Leadership Profile: Jennifer Donlon-Wyant makes it easier to get around Sacramento without a car
Sacramento (March 23, 2021) Jennifer Donlon-Wyant, the City’s Transportation Planning Manager, is the third woman leading change in the City of Sacramento whom we are highlighting here in our series for Women’s History Month. Read our profiles on Dr. LaTesha Watson and Danielle Foster and watch this space as we continue to feature the amazing group of women changing how Sacramento’s approach to policing, transportation, housing, homelessness climate change and other important areas.
Name
Jennifer Donlon Wyant
Education
Bachelors in Sociology from State University of New York, Geneseo; Masters in City Planning from San Jose State University (go state schools!!!)
Years in Sacramento
10 years living in Sacramento, 4 years working for the City
Years in the position
Jennifer Donlon-Wyant oversaw the introduction of battery-assisted bikes and scooters in Sacramento
2 years as Sacramento’s Transportation Planning Manager, previously the City’s Active Transportation Program Specialist
What do you view your mission as Transportation Planning Manager of the City of Sacramento?
My mission is to support and celebrate our communities and my team. My team is fantastic and loves our city. Before the pandemic we had a mini team retreat to focus on our role in our city and how we can contribute. We developed the following guiding principles to help us serve our amazing and diverse communities:
Be experts and share knowledge
Learn and be curious
Earn trust and respect
Set clear, high expectations
Be assertive
Be action oriented
Persevere
Deliver results
Recognize contributions
Commit now, see it through
Show up for others
Listen and understand
Celebrate communities
Be bold, make magic
Be yourself, be genuine
In your mind, what would Sacramento look like in 10 years?
In 10 years Sacramento can be a national leader in mobility and people focused transportation. What does that mean? It means that we make progress towards a quality and equitable transportation system, that at its core responds to the needs of our all our communities and addresses climate change.
What is the biggest challenge you face in your position?
Our biggest challenge is limited resources in staffing and funding to give our communities all they would like to see.
What is the biggest opportunity?
Our biggest opportunity are the folks living in Sacramento. We are rich with folks engaged and enthusiastic around mobility. They are our biggest opportunity.
Describe a memorable experience or person that had an effect on where you are today?
When I was about eight years old, my dad and I rode our bicycles from the car mechanic shop back home. It was approximately a six-mile ride that I thought was great fun but it was our only way home - we had only one car and there was limited transit. I didn’t know it at the time but this bike ride planted the seed for me to become a transportation planning professional.
Growing up poor in an area with limited walking, biking, or transit opportunities was hard. It shouldn’t be hard and that experience instilled in me that we, as a broad community, have an obligation to provide transportation choices and safety for our communities.
