| The Mayor of National City |
| Scott Presslak |
My name is Scott Presslak, but a casual observer around
campus or my closest circle of friends would mistake
me for a governmental head, namely the mayor of a
small town. But alas, the Mayor is my most-common
nickname -- earned for my creation of the fake city
that this website is based off of.
I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago in a tiny
(well, relatively tiny) town called Itasca. Being situated
about equidistant from one of the busiest airports in
the world and a suburban mecca of the Midwest,
Woodfield Mall, as well as having extensive family in the
city of Chicago made urban planning and transportation
issues second nature for me. I was (and still am) a child
of cheap thrills: watching commuter trains whiz through
town or 747s prepare to land overhead fascinate me. I
ride the CTA just for the heck of it if I'm going
downtown -- and, of course, I go downtown just for the
heck of it.
During high school, I began planning several fictional
cities and began planning the great American
metropolis, National City.
After graduating Lake Park High School with highest
honors in 2003, I began my collegiate career at the
University of Iowa studying Civil Engineering. During my
tenure at Iowa, I took a few urban planning courses and
realized that that was the career path I wanted to
pursue, rather than engineering. Considering the only
two schools in the Midwest that offer Urban Planning
for a bachelor's degree are the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign and Iowa State University, I elected
to transfer in 2005 to UIUC.
I graduated from UIUC in May of 2007 with a Bachelor of
Arts in Urban Planning and spent the summer of 2007
working an internship at Landrum and Brown, an
aviation planning firm in Chicago.
I currently work for TERRA Engineering, Ltd., in our
Peoria regional office as a Planner.
campus or my closest circle of friends would mistake
me for a governmental head, namely the mayor of a
small town. But alas, the Mayor is my most-common
nickname -- earned for my creation of the fake city
that this website is based off of.
I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago in a tiny
(well, relatively tiny) town called Itasca. Being situated
about equidistant from one of the busiest airports in
the world and a suburban mecca of the Midwest,
Woodfield Mall, as well as having extensive family in the
city of Chicago made urban planning and transportation
issues second nature for me. I was (and still am) a child
of cheap thrills: watching commuter trains whiz through
town or 747s prepare to land overhead fascinate me. I
ride the CTA just for the heck of it if I'm going
downtown -- and, of course, I go downtown just for the
heck of it.
During high school, I began planning several fictional
cities and began planning the great American
metropolis, National City.
After graduating Lake Park High School with highest
honors in 2003, I began my collegiate career at the
University of Iowa studying Civil Engineering. During my
tenure at Iowa, I took a few urban planning courses and
realized that that was the career path I wanted to
pursue, rather than engineering. Considering the only
two schools in the Midwest that offer Urban Planning
for a bachelor's degree are the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign and Iowa State University, I elected
to transfer in 2005 to UIUC.
I graduated from UIUC in May of 2007 with a Bachelor of
Arts in Urban Planning and spent the summer of 2007
working an internship at Landrum and Brown, an
aviation planning firm in Chicago.
I currently work for TERRA Engineering, Ltd., in our
Peoria regional office as a Planner.
| Copyright 2008 National City Sentinel |
>> about me
>> professional resumé
>> portfolio of work
>> professional resumé
>> portfolio of work
Yeah, I look pretty powerful and awesome in this picture. And
kinda fat.
kinda fat.
| At a Glance Name Scott Presslak Age 23 Hometown Itasca, IL Occupation Planner, TERRA Engineering, Ltd. Education Lake Park HS '03 U of Illinois '07 BA - Urban Planning Hobbies Travel Movies Computers Biking Music Driving Writing Filmmaking Drinker Social Smoker No Role Model Daniel Burnham |
Work Experience
03/2008-Present: Planner, TERRA Engineering, Ltd.
05/2007-08/2007: Intern, Landrum & Brown
09/2006-05/2007: Messenger, UIUC Assembly Hall
10/2005-09/2006: Driver, Jimmy John's Urbana
Summers 2004-06: Field Inspector, Clarke Environmental Mosquito
Control
12/2001-06/2003: Cashier, Sam Goody
Summers 2000-2003: General Maintenance, Putt-Putt Mini Golf
Courses
03/2008-Present: Planner, TERRA Engineering, Ltd.
05/2007-08/2007: Intern, Landrum & Brown
09/2006-05/2007: Messenger, UIUC Assembly Hall
10/2005-09/2006: Driver, Jimmy John's Urbana
Summers 2004-06: Field Inspector, Clarke Environmental Mosquito
Control
12/2001-06/2003: Cashier, Sam Goody
Summers 2000-2003: General Maintenance, Putt-Putt Mini Golf
Courses
Relevant Experience
March 2008 - Present: TERRA Engineering, Ltd., Peoria, IL
I currently work in TERRA's Peoria office. This summer I supervised three field crews tasked with conducting 24-hour machine
traffic counts in IDOT's Districts 6 and 7, checking their submitted data against historical trends and integrating their counts with
ArcGIS using GPS captures from the field to ensure the proper placement of each location. I'm also a local contact for the Eastern
Bypass Study, an IDOT project to complete a beltway around the Peoria region that has previously faced fierce public opposition.
My duties on the Eastern Bypass Study include public involvement roles and GIS assistance.
Summer 2007: Landrum & Brown, Chicago, IL
Summer 2007 found me in an office environment, working as an intern for Landrum and Brown, an aviation planning firm based in
Cincinnati with a branch office in Chicago. While working at L&B, I participated in numerous projects from the basic (assisting
drafting environmental assessments for changes in flight service for the Albuquerque, NM and Roswell, NM municipal airports) to
more higher profile projects (assisting in administrative duties for the O'Hare Modernization Program) as well as field work (sound
testing for a proposed rooftop heliport at the new Children's Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago).
And the normal grunt work that comes with being an intern.
Fall 2006: Joint University/Community Group, South Growth Area, Champaign, IL
In the fall semester of 2006, I and five of my classmates were placed in a group to study and present a land use plan and
implementation strategy for a growing area of Champaign and nearby Savoy. The coalition was formed in our Urban Planning 447
(Senior Design Workshop) course, where we reported directly to Bruce Knight, the Planning Director of the City of Champaign. The
study culminated with a 20-minute presentation in the Champaign City Council chambers to stakeholders in the Champaign area.
Fall 2005: Student Volunteer, East St. Louis Action Research Project, East St. Louis, IL
As part of a course taken through the University of Illinois, I participated in a volunteer weekend in East St. Louis, Illinois. My group
studied neighborhood organizations and grassroots operations; our specific project focused on the Eagle's Nest of St. Clair County,
a shelter for veterans in East St. Louis. Volunteer work also included cleaning up the Eagle's Nest site, creating promotional
materials and a website for the Eagle's Nest, and canvassing neighborhoods of East St. Louis for the SouthEast Neighborhood
Development Organization (SENDO), a neighborhood redevelopment organization in East St. Louis.
Summers 2004-06: Clarke Environmental Mosquito Control, Roselle, IL
I gained valuable hands-on skills with wetland and stormwater management serving as a Field Inspector for Clarke Environmental
Mosquito Control in Roselle, Illinois. The job required me to do field work and research to test potential standing water sites for
mosquito breeding in various municipalities in suburban Chicago and northeastern Illinois. I worked in sites varying from residential
detention basins to urban streams, with experience also in constructed forest preserve wetlands in Lake County as well as unique
opportunities along the Illinois & Michigan and Sanitary & Ship Canals in southwest suburban Chicago.
Not only did I receive first-hand experience with stormwater and wetland management strategies, but the job also required
extensive driving throughout the Chicago suburbs, providing a unique opportunity to compare and contrast the various built
environments throughout suburban Chicago.
Fall 2000-Spring 2003: Layout and Design Editor, Perspective, Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL
My years working as Layout and Design Editor for Perspective really allowed me to master Photoshop, PageMaker, and InDesign. My
time on Perspective also gave me experience for writing press releases as well as laying out and/or formatting articles to look
professional in montly issues.
March 2008 - Present: TERRA Engineering, Ltd., Peoria, IL
I currently work in TERRA's Peoria office. This summer I supervised three field crews tasked with conducting 24-hour machine
traffic counts in IDOT's Districts 6 and 7, checking their submitted data against historical trends and integrating their counts with
ArcGIS using GPS captures from the field to ensure the proper placement of each location. I'm also a local contact for the Eastern
Bypass Study, an IDOT project to complete a beltway around the Peoria region that has previously faced fierce public opposition.
My duties on the Eastern Bypass Study include public involvement roles and GIS assistance.
Summer 2007: Landrum & Brown, Chicago, IL
Summer 2007 found me in an office environment, working as an intern for Landrum and Brown, an aviation planning firm based in
Cincinnati with a branch office in Chicago. While working at L&B, I participated in numerous projects from the basic (assisting
drafting environmental assessments for changes in flight service for the Albuquerque, NM and Roswell, NM municipal airports) to
more higher profile projects (assisting in administrative duties for the O'Hare Modernization Program) as well as field work (sound
testing for a proposed rooftop heliport at the new Children's Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago).
And the normal grunt work that comes with being an intern.
Fall 2006: Joint University/Community Group, South Growth Area, Champaign, IL
In the fall semester of 2006, I and five of my classmates were placed in a group to study and present a land use plan and
implementation strategy for a growing area of Champaign and nearby Savoy. The coalition was formed in our Urban Planning 447
(Senior Design Workshop) course, where we reported directly to Bruce Knight, the Planning Director of the City of Champaign. The
study culminated with a 20-minute presentation in the Champaign City Council chambers to stakeholders in the Champaign area.
Fall 2005: Student Volunteer, East St. Louis Action Research Project, East St. Louis, IL
As part of a course taken through the University of Illinois, I participated in a volunteer weekend in East St. Louis, Illinois. My group
studied neighborhood organizations and grassroots operations; our specific project focused on the Eagle's Nest of St. Clair County,
a shelter for veterans in East St. Louis. Volunteer work also included cleaning up the Eagle's Nest site, creating promotional
materials and a website for the Eagle's Nest, and canvassing neighborhoods of East St. Louis for the SouthEast Neighborhood
Development Organization (SENDO), a neighborhood redevelopment organization in East St. Louis.
Summers 2004-06: Clarke Environmental Mosquito Control, Roselle, IL
I gained valuable hands-on skills with wetland and stormwater management serving as a Field Inspector for Clarke Environmental
Mosquito Control in Roselle, Illinois. The job required me to do field work and research to test potential standing water sites for
mosquito breeding in various municipalities in suburban Chicago and northeastern Illinois. I worked in sites varying from residential
detention basins to urban streams, with experience also in constructed forest preserve wetlands in Lake County as well as unique
opportunities along the Illinois & Michigan and Sanitary & Ship Canals in southwest suburban Chicago.
Not only did I receive first-hand experience with stormwater and wetland management strategies, but the job also required
extensive driving throughout the Chicago suburbs, providing a unique opportunity to compare and contrast the various built
environments throughout suburban Chicago.
Fall 2000-Spring 2003: Layout and Design Editor, Perspective, Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL
My years working as Layout and Design Editor for Perspective really allowed me to master Photoshop, PageMaker, and InDesign. My
time on Perspective also gave me experience for writing press releases as well as laying out and/or formatting articles to look
professional in montly issues.
Computer Proficiency
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), Adobe Photoshop, Adobe
Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, ArcGIS, EMME/2, iMovie HD
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), Adobe Photoshop, Adobe
Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, ArcGIS, EMME/2, iMovie HD
| Contact Information email: mayor@ncsentinel.com |