Board of Directors
The Board meets on the first Tuesday of every other month at 6:00pm. In 2012, the Board is scheduled to meet in January, March, May, July, September, and November. If you are interested in more information about the Board, contact us at info@mplsbike.org.
Current Board Members
DeAnn Barlow Bicycling is my freedom, my fitness, my meditation, my happiness. I am on the Bicycle Coalition Board because I believe bicycling is for everyone and the more improvements we make in our city, the more everyone can enjoy getting on their bicycle and its related benefits. I have been inspired by those who came before me and had the foresight to make Minneapolis such a great city for its residents with its many parks, bicycle paths, and of course ~ the Grand Rounds which connects it all. I want to be part of continuing that legacy for the people who live in this city for years to come and continue to make this a great city for all of us to live. Read more about why I am on the board here: http://mplsbike.org/blog/?p=
Lisa Peterson Bender Lisa is a city planner with a decade of experience working to make cities more walkable and bikeable. She believes that truly designing streets for people can transform a city, and she's seen it happen around the world. Lisa loves the chaos of urban space, and is a big fan of Open Streets, PARKing Day, pavement-to-parks and other ways, temporary and permanent, to return public streets to public use. Lisa lives in the Wedge neighborhood and can't wait to share with her baby daughter the joy of exploring the world by bicycle.
Billy Binder I have spent the last nine years as a volunteer bicycle advocate working with government, business, community groups and individuals to develop and promote bicycling in Minneapolis and Hennepin County. Prior to 2002 I was involved in every major new development of biking in Minneapolis from 1980 to 2002, first as an aide to Mayor Don Fraser from 1980 to 1994 and then as an aide to City Council President Jackie Cherryhomes from 1995 to 2002. I was assigned to oversee the Minneapolis Public Works Department. I am the former chair and a member of the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) from its inception in 1993 to date, a member and liaison from the Minneapolis BAC to the Hennepin County BAC from 1993 to date, and member of the Bike Walk Advisory Committee of the Transit for Livable Communities (TLC) from 2006 to date, a member of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition for the past two years and a member of the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota Advocacy Committee for the past three years and on other community committees and task forces to promote non-motorized transportation options. I live in north Minneapolis.
Will Cooksey Will is a Linden Hills resident, and his bike commute takes him along some of the gems of Minneapolis – Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun and the Midtown Greenway. He can also be found on group rides with the Twin Cities Bicycling Club or spinning easily on the Minnehaha Parkway. A former Bicycling Ambassador in Chicago, Will joined the Board to promote bicycle friendly projects and policies. Will is an attorney and develops utility-scale wind farms.
Bill Dooley I started biking home from my work at a nonprofit in downtown Minneapolis 2 days a week about 4 years ago for health-related reasons. This progressed to biking home every day and then to biking both ways every day. It is about a 7 mile trip. Now, my bicycle is my primary mode of transportation 7 days as week. I can say I was a winter biker from day one and that I have made significant changes in attire and set up from the horrible first winter. I am on the board of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, serve as the Ward 13 Representative on the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee and I am active in the Major Taylor Minnesota Bicycle Club. My commuter bike is a vintage 1970s-era Fuji converted to single speed. My road bike for distance riding is a 24-gear 2010 Marin Velencia.
Dacia Durham I enjoy biking all around the city, but my favorite is the Midtown Greenway because of the long stretches without any intersections/traffic. I joined the Board because I felt that I could help make a difference in a making biking more accessible to all. I usually rides her Cannondale R500 road bike. I’m a north Minneapolis resident, living in the Near North Neighborhood.
Ethan Fawley (President) I've been a proud Minneapolis bicyclist since 2000, when I started school at the U of M. I now live right on the Midtown Greenway in the Phillips Neighborhood and average about 3,000 miles a year on whatever bike I have at the time (I recently upgraded to a Civia Hyland). I'm honored to be the current President of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition Board and to also serve Ward 6 on the Bicycle Advisory Committee. In addition to my volunteer work on bicycling, my job at non-profit Fresh Energy includes helping to coordinate the efforts of the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition. I think that the bicycle has a big part to play in making the world a better place--it has certainly made my life better!
John FrahmJohn lives in the Bryn Mywr neighborhood and has a passion for all things bikes. His quiver of bikes in the garage is quickly approaching a baker’s dozen. From commuting to work to mountain biking on local trails, he believes all kinds of riding is what makes bicycling great. He’s joined the Bicycle Coalition to help make bicycling a more inclusive, accessible and appealing activity in the city of Minneapolis.
Beth Franklin (Treasurer)
Jay Gabler Jay Gabler is arts editor at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and an editor at The Tangential, a creative writing blog. He's been carfree since spring 2011; he lives in Uptown and rides his Clinton-era Schwinn all over the Twin Cities to cover arts events. He believes that keeping Minneapolis bike-friendly makes the city a better place for all residents and visitors, and he joined the board of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition in 2012 to support the organization's important work.
Robin Garwood Robin has served as Second Ward Council Member Cam Gordon’s Policy Aide since 2006. He is the Council’s appointee to the Bicycle Advisory Committee. He’s been a year-round bicycle commuter since moving to Minneapolis in 1999. He’s half of the Minneapolis art/music duo “the ghost test.” He enjoys taking bike/canoe trips in the Twin Cities metro (check out an example over on the Coalition’s blog). The Midtown Greenway and Hiawatha LRT Trail are Robin’s favorite places to bike. He joined the Board because bikes can’t save the world on their own, but they’re an essential part of the solution. He lives in the Cooper Neighborhood and rides on a Bianchi Veloce (summer) and Urban Uno (winter).
Tom Goudreault Tom lives in the East Harriet Neighborhood and enjoys biking all around the city. He joined the Board to help support healthy lifestyles in a fun way. He regularly rides a single speed bike, a road bike, or a cyclocross bike.
Colin Harris (Vice President) I most enjoy biking downtown because I am interested in the shared street space occupied by all road users. I joined the board to share the joy of biking with other community members and to explore methods of increasing ridership across all age groups. I ride my Bianchi fixed-gear, my '90s Specialized Stumpjumper, and Nice Ride regularly to and from my East Harriet Neighborhood.
Katie Hatt I am a lifelong Minneapolitan and resident of the Loring Park neighborhood, where walking, biking and riding the bus have always been my primary means of getting from place to place. My professional background includes over ten years in community development and public policy roles. I worked for three Minneapolis neighborhood organizations before serving as Principal Aide to Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin for five years. Following a turn as a consultant, where my clients included The McKnight Foundation and the City of Minneapolis, I joined the staff of the Metropolitan Council in December 2011. I was a founding co-chair of the Bike-Walk Advisory Committee convened by Transit for Livable Communities and am a longtime volunteer with Citizens for a Loring Park Community. On a City of Minneapolis delegation trip to France last fall, I was delighted to talk about the Bicycle Coalition’s activities with bicycling enthusiasts in the cities of Tours and Paris – beaucoup d'amour pour les vélos à travers les continents!
Hokan I'm a Longfellow resident and an employee of the University of Minnesota so I have a 3 mile commute. It's faster to ride bike to work (20 minutes) than to walk (45 minutes), to bus (60 minutes), or to drive a car (30 minutes because the lot is a long walk from the office). I've always been a bike rider, but it got serious around 5 years ago when my car died. I decided I didn't need to replace the car right away, but when I needed one I'd get one. I haven't needed to buy another car yet. Maybe someday. I ride for transportation and for fun, about 5000 miles a year. I have six bikes; my main summer ride is set up as a touring bike. My main winter bike is a comfort/commuter. I've got a full-suspension mountain bike for off roads and a rigid 29er mostly for pulling a big cargo trailer but I ride it for fun too. I have an old Murray gas pipe bike for neighborhood use and an old tandem cruiser. My kids all ride bikes and none (including the three adults) has a driver's license. I like riding and will ride almost anywhere. I don't have any favorites, but riding down Lillydale during a light rain or after a storm can be magical. I signed-on with the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition because things were really starting to happen in Minneapolis to try to make space for cyclists but so many of those efforts seemed misguided. The City really wants to make things better and needs a group like ours to help guide them to do the right things. My name really is "Hokan", and if you like I'll tell you about it. A beer will help.
Anne Knauff I started cycling in the Twin Cities as a teenager. At the time, hopping on my bike was an expression of freedom and independence—as well as concern for the environment. Not much has changed since those days: riding myr 1970’s Eddy Merckx (or an old beater in the winter) to get to work, do errands or visit friends continues to be liberating, invigorating, and a declaration of love of my community and mother earth. I am a communications professional with experience in a many different environments, from the arts to healthcare to hi-tech. In addition to volunteering for the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, I am on the advisory committee of the Midtown Farmers Market and serves as a mentor to a teenage girl through Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
Ben Olson Ben is a lobbyist and public affairs consultant in St. Paul. Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Ben attended Bethel University where he double majored in Philosophy and Political Science. He has a Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership from the University of Minnesota. He joined the Board to bring an Open Streets event to Minneapolis. He lives in Lowry Hill.
Susan Priem (Secretary of Transportation) I joined the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition to further the development of bicycle infrastructure in Minneapolis, supported my own strong commitment to the health of our bodies and our environment. I believe the streets should be safe for young and old, for all types of riders, no matter what you ride. I bring my experience in healthcare as well as my experience living a car-free lifestyle to the Coalition. I could go on, but I’d rather ride my bike – see you on the streets!
Lesley Schack You can't beat the Midtown Greenway for great places to ride in Minneapolis! I use it for traveling almost everywhere. Because the trail is practically in my back yard, it makes for great "bicyclist watching." You see such a variety of people--from the everyday commuter to the family with young children to speed racers. It's fun to guess where folks come from and where they might be going! I joined the Board because I care about promoting transportation options that help protect the environment and promote better health. I live in the Phillips Neighborhood and ride a Specialized Globe--a hybrid bike built for commuting on bumpy urban streets!
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