About Jessica Yorko: 

Jessica has served on the Lansing City Council since 2010.

She has also been the Environmental Justice Coordinator for Ingham County Health Department since January 2011, working to create equitable access to environmental benefits and protections across race, income, age, ability and other forms of difference. This involves connecting, enhancing and infusing health equity considerations into systems and policies that influence transportation, food, housing, land use, neighborhoods, employment and youth development. Initial projects: assessing health impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations, increasing accessibility of community gardens and other community activities for people with a wide range of physical and developmental abilities, convening a Mid-Michigan Tenants’ Association and facilitating a county-wide vision for Environmental Justice.

Jessica was hired away as Manager of Lansing’s Westside Commercial Association (WCA). Jessica was hired by the NorthWest Initiative in 2006 to implement a community vision for revitalizing the Saginaw Street, Oakland Avenue and adjacent areas. During her tenure with WCA, Jessica coordinated exterior improvements to more than 40 buildings and public rights-of-way along four miles of Saginaw Street (M-43) in Lansing; created a robust business association following the Michigan Main Street approach; initiated Lansing’s Westside Summer Fest; assisted with numerous business start-ups and expansions; and advanced the Saginaw Street Road Diet to calm traffic and transform a state trunkline/thoroughfare into a multi-modal public space for transportation, local commerce and neighborhood activities. Jessica still volunteers with WCA: planting flowers, coordinating murals and assisting with organizational development and road improvements.

While managing WCA, Jessica also continued serving clients through her consulting company started in 2004-- Sustainable Solutions. Her most notable consulting projects have been with the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council, centering on non-motorized transportation and low-impact development. In 2006, Jessica convened the Lansing Walking & Bicycling Task Force with Mayor Virg Bernero and Transportation Planner Andy Kilpatrick. Jessica Co-Chaired the Task Force until 2010, leading Walk and Bike Lansing! plan development in 2008 and the Lansing Complete Streets Ordinance in 2009. This ordinance was the first complete streets policy adopted in Michigan and paved the way for other Michigan communities to re-envision road work to include all roadway users of all ages and abilities. Michigan adopted statewide legislation in 2010, and as of 2011 had more local complete streets policies than any other state in the nation. Jessica also led the successful advocacy campaign for Lansing City Council’s acceptance of $3.2 million in state funding to build the Michigan Avenue Rain Gardens, enhancing a major commercial corridor and the Grand and Red Cedar Rivers.

Jessica’s major contributions on the Lansing City Council have included: advocating (fiercely) for and adopting a new Snow Removal policy to ensure safe walkways in during winter months; navigating the complex legal, labor and incentive issues surrounding Marshall Street Armory and Marketplace developments; facilitating communication and negotiation for the honorary renaming of Grand River Avenue to Cesar Chavez Avenue; supporting the renaming of Main Street to Malcom X Street; and exploring options for increasing bicycle parking at private and public locations.

Jessica started her career with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, first revamping her unit’s financial and performance tracking systems and later coordinating partnerships with hundreds of environmental, business, trade and other groups around the state.

Jessica was recognized in 2008 by the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and Grand River Connection as one of the “10 Over the Next Ten” young leaders expected to contribute most significantly to the region over the next 10 years. She was honored in 2010 by Lansing City Pulse readers as “Best Environmentalist” and by the League of Michigan Bicyclists as “Bicycle Advocate of the Year”, and has received other honors and tributes from Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, the Capital Area Health Alliance and the Tri-County Environmental Leadership Committee.

Jessica was born near Gary, Indiana, and grew up in Tampa, Florida. She moved to Michigan in 1996 to attend Kalamazoo College, where she earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Economics and Environmental Studies. From 1998-1999 she lived in Clermont-Ferrand, France, studying at L’Ecole Superieure de Commerce. She moved to Lansing in 2001 to work for the State of Michigan. In 2002 she became a mother to the light of her life, Nicholas Yorko. Jessica and Nick live in Lansing’s Genesee Neighborhood, surrounded by amazing friends and neighbors, and enjoy bicycling and other outdoor adventure, and playing soccer, hockey and most other sports. Jessica has loved coaching the Diamondbacks 8 & under soccer and floor hockey teams since 2010 with Justin Hidalgo, Steve Hicks and Tom Menzies, and also enjoys painting and practicing yoga.



Get Jessica's full resume at www.linkedin.com/in/jessicayorko