Employee Profiles

Jolena Presti is a principal planner and project manager in the redevelopment planning and economic positioning divisions of Vandewalle & Associates, and now heads up the firm's Milwaukee office. For over 10 years, Jolena’s professional practice has included downtown, waterfront, and commercial district redevelopment planning and implementation, project management, and economic development and positioning services for communities on the West Coast and throughout the Upper Midwest.

Jolena is currently managing redevelopment planning and implementation projects in communities throughout Wisconsin including Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Madison, and Jefferson. As the project manager, Jolena oversees day-to-day client and consultant team communication, internal team management, and plan and implementation strategies development. Jolena’s work with these communities also includes preparation of land use plans, project feasibility analyses, developer and business recruitment, selection and project review, and facilitation of stakeholder interviews, focus groups and public participation events.

Prior to joining Vandewalle & Associates, Jolena was the special projects manager for the Madera County Economic Development Commission in California. Prior to that, she worked for the University of Washington on projects focused on economic and community development, transportation, and housing. These experiences helped Jolena gain extensive experience with project management, community development, and land use planning.

Education
M.U.P. College of Architecture and Urban Planning
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington

M.P.A. Public Administration
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington

B.A. Business Administration and Marketing
(Minor in Economics) (Cum Laude)
Lakeland College
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Professional Licenses, Registrations, and Memberships
Member American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
Member American Planning Association, National and Wisconsin Chapters