Jake Wolff

Background

About Jake Wolff

My professional experience spans from regional transit planning to historic preservation and public policy. As a doctoral fellow at Temple University, my research explores the intersections of Federal highway legislation with economic and environmental agendas to identify strategies improving the sustainability of cities in the United States. I currently work as a doctoral fellow for the Loretta C. Duckworth Scholars Studio at Charles Library, extracting historical traffic count and construction data from New Deal highway maps to show how policymakers reengineered the economic-base of New Mexico to support tourism. Rutgers University Press will publish my forthcoming essay on Sunbelt transit equity in a 2025 edited volume titled "Universities and Their Communities." I teach courses on knowledge economies, cities, and cultural politics. Prior to joining the History Department at Temple University, I helped develop community engagement protocols for serving municipal and Tribal governments within New Mexico's Central Rio Grande Valley and drafted Albuquerque's plan for micromobility, the shared bikes and scooters often available in city centers. I had also managed projects for a union contractor specializing in historic masonry throughout eastern Pennsylvania. Shortly after completing my master's thesis in 2017 with distinction at the University of New Mexico, I volunteered in Pittsburgh on an immigrant rights campaign. I currently serve as web & social media editor on the Pennsylvania Historical Association’s executive committee. I volunteer on the leadership committee of the Alumni Chapter of the University of New Mexico’s Geography Department where I lead career-readiness mentoring initiatives. I also serve as a network editor for H-Pennsylvania and president of the James A. Barnes Club at Temple University.