As a nonprofit, Bike East Bay is overseen by a volunteer board. This board is comprised of people elected by Bike East Bay members each year.
Who elects the board? Bike East Bay’s own members! Any member can vote this year by attending and making their votes heard.
When: Thursday Dec. 11th, 5:30pm. The vote will be over by 6:30pm, so please don’t be late!
Where: Sports Basement in Berkeley, 2727 Milvia Street.
Who: Bike East Bay members. (Make sure you’re current to vote!)
What else: Food provided prior to election. After the election, drinks and a toast will kick-off our thank-you party to all volunteers for Bike East Bay in 2014.
How we vote? As an official meeting of the Bike East Bay membership, Roberts Rules of Order officially rule and our current Board President will preside. You’ll get to hear about each candidate, and then you’ll have the chance to vote on the slate of candidates.
What are the issues? There are lots of considerations for deciding on board members. Never distant overseers, board members need to be strategic thinkers, networkers, fundraisers, management consultants, and community organizers. In order to give Bike East Bay members an insider’s perspective on the challenges facing our organization and what it will likely take to be a good board member, the board of directors does an analysis of candidates and suggests a slate each year. Then, it is up to the membership to decide who will be on the board through the vote.
Looking ahead to 2015, board and staff identified a single overriding concern: getting the new five-year strategic plan right! This will be Bike East Bay’s guiding set of goals, and it is taking a lot of work to make sure they are based on the priority challenges, creative solutions, key insights, and diverse perspectives of our two-county area.
Background: The board and staff started the planning process in March 2014, and plan to complete it in April 2015. All of our board members are involved in making sure that process is a success, and now is a critical time. Less than two months after the board election, Bike East Bay will host stakeholders from across Alameda Contra Costa counties at a large Strategic Planning Summit to rethink how we do our work, and tease out the best goals we can possibly set for 2020. [Link to Summit page].
Practically speaking, substantial turnover on the board now could jeopardize the Strategic Planning process, and fail to set inspiring, strategic goals for our organization through 2020. The work of bringing new board members up-to-speed enough to be leaders in the strategic planning process is simply not feasible without putting the Strategic Plan on the back burner and losing the opportunity this year to do a stakeholder summit.
Faced with this reality, the Board President and Executive Director of Bike East Bay have asked all the current Bike East Bay Directors to volunteer for reelection and to continue their leadership at least through completion of the strategic planning process (set for April 2015). All but one board member was able to meet this request, which would allow for one seat to be filled later in the year as needed.
Recommended Slate
The Bike East Bay Board of Directors unanimously recommends that the members of Bike East Bay reelect the current board, with the exception of one board member who will not be available to serve for 2015 (our fearless bike theft prevention activist, Jenny Oh, who will be in France, writing thousands of miles). In so doing, the membership would allow the strategic planning process to be the singular focus of Bike East Bay’s leadership, and create a strong basis on which new board members will be able to lead dynamically in the future, with fresh ideas and energy.
Alphabetically, the recommended slate for 2015 is:
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Alden Mudge
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Bill Pinkham
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Bob Bodnar
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Doria Robinson
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Glenda Barnhart
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Jim VanDyke
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Kristi Marleau
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Kristin Tennessen
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Maggie Smith
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Morgan Kanninen
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Raymond Pajek
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Rick Rickard
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Rolland Jurgens
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Rosie Mesterhazy
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Sandra Hamlat
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Tom Willging
Looking Ahead
Please mark your calendar for January 24+25 to help shape the work of Bike East Bay through 2020!
Once goals are set and the strategic planning process is completed some board members may take the opportunity to step down. At that point, any vacancies on the board will be filled as soon as possible by Bike East Bay members who can bring new enthusiasm, key skills, and fresh ideas to the Bike East Bay board. As always, anyone interested in joining the board of Bike East Bay is invited to contact the board president or executive director to find out what board membership means.
Candidate Statements
Alden Mudge (North Berkeley)
I was appointed to the Bike East Bay board in August 2014, and it would be privilege and honor to continue to serve in 2015. Before joining the board, I volunteered for Bike East Bay/EBBC for a number of years, doing everything from data entry to writing, to promoting Bike to Work day activities, to standing at BART stations urging voters to increase funding for bike lanes and public transportation. I cycled and fundraised for Team EBBC during Climate Ride 2012. As a cyclist, I commute roughly 5,000 miles a year as a personal commitment to reducing greenhouse gases for environmental sustainability. I also have a long, successful career in nonprofit management and fundraising that I believe will help Bike East Bay grow and prosper to the betterment of our community. I am committed to seeing Bike East Bay succeed and grow, and I would appreciate your support.
Bill Pinkham (Richmond)
I am retired, but my primary work these days is fighting global warming, which I consider the most important challenge the world has ever faced. I am on the Steering Committee of 350 Bay Area, which I helped found, the Coordinating Council of the Sunflower Alliance, a coalition of environmental groups, which I also helped create, and the Richmond Environmental Justice Coalition, which particularly emphasizes social justice for disadvantaged communities, especially those of color. Bicycles are a vital part of fighting climate chaos and I’m usually known as the “bicycle guy” in these organizations. I am also on two bicycle-related Contra Costa County committees, and was recently appointed to a second term on the county’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). I am Vice-Chair of the Richmond BPAC and active in City politics. Serving on Board at Bike East Bay for over 6 years, I hope to continue helping the important work that we do.
Bob Bodnar (Oakland)
It would be a privilege to continue as a Bike East Bay board member. I’m a government attorney and the chairman of my local neighborhood council (NCPC). As an East Oakland resident for the last 15 years, I would continue to advocate for more comprehensive bike paths in East Oakland, including better connections with the rest of Oakland and the east bay. I will work to forge stronger relationships between Bike East Bay and local area leaders. I also look forward to making Biketopia an even more successful event next year.
Doria Robinson (Richmond)
Statement from Dec 2013: I am a passionate life-long cyclist. Growing up in Richmond, cycling freed me from being confined to our block, which was becoming more violent as the crack epidemic crushed our neighborhood. I rode from Richmond to Berkeley to high school and after college was auto free for 7 years in SF before giving birth to my twins. Now, I continue to be deeply committed to cycling. I am the co-founder of Richmond SPOKES and a member of the organizing committee for Oakland Clitoral Mass. I bring 6 years of experience as an Executive Director of a Richmond based non-profit, Urban Tilth, and the experience of working on 3 boards. Cities are reflections of our culture and our culture is changing. People in the Bay Area are looking for a healthier, more interconnected, environmentally responsible and FUN lifestyle. Bicycles are central to this vision. This is the Bike East Bay time to shine and I would love to continue to help.
Glenda Barnhart (Oakland, Vice President)
Statement from Dec 2013: Glenda is co-owner of Bay Area Bikes in Oakland and Pittsburg and Bay Area Bike Rentals at Jack London Square. A life-long cyclist, Glenda has held business management roles in local government and ‘retired’ from a career in mobile technology product management to pursue her joint passions of cycling and promoting the health and environmental benefits that come from a bicycle. Glenda has been a Bike East Bay member since moving to the East Bay in 2008 and is a Pedalfest co-producer, along with Bike East Bay and Jack London Square.
Jim VanDyke (Pleasanton)
I am passionate about infecting communities with desire to pursue alternative transportation goals. I believe that Bike East Bay can create a template or franchise-like model to promote everyday cycling within each of the 33 East Bay communities, with trained and motivated individuals leading the change from within each one.
Kristi Marleau (Dublin)
Kristi lives in Dublin and happily joined the board in 2014. She uses her cargo bike and folding bike as her primary transportation, has two boys who ride to school every day, and has a husband who commutes to Livermore by bike. Having a biking family has given her a passion for seeing that the bicycling conditions in the Tri-Valley are the best that they can be. She is the Safe Routes to Schools parent champion at her sons’ elementary school and hopes to encourage the next generation to take up biking by organizing school events that encourage active transportation. For her day job, Kristi works from home as an evaluation consultant with an MS in statistics from UC Davis. She spends her time designing surveys, building databases, and analyzing data for a wide variety of organizations.
Kristin Tennessen (Walnut Creek)
Kristin is a software developer for Biosciences at the Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek. Every day, she bikes along the Iron Horse and Contra Costa Canal Trails on her commute to and from work. Her wish is that everyone could have access to infrastructure that encourages pollution-free travel like these beautiful, peaceful East Bay Regional Park trails. Kristin gathered with other like-minded cyclists and founded Bike Walnut Creek, whose mission is “Bringing the community together to advocate for a safe, efficient, and enjoyable environment for all bicyclists and pedestrians.” Kristin lives in Walnut Creek with her husband, Danny, and their 1-year-old.
Maggie Smith (Oakland)
I am a research administrator at UC Berkeley and a daily bike commuter. Originally from San Leandro and now a resident of Berkeley, I’m excited to see the East Bay’s bike infrastructure continue to grow and improve. In a brief sojourn away from the bay area, I earned her Master’s Degree in Public Administration & Natural Resource Management in Portland, Oregon and became an expert in the use of rain gear. I’m excited to put my grant writing, event planning, financial and administrative skills to work for Bike East Bay’s advocacy and community outreach efforts. Bikes provide the funnest way to get around, but they are also a powerful tool for alleviating environmental problems, improving public health, and engaging us in our communities and our surroundings.
Morgan Kanninen (Oakland, President)
Grateful to serve on Bike East Bay’s board for the last five years, I am committed to bringing the echelons of public policy within reach of the East Bay’s diverse communities. Professionally, I spent several years researching and consulting as an urban planner for land use and transportation integration. I know we can make our cities work for all, especially disadvantaged groups like youth and low-income communities, if we stand together. I see the bicycle as a tool for solidarity and community health. In 2009, I co-founded a collaborative repair workshop in East Oakland (ColectiVelo.org). There, cyclists of all ages learn to repair and build bikes in both Spanish and English. Growing up Fremont, I biked to school over train bridges and through abandoned lots in order to cut across the suburban labyrinth. Today, I am proud to stand with bicyclists of all backgrounds to make biking better.
Raymond Pajek (Oakland)
Raymond works as a professional art director and has lived in both Contra Costa and Alameda counties. His interests include the expansion of safe bicycling routes to encourage more bike participation. He is also passionate about creating a sustainable model for transportation in California that stresses less consumption of fossil fuels and more healthy options such as bicycling and walking. He is a team member of a local group of advocates that call their efforts “Beyond the Pump” and hope to bring more awareness of global warming to the public.
Rick Rickard (Oakland, Treasurer)
Rick joined the board in 2003 and has served as Treasurer since 2006. He served as Acting Executive Director from April 2010 until January 2011. He rode his bike to school as a child and re-entered the world of bicycling about 20 years ago as his ankles and knees gave out from running. Now he splits time between recreational and utility riding⎯to the tune of about 150 miles per week. Rick also represents Bike East Bay on Oakland’s Measure DD Community Coalition, overseeing implementation of the 2002 bond issue that funds major improvements to Lake Merritt and the Bay Trail in Oakland. He earned an engineering degree from the US Naval Academy in 1965, and an MBA from the Haas School at UC Berkeley in 1972.
Rolland Jurgens (Walnut Creek)
Statement from Dec 2013: I seek a second year on Bike East Bay’s Board because I am committed to doing what is right for the community, our environment, and the healthy lives of our members. I have been in the accounting and auditing profession for 18 years, am a licensed CPA in the state of California, and also a member of USA Cycling and an avid cyclist. My financial acumen, experience dealing with for-profit boards, along with a strong commitment to safe cycling, makes me a great fit for Bike East Bay and its mission. This year I conducted a review of peer organizations that is already helping Bike East Bay gain strategic perspective on its unique strengths and challenges. State and local governments can do more to provide the benefits of cycling to our community and I am excited about the opportunity to assist Bike East Bay in these efforts. I would appreciate your re-election to the Board.
Rosie Mesterhazy (Oakland)
Bicycling has done more to further Rosie Mesterhazy’s sense of self-empowerment and community connectedness than any other sport or activity. Her enthusiasm for riding launched a career that intersected with bikes, at the Michigan Fitness Foundation, the Alameda County Safe Routes to School program, and in her current position as a program manager for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. A committed advocate, she was also a board member for the Hub of Detroit and waged a campaign to keep a local youth-based recreation center’s doors from shuttering. Rosie currently lives in downtown Oakland with her husband and has embraced a car-free lifestyle, thanks to bicycling and public transportation opportunities. She hopes her board presence will support a reduction in car commutes, and she will continue to advocate for policies, programs and infrastructure that enable children access to transformational bicycle educational, commuting and recreational opportunities.
Sandra Hamlat (Oakland)
Sandra Hamlat is a Sustainability Program Manager whose interests include the protection of natural areas and revitalization of urban areas throughout California, especially in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation planning. She sees making bicycling easy and affordable for all residents as a critical path to creating sustainable communities. She has worked for private and public environmental organizations throughout California on a variety of projects dealing with planning, composting, recycling, and land conservation. Sandra is also a board member of the American Planning Association Northern Section.
Tom Willging (Oakland, Secretary)
Tom is a retired attorney, having worked for 25 years at the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, DC. In Washington, he was active in the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail and the Washington Area Bicycle Association. He moved to Oakland in July 2010 and joined the VeloRaptors cycling club and the Downtown Oakland YMCA. In 2012, Tom helped Bike East Bay revise its Bylaws and became its secretary. He also compiled a history of the Bike East Bay to help celebrate its 40th anniversary. Tom is enthused about cycling and pleased to be able to work with a dynamic and growing organization like Bike East Bay. In the spring of 2013, he rode the California Climate Ride as co-captain of Bike East Bay’s team. This year he has been active with the Measure BB and the Telegraph bikeways campaigns and also as a fundraiser.