this role, he worked in PennDOT District 11's Design Division as a Transportation Planning Specialist and as an environmental planner for a local engineering firm, where he managed planning and GIS projects. Evan holds a B.S. in Regional Planning and an M.S. in Geography from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Outside of work, Evan frequently volunteers for local nonprofit organizations and has wide-ranging experience sitting on boards and committees.

Job Titles:

• Executive Director

John serves as the Executive Director for the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County, which has traditionally been a partner program of Penn State Extension. As the Executive Director, John guides the non-profit with its Board of Directors. He is a Community and Economic Developmen t Education Specialist with Penn State Extension. See https://extension.psu.edu/john-turack. John is a native of Westmoreland County, and previous to working for Penn State Extension, served as a Township Supervisor in Washington Township, Westmoreland County; as the Main Street Program Manager for a non-profit revitalization organization in Blairsville, Indiana County; and earlier in his career as a private-sector retail manager. John has a BA in English Writing from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, numerous local government-related certifications, and has completed graduate-level classes with the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Department of Geography and Regional Planning. John's focus as an educator is in providing technical assistance to municipalities, community leaders, and non-profit organizations in the areas of community and citizen engagement, community visioning, Placemaking, and both strategic and municipal comprehensive planning. He serves on Extension's statewide educational program teams delivering educational programming related to Economic and Community Development. John has served as a board member for the Allegheny County-based Local Government Academy (LGA), as a board member for the Westmoreland Economic Development Initiative for Growth (WEDIG), as a board member for the Westmoreland Historical Society, and as an Associate Director for the Westmoreland Conservation District. John lives on a small family farm in Washington Township. He, his siblings and progeny are the third+ generations of his family on this land, and he enjoys stewardship of its fields, woods, and of the 200+ year-old homestead stone foundation remnants still to be found there.

Job Titles:

• President
• President of Deksolar

Kim Miller is currently the President of Deksolar, LLC a solar power provider in Westmoreland county. He is also a farmer focusing on regenerative agriculture by raising cattle on grass. He has previously been a developer interested in building green and walkable communities. He is a current board member of the Westmoreland Conservation district and is Board President of Greenforge, Inc. He is past Board President of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Laurelville Camp and Conference Center. Miller received his B. S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. He is married with four adult children.

Job Titles:

• Planning Department Manager / Community Planner for the EADS Group, Inc

Mark W. Lazzari is the Planning Department Manager/Community Planner for The EADS Group, Inc., a local multi-disciplined engineering, architecture and design firm. Mark is working with the Smart Growth on the Smithton-Scottdale Active Transportation Plan and Complete Streets Policy. Mark holds a B.S. from Grove City College, a M.S. in Earth Science from California University of PA (Cal U) and a M.S. in Geography and Regional Planning, Community Planning Tract from Indiana University of PA (IUP). Mark is certified as a professional planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). He has over 21 years of experience working on various types of comprehensive planning projects, specialized planning and feasibility studies including County, municipal and neighborhood plans, Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, active transportation, trail and recreation studies, heritage tourism plans and public safety related planning efforts. Learn more at https://www.eadsgroup.com.

Job Titles:

• Founding Member
• Chief of Staff at Harrisburg Area Community College
• DCNR As the Deputy Secretary for Administration
• Founding Member 2000

Michael A. Walsh joined DCNR as the Deputy Secretary for Administration in June 2015. In this role, Mike is responsible for all budget, administrative services, human resource and information technology support for the department. This role includes providing direction and oversight to the Bureaus of Administrative Services, Human Resources and Information Technology Services; developing, updating and implementing the agency Continuity of Operations Plan; developing and managing strategic funding plans; ensuring strategic IT operations and plans are implemented; overseeing DCNR efficiency and cost saving ideas and plans; leading agency-wide projects; preparing and presenting a variety of reports on tactical and strategic issues; and briefing and advising the Secretary on priority issues and initiatives. Mike most recently provided consulting services through his firm, the Walsh Strategy Group. Walsh has served as the Chief of Staff at Harrisburg Area Community College and as Deputy Secretary for Administration for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Prior to this position, Walsh served as Director of Administration at the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Before joining the Gaming Board, he was a Special Assistant to Governor Rendell, and also served as the Executive Assistant to then-Secretary of Administration Robert Barnett. Walsh formerly served as Director of Policy and Communications for then-Senator Allen Kukovich. Mike has served the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County as the Public Relations and Fundraising Committee Chair. He received the partnership's Distinguished Service Award in 2003. Walsh holds a Master of Public Management degree from the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and a B.S. in Political Science from St. Vincent College in Latrobe. He and his wife live in the Harrisburg area.