Who We Are.

We believe streets and public spaces that welcome all users are essential to a society and economy that is more connected, equitable and sustainable. Safe mobility options for all ages, incomes and neighborhoods makes the world a better place.

For those reasons and more, Sweet Streets educates and advocates for people-first planning, budgeting, implementation and operation of our streets and public spaces. See our current campaigns here.

Board Members

BENJAMIN WOOD (Chair): Benjamin Wood is a journalist specializing in government and community reporting. He currently works as the news editor for Salt Lake City Weekly, and his writing has appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News and Entertainment Weekly. A lifelong Utahn, Ben’s love of cycling was born on the mountain bike trails of the Wasatch Back, while his passion for walkable design emerged from his brief time living in New York City and through travel to pedestrian-friendly places like Denver, Portland and Florence. Now living in Poplar Grove with his wife, son and two Siberian huskies, Benjamin can regularly be found running, biking and—weather permitting—mushing the Jordan River Parkway Trail.

JULIAN JURKOIC (Treasurer): Julian is a recovering "car guy" who grew up in an excerb outside of Fort Collins Colorado. An engineer by trade, he was enamored with the mechanics and, candidly, drawn in by his ego (when you live in a society so thoroughly dominated by cars, it seems the coolest people are those with the coolest cars). After much traveling around the world and reflecting on why he enjoyed the places he did, he realized it all came down to urbanism. While he adores walkable cities like Paris and Buenos Aires, he's less enthused by Las Vegas and LA. Digging beyond how nice good urbanism makes a place to be, he realized the environmental, economic, and social implications and decided he wanted to help make a difference. An avid skier, he couldn't leave the mountains, but he decided to ditch suburban Colorado for downtown Salt Lake City and has never looked back. Outside of advocating for better urbanism in our beautiful city, Julian loves to ski, play music at our local open mics, fly around the valley in small airplanes, and is finally getting on the mountain biking train as a result of becoming a bike fiend through urbanism.

TROY SALTIEL (Secretary): Troy grew up in the mid-atlantic US, primarily in Delaware. Confined to subdivisions, he yearned to be able to safely explore outside his neighborhood, unaware that things did not have to be this way. He first got involved in advocacy during his undergrad at the University of Delaware, where he studied Environmental Science and walked and biked everywhere. He moved to Salt Lake City to obtain his master’s in Geography and now works as a spatial data scientist for a national lab. He also serves as the transportation committee lead for the Central City Neighborhood Council. Troy is excited to see Salt Lake City provide more options for walking, biking, and transit, and believes we need to accelerate progress to reduce pollution and create more active, safer, and productive streets. Outside of walking and biking, Troy can be found cooking or baking, at the community garden, or out on a hike.

ALEX CRAGUN : Alex Cragun has been involved in Issue Advocacy and Community Action for over a decade--his involvement ranges from health care to food access policy. Cragun has worked in Federal and State Advocacy for the Community Health Center Program, fought to increase access to federal nutrition programs, served as Salt Lake City's Board of Trustee for UTA, and served as the Executive Director for the Utah Democratic Party. Cragun is a life-long public transit user and enthusiast.

ERIC KRAAN: Born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, and migrated to the Wasatch Front to represent Mexico as an ice speedskater; where he today owns a speedskating business.  An accomplished inline and ice skater, avid cyclist, hiker, and downhill skier, he is a graduate from UT-El Paso with an MBA, and actively advocates for a more balanced and sustainable land use and transportation system that protects and prioritizes the intangible qualities that make our little corner of the world the unique place we are proud to call home.

MATT WILCOX: Matt’s love for active transportation began in his childhood, biking around the DC area. With degrees in urban planning and real estate, he now works building sustainable communities in Utah. Having lived recently in Boston and Denver, Matt saw firsthand how freeing a city committed to active transportation can be. Inspired by Salt Lake’s creation of the first protected intersection in the U.S., he’s determined to help the city and Utah become leaders in safe infrastructure. Matt, his wife, and their two kids navigate Salt Lake on electric cargo bikes and want to help other families feel safe getting around without a car as well. Matt’s three year old boy has helped boil down the issues he wants to tackle - 700 East has too many loud, fast cars and a Trax sighting makes any day a good day.