Kevin and Jill Wilk moved to the Northgate neighborhood 28 years ago to raise their family here, and even though those “kids” are grown up now, they still love it here. As Kevin says, “Walnut Creek is such a special place to live, work and play and raise a family. We could live anywhere now that the kids are out of the house, and yet we choose to still live here and enjoy everything Walnut Creek has to offer.”
Kevin and Jill met bowling at a Jewish mixer in San Francisco over 30 years ago. Jill, having grown up in Burlingame, was living in Cupertino after graduation in theater from the University of Washington. Kevin was living in Walnut Creek, after growing up in Kenya, Thousand Oaks (So Cal), and Lafayette, and working in internet marketing. They married in Walnut Creek and had their wedding reception right here in the neighborhood at Boundary Oak.
Kevin graduated from UCLA with a degree in Political Science (a harbinger perhaps of his future role as a Walnut Creek City Councilmember). He spent time in LA after college acting in movies and TV and doing bartending to pay the bills. He then took a year off backpacking around the work, visiting 30 countries and living for a while in both Israel and Australia. When he returned to LA he began the first restaurant delivery service (way before DoorDash). He lived for a bit in England, then eventually settled in Walnut Creek.
Later Kevin’s interest in local politics grew, and he first applied for and was appointed to the Arts Commission, then later the Transportation Commission. In 2016 he decided to run for city council. He is now on his 3rd term, also serving as mayor in 2021 and currently as Mayor Pro Tem. Kevin is proud to hold several leadership positions in the region and state and has become a leading voice in fighting hate speech throughout the Bay Area. He enjoys connecting with residents and answering questions. He is active on social media, keeping everyone up to date with Walnut Creek news. You can connect with him there.
After getting her B.S., Jill went on to get a master’s in Human Resources Management and Organizational Behavior. She worked in Human Resources for over 25 years before founding her own HR consulting business, Jill Wilk Consulting. She is a credentialed executive and career coach, working for several companies coaching executives and managers in leadership development. Jill also spent many years volunteering with the Northgate area schools and is currently a volunteer with Kitty Corner, a program she helps with by feeding, caring for, and socializing cats. She also dedicates some of her free time to her previous passion: theatre. She has performed in “A Christmas Carol” for the past three years, trains in improv through Synergy Theatre, and takes dance at The Ballet School for the Performing Arts.
Kevin and Jill love traveling. Kevin climbed to Mt. Everest Base Camp last year, and both Kevin and Jill went to Tasmania and Australia in 2024. Croatia is next. “There is a lot of world to explore,” says Kevin, “and we are intending to see as much as possible.”
The Wilk’s children are adults now. Darielle and Shane both attended the Northgate area schools with Darielle graduating from Northgate HS in 2015 and Shane in 2018. Darielle also graduated from the University of Arizona and now lives in San Francisco and works at Digitas, leading the Sephora social media account. Shane graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in Communications and now lives in Southern California and works for Niagara Bottling in their Business Optimization group. He’s engaged to another Northgate grad, and they will be married this May.
The Wilk’s dog, Kodi, and cat, Nala, tolerate each other, but bring Jill and Kevin lots of joy. They attend Congregation B’nai Tikvah and are proud to be passing on their Jewish heritage to their kids. “We always make sure we are together for Passover, the High Holidays and Hanukkah.”
Some hidden talents in the Wilk family include a family of fantastic piano players (Kevin, Darielle and Shane), a competitive ice skater (Jill), and a 4-time game show contestant (Kevin).
The Wilks live life as a journey, not a destination. “Enjoy life as you go; take advantage of opportunities that come up; you rarely regret saying ‘yes’ to new things,” adds Kevin.
By Kara Navolio, Resident since 1991 | Photos provided by the Wilk Family