David Conway (AARP) joined the AARP Maryland Executive Council in 2019 and has since led key initiatives in Howard County, including advancing safe streets and supporting the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Walktober campaign. That same year, AARP sponsored his Walking Fellowship through America Walks, which deepened his focus on the importance of walking and mobility for older adults. As a visible and trusted representative of AARP Maryland, Mr. Conway has been the face and voice of the organization’s outreach on voter engagement, COVID-19 vaccinations, and healthy living, appearing on television, radio, and social media. His contributions earned him AARP Maryland’s Communications Volunteer of the Year Award. Currently, he leads statewide volunteer onboarding and engagement, building strong teams to advance AARP’s mission across Maryland.

Prior to retirement in 2017, Mr. Conway spent 43 years in surgical device sales with three major companies and two start-ups, serving 23 years in senior management roles, including national sales manager, director of sales, and vice president of sales. He was recognized with numerous awards for sales excellence, including multiple regional manager of the year honors.

Raised in a military family, Mr. Conway traveled extensively before settling in Columbia, Maryland, where he resides with his wife. A graduate of Ohio University, he is the proud father of two daughters and a devoted caregiver to his 98-year-old mother, whose example inspires his passion for wellness. He has also contributed his time and support to the Howard County Arts Council.

Mike McGinn (America Walks) (he/him) got his start in local politics as a neighborhood activist pushing for walkability. From there, he founded a non-profit focused on sustainable and equitable growth and then became mayor of Seattle. He has always worked to add new voices to City decision-making and has gained deep insights into how influence is gained and wielded to make change. Just before joining America Walks, Mike worked to help Feet First, Washington State’s walking advocacy organization, expand their sphere of influence across Washington state. He has worked on numerous public education, legislative, ballot measure and election campaigns – which has given him an abiding faith in the power of organizing and volunteers to create change. His many years of advocating for sustainable cities and environmental justice give him perspective to expand America Walks partnerships.

Rachael Habash (Walk with a Doc) graduated from the University of Michigan (Go Blue) with a B.A. in Psychology. She then served in the United States Army as a Medical Service Officer prior to earning her M.A. in Counselor Education at OSU. The prospect of utilizing her professional experience as a leader, resource manager and program innovator while encouraging healthy physical activity, is what initially attracted her to Walk with a Doc (WWAD). Now that she better understands the impact of the miracle drug (walking) and the vast number of people served by WWAD, she’s hooked!

Philip Langdon (Author) is a journalist who has written about design, development, and communities for The Atlantic, Planning Magazine, Common Edge, Public Square, Governing, Landscape Architecture, and other periodicals. He was a senior editor at New Urban News and for Progressive Architecture magazine. His March 1988 Atlantic cover story, “A Good Place to Live,” was the first major magazine report on ideas central to what’s now called New Urbanism. Phil has authored, co-authored, or edited ten books, including A Better Place to Live: Reshaping the American Suburb (1994) and Within Walking Distance: Creating Livable Communities for All (2017). With Robert Steuteville, he produced the comprehensive New Urbanism: Best Practices Guide (fourth edition).

Originally from Northwest Pennsylvania, Phil holds degrees from Allegheny College and Utah State University. He studied design as a National Endowment for the Humanities Professional Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan and was a Knight Fellow in Community Building at the University of Miami. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut, where he has served on the Connecticut Committee of Greater New York’s Regional Plan Association.

Kandese Holford (MDOT) leads the Office of Active Transportation and Micromobility at the Maryland Department of Transportation, where she works to improve policies and projects that make walking, biking, and rolling safer and more accessible for all Marylanders. With over 15 years of experience in transportation planning, Kandese has helped advance a range of statewide initiatives to support safety, sustainability, and equity. Kandese has led teams to develop and implement Maryland's first Context Guide, Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, and Complete Streets policy update. In 2025, MDOT won the America's Transportation Award for its efforts to deliver projects that reflect Maryland's new complete streets policy. These safety demonstrations were proven to reduce speed and crashes on State roads and contribute to improved quality of life for Marylanders. Kandese holds degrees from the University of Maryland and Georgetown University and enjoys traveling, exercise, and exploring trails with her two young sons, Chase and Owen.

Molly Porter (MDOT SHA) is the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Programs Team Lead with the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA), Office of Planning and Preliminary Engineering (OPPE), Grants and Program Management Division (GPMD). She received her Master’s degree in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati and has been working at SHA since 2022. Her job responsibilities include the implementation of transportation and safety planning initiatives including implementation of MDOT SHA’s Context Driven and Access and Mobility for all Users Guide.

Shane Sarver (MDOT SHA) is a Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner in the Office of Planning and Preliminary Engineering at the Maryland State Highway Administration, where he works on the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Areas, and other bicycle and pedestrian safety programs. Prior to SHA, Shane was a Multi-Modal Planner at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. He has a master’s in engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a bachelor’s in political science from Salisbury University.

Robert Searns (Author) - In Beyond Greenways: The Next Step for City Trails and Walking Routes, greenways expert Robert Searns makes a case for walking infrastructure that serves a more diverse array of people. He builds on the legacy of boulevards, parkways, and greenways to introduce a next generation of more accessible pathways, wide enough for two people to stroll together, that stitch together urban and suburban areas. With more trails built near neighborhoods that haven’t had access to them, more people can get around on foot, in town or further out. Searns lays out practical advice on how to plan and design them, garner community support, and get them built. Drawing inspiration from the US and abroad, he introduces two models—grand loop trails and town walks. Grand loop trails are regional-scale, 20 to 350-mile systems that encircle metro areas, running along the edges where city meets countryside. Town walks are shorter—2 to 6-mile routes in cities. Throughout, Searns presents examples that embody these ideals, from Tucson’s Turquoise Trail, created by just two people with an idea and some left-over blue paint the city had, to a more deluxe 5-mile loop in Denver, to the Maricopa trail in Phoenix, a completed 315 mile grand loop. He also envisions these trails in new places across North America.

Meg Young (MDOT) is an urban planner with ten years of experience working to make it safer for people to share the road. Her portfolio at MDOT includes policy for people walking and biking, the Bikeways grant program, Walk Maryland Program, innovating Safe Routes to Schools in Maryland, developing a micromobility program, and managing the development of the Maryland Statewide Transportation Trails Strategic Plan. Prior to MDOT, she worked at the Federal Transit Administration and Baltimore City Department of Transportation. Meg completed her Master of Urban Planning at the University of New Orleans and is a certified bicycle instructor through the American League of Cyclists. She resides in Baltimore and leads a multi-modal life filled with hiking, biking, scooting, swimming, and the Marc train.

Thomas Mackay (MDOT) began his railroad career by volunteering at heritage railroads and heritage rail equipment operators. After graduating from Frostburg State University, Tom worked for CSX as a train-crew freight conductor. Tom was able to attend CSX’s management training program, but ultimately moved to Baltimore City where he worked as a manager for Bombardier Transportation, which operated the Camden and Brunswick MARC passenger service, in the MARC Operations Center (MOCC). In 2018, Tom moved to a state role with the MTA, and worked for MARC Train as Training & Regulatory Compliance Manager, training EMS first responders on techniques to safely respond to railroad emergencies and creating and implementing the first MARC System Safety Program Plan. Tom also enjoys cycling, and used to compete nationally in various disciplines. Today, Tom enjoys long bike rides with friends exploring his home on the Delmarva peninsula.

Torine Creppy (Safe Kids Worldwide) is the president of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global nonprofit dedicated to protecting kids from preventable injuries.

For nearly 22 years, Ms. Creppy has dedicated her career to making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families, especially the most vulnerable. As president of Safe Kids, she works with partners, donors, legislators, and community leaders around the world to develop and implement strategic initiatives, create partnerships, and inspire behavior change to keep kids safe at home, on the road and at play.

Under Ms. Creppy’s leadership, the Safe Kids Buckle Up® program has evolved into the most comprehensive child passenger safety program in the world and the Safe Kids pedestrian safety program has reached more that 20 million children in 10 countries. Ms. Creppy is a passionate advocate on Capitol Hill and is dedicated to finding new ways to reach high-risk and underserved communities. She also focuses on emerging issues such as child safety in automated vehicles.

In addition to her work at Safe Kids, Ms. Creppy is committed to other organizations who share her passion for helping children and families. She is on the YWCA National Capital Area Board of Directors, St. John’s Community Services Board of Directors, National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association, the Board of Directors Advisory Board of Hop Skip Drive, a Lifesavers Board Member and on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of The International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO). She is also a member of the American Public Health Association, National Urban League, NAACP, the National Head Start Association, Junior League of Washington, a Lifetime member of Leadership Greater Washington, and a Chief Member.

Ms. Creppy enjoys volunteering in direct outreach and advocacy for homelessness initiatives, reading autobiographies, 5K marathons for causes, youth mentoring and spending time with her teenage son. Ms. Creppy lives with her family in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Cynthia Spriggs (MDOT MVA) is the Program Manager for Pedestrian/Bicycle/Speed/Aggressive Driving for MDOT MVA’s Highway Safety Office. As a program manager, Cynthia oversees several highway safety grants focusing on pedestrian, bicycle, and speed safety programs. Cynthia is a child passenger safety technician as well as a Car-Fit technician. She is passionate about keeping our vulnerable population safe while traveling, whether it is by car, walking, or rolling. Cynthia is a retired Baltimore County Police Officer. During her tenure as an officer, Cynthia worked patrol, outreach, and traffic management. One of her favorite things to do as an officer was traffic safety outreach to the young citizens within the community.

Duwan Morris (Montgomery County) has dedicated his life to protecting and empowering communities through pedestrian and bicycle safety education. A passionate and experienced leader in Safe Routes to School, outreach, and public engagement, Duwan has worked tirelessly to ensure students and families have safer, healthier ways to walk and bike in their neighborhoods. With a career spanning multiple jurisdictions—including Baltimore City and now Montgomery County—Duwan has led transformative programs that make safety education not only effective but engaging and fun. His innovative approach has brought life to initiatives like Walking Wednesdays, bike rodeos, pedestrian safety art contests, and Montgomery County’s first-ever Safety Day. These programs aren't just events—they're movements that inspire students, teachers, and entire communities to embrace safe, active transportation.

In 2024 alone, Duwan and his team partnered with 47 schools, distributed over 800 free helmets, participated in 259 outreach events, and reached more than 80,000 residents. Behind every number is a story of connection, prevention, and lives made safer.

What drives Duwan’s impact is more than strategy—it's heart. The foundation of his success is built on strong partnerships, deep relationships, creativity, and an unwavering personal sacrifice to serve. His work is more than a job—it’s a calling to help save lives and create safer futures for all.