Audrey Wennink

Audrey Wennink is a senior director leading MPC’s transportation policy efforts and coordinates transportation initiatives with other facets of planning including affordable housing, land use, and the environment. She leads transportation research and advocacy efforts including improving the sustainability and equity of the transportation system, pursuing sustainable funding for transportation in Illinois, integration of performance-based planning methods into transportation practice, and advancing equitable transit-oriented development. Under her leadership, MPC developed the Reconnecting Communities report about mitigating the historic harms of transportation, which helped inform the City of Chicago’s successful federal grant application for increasing connectivity along Interstate 290. The Toward Universal Mobility report defined needed improvements to the region’s transportation system to benefit people with disabilities and seniors. The Where the Sidewalk Ends report documents the state of municipal ADA transition planning in the Chicago Metropolitan Area and resulted in the region’s MPO standing up a technical assistance program for municipalities.   Her work on transportation equity includes contributing to research on understanding mobility barriers for marginalized communities, studying how equity is used as a project prioritization criterion by metropolitan planning organizations, and development of a toolkit for employers to support transportation needs of workers in disconnected communities.   The Transit Means Business report she spearheaded highlights the need for transit investment to support jobs in the region and contributed to securing a sustained stream of capital funding for transit in Northeastern Illinois under the state’s Rebuild Illinois capital program.  Prior to MPC, Audrey was a transportation planning and policy consultant for 12 years with national expertise in transit, traffic safety, freight and performance-based planning. A Chicago resident for more than 25 years, Audrey is an advisory board member of the Greater Chicago chapter of WTS, a professional organization to advance women in the transportation industry. She also serves as member of the national advisory board of Young Professionals in Transportation.  Additionally, she is a member of Lambda Alpha International, an honorary society focusing on land economics and planning issues. Audrey also serves on the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s transportation committee. She holds a B.A. in English and Spanish from Colby College and a Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a fellow of the University of Chicago’s Harris School’s Civic Leadership Academy.