Celeste Gilman is nationally recognized in the USA as a Complete Streets Changemaker by Smart Growth America. She is the Strategic Policy Administrator in the Washington State Department of Transportation's Active Transportation Division, where she leads implementation of the requirement to deliver Complete Streets for state transportation projects.

She also leads strategic efforts within the agency to work with partners across the state to utilize land use as a tool to manage transportation demand and give more people the opportunity to walk, bicycle, and take transit for their daily trips. Celeste has held a number of roles at the Washington State Department of Transportation, including Transportation and Land Use Policy Advisor and Deputy Director of the Regional Transit Coordination Division. As Deputy Director, she worked with Sound Transit, other transit agencies, and local cities, bringing planners and engineers together to expand high capacity transit and multimodal station access.

Celeste participated in the American Council's Professional Fellow's program, hosting the EGO Director of Projects for an intensive mentorship in bicycle transportation, then traveling to the City of Ankara in the fall of 2019 where she met with local and national elected leaders and officials, trained municipal staff, and spoke at universities and professional associations. Prior to joining WSDOT, Celeste led the University of Washington's award-winning transportation demand management programs, helping students, staff, and faculty choose to use non-drive alone modes for 80% of their trips to campus.

Celeste has been passionate about making communities safe and inviting for people walking and bicycling since she lived in the city of Delft in the Netherlands in the mid-1990s.