Meet The Instructors
Meet our dedicated, League-Certified education class instructors
Anthony DiSalvo
I am a lifelong cyclist! I was one of the founding members of my bike club in high school, my bicycle was with me onboard ship in the Navy, and I have ridden my bicycle in many countries. As a League Certified Instructor, I have been teaching cycling safety in the Bay Area since 2009 for Bike East Bay and the San Francisco Bike Coalition. My teaching experience includes all levels of bicycle education in the classroom, on the road, and consulting with local cycling clubs safety programs. I instruct all age groups, from middle school to adults, who learn to ride for the first time. I enjoy my daily cycling commute and wide-ranging weekend recreational riding. When people ask me why I ride my bicycle, I respond, “Because its fun!”
Beth Bittle
I am a new teacher with Bike East Bay and I am super excited to be working with all of these amazing instructors. I loving getting more people out on bikes and more people excited about biking whether that is biking to get groceries or biking the amazing trails we have in Contra Costa County. Teaching reminds me how much I love to bike!
Bonnie Wehmann
I’m a mom of two teen boys and started Easy Street Cycling camps as a result of teaching my son’s and their friends how to safely and legally bike to middle school. I’ve been teaching kids how to communicate with all road users so they feel prepared and confident to bike by themselves.
I love coaching kids and seeing the pride and excitement in their faces when they work hard to learn a new traffic skill and then successfully nail it!
I have lots of experience teaching the Urban Cycling class to audiences of all ages and challenge myself each time to make it as fun, entertaining and informative as I can for class attendees!
Cara DeJong
I teach after school kids classes in the Pleasant Hill community and love it! I absolutely love when kids come to the class nervous they won’t ever learn to ride and finish the sessions riding away! The freedom of bike riding is magical.
Chris Auriemma
I have been teaching classes with Bike East Bay for about 6 years. I have mostly taught Urban Cycling 101, both in the classroom and road sections, and Adult Learn to Ride classes.
It is wonderful to help people enjoy riding bikes!
Dani Lanis
I became an LCI in 2022 and love it! During my first class I witnessed a group of 10 people make their wish come true. They went from a nervous “I want to learn” to actually riding confidently in a matter of hours. Seeing those smiles got me hooked right away!
What I like best about teaching is that it enables people of all ages to enjoy cycling in meaningful ways that have a positive impact in their individual lives, their immediate local communities, and society at large. Exploring a trail, a city, a forest, or simply getting to school or work feels better on 2 wheels. I like teaching how to ride because it enables people to do just that.
Dartanian Fierce Kaufman
I teach Road classes, Learn to Rides, Family Cycling Workshops and love helping riders of all ages gain confidence and skills. I became an LCI in 2019 and am a collective member & Bike Educator at Cycles of Change. My favorite Bike Education settings are going on adventurous and character building rides with the youth and teaching Bike Mechanics.
Diane Serafini
I love the process of guiding and empowering a person through their experience of learning to ride and becoming a safer and happier rider. Focusing on each individual, listening to their concerns and finding the best way to communicate the instructions to them, helps them have success at every step of the way. The smiles that light up their faces as they master each new skill is very rewarding. I enjoy teaching people of all ages and levels. I became an LCI in 2006 to get more people to ride bikes and to ride safely as my contribution to reduce green house gas emissions from transportation and to create a positive impact on people’s lives.
Francisco Grajales
Francisco has been a daily urban bicycle commuter for over 20 years. They enjoy teaching people of all ages and abilities and love helping spread the joy of bicycling to all of their students.
Feliz Hill
I’ve been an instructor since March 2023. I’ve learned so much while being involved with Bike East Bay’s classes and am proud to be active with the mission and purpose. I get to work alongside other bike lovers who enjoy spreading the message of bike education, safety and solid infrastructure. I see that we’re making a difference.
Hannah Otto
Hannah found her way to living and breathing all things bikes via the local bike shop in her hometown of Chicago. After 15 years in traditional bike shops, she was drawn to formal bike education to increase rider safety and security. She loves teaching interested riders of all levels to elevate their confidence on the road or trail.
Jasper
Jasper is new to the world of two-wheeled education and is eager to learn more! Through teaching safety and two-wheeled riding skills, jasper aims to create more connection in our local communities, on and off the wheels. Jasper’s favorite part about teaching is having fun and watching riders skills evolve with their enthusiasm for two-wheels!!
Jianhan Wang
Learning to ride a bicycle was one of the most painful and difficult things I have done in my life. It took a long time with repeated scrapes on my legs. However, once I did, it became a great moment of joy and pride. That ended up leading to desiring to ride for transportation. After going through Urban Cycling 101 and being encouraged by another Bike East Bay Instructor, I eventually decided to become one, too. I taught hundreds (perhaps over 1,000 now) of people over 7 years through Bike East Bay and other bike education programs in the Bay area including SVBC. I like helping people overcome fears, become more confident, and enjoy biking more. My favorite moments are when I see people get something challenging to click for them and become proud of themselves, especially when they are able to learn more effectively than I did.
Julian Early
Biking gives people freedom to move. As a kid, I struggled to learn to ride. But once I learned how, biking offered me the space to build independence. As an adult, it is a fantastic tool to get around. It is cheaper than driving, and is an excellent way to stay in shape.
Through teaching, I want to share those blessings with others. Getting to see people go from timid and unsure to confident and proud makes teaching the most rewarding of activities.
Justin Navarro
I love the positive energy people have when learning about biking. After teaching my kids to learn to ride their bikes, I wanted to keep teaching.
Kariz Matic
Riding bikes is one of my favorite ways to find support and community, bolster a joyful mindset, and build lifelong friendships. I have volunteered for San Francisco Sunday Streets, participated in SF Bike Party rides, and joined the annual SF to San Mateo ride to the Maker Faire. Through these experiences, I found friends who encouraged and supported me in discovering bicycle camping, riding longer distances, and conquering bigger hills. Cycling has opened up a new way for me to enjoy new places, meet people, and experience life. Since 2016, I have also participated in the annual AIDS Lifecycle, a 7-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. My journey continues to unlock skills, power, and confidence that I carry into everything I do. I teach to share my love of bike riding and to help others find joy in their cycling adventures.
Kelly Dunlap
In 2009, I took one of BEB’s bike classes with my Mother In Law as a way to help her be a safer rider. I was already pretty experienced, and wasn’t expecting to learn much. I was so wrong! I was shocked at how much information I just hadn’t known, so when I was looking for a way to work with people more, getting my LCI just made sense. I absolutely love sharing what I know and helping people not only feel safer, but to actually become safer bicyclists.
Ken McCroskey
I like to teach a variety of courses, especially with kids, and the young at heart. Any time I get someone up on two wheels for the first time, child or adult, it just makes my day. As instructors we get to share the tricks and best practices that make cycling safe and practical so that more folks can ride confidently and have fun on bikes. What could be better?
Kendra Toy
When I got back on a bicycle for the first time as an adult in summer 2022, Bike East Bay’s free education classes, especially Urban Cycling 101, helped me develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence I needed to ride safely and enjoyably. Besides being my favorite mode of transportation (although trains come close), biking has improved my fitness, connected me with community, and taught me so much. I became an LCI because I want to invite and empower others to have their own positive bicycle experiences. Whether someone comes to a class to learn a brand new skill, to build confidence, to learn how to bike for transportation, or to just have fun, I love helping them reach their goals, celebrating their wins, and being a resource along their journey.
Kurtis Bonano
I am new to bike teaching, experienced teaching in many other environments, and excited to teach more! My favorite moment is when a student has something click, and I can almost see the realization they are making dawning on their face! Seeing that I have helped a student make a new connection is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching. When it spurs more questions, that’s a bonus!
Malay “Taco” Khamsyvoravong
I’ve been a bike educator for 8 years and have been teaching with Bike East Bay since 2015! I love hearing about what brings folks to BEB’s classes- especially for the adult learn to rides. Students’ stories are often humbling and inspiring; some folks are overcoming fear or other challenging emotions around biking, while others are just elated to practice and ride bikes together. I believe that learning to ride a bike is a way to connect people to the joy of moving their bodies, and I think that biking can be a tool for people- especially women, nonbinary folks, youth, and people of color- to claim their right to public spaces.
Maya Carson
Maya started teaching bicycle education to young people in 1996 at Trips for Kids in San Rafael, CA; then began a collectively run, non-profit with a good friend in 1998 in Oakland, CA called: Cycles of Change. It wasn’t until Maya became an LCI 15 years ago and began teaching with Bike East Bay that she started teaching adults as well. Maya loves working with people young and old to explore the world of cycling, from that first moment of getting the balance and steering of a bike, to learning to navigate using a bike as a form of everyday transportation.
Melanie Curry
I’ve been riding my bike since I was six, and a League Certified Instructor for about ten years. I really LOVE teaching the adult learn-to-ride classes. It feels great to help people figure out a skill they have wanted to pick up for years, and watch them experience the joy and freedom of riding a bike.
Nancy Hernandez
Nancy loves to share the magic of bikes and has been teaching classes with Bike East Bay since 2019. She also teaches classes across the Bay with the SF Bike Coalition. Her favorite things about teaching are connecting with others through bikes and getting to see students experience joy and become more confident on bikes.
Natalie Leonard
I learned to ride a bike as an adult because there wasn’t much parking in my neighborhood. I took a learn to ride class, road safety classes, and the women’s biking series, and now it’s the main way I get around! I’m healthier, happier and I know my community better. If you are just learning or wanting to refresh or build up your confidence as you dust off that old bike in your garage, I can’t wait to connect with you and see where your bike will take you.
Pat Lake
You can ride a bike for many reasons. Transportation, fun, fitness, climate, career, or human connection to the grid that beats the malaise of the motorized mode. I’m here to share all that with new riders for confidence on the road, and enjoying two wheels even more than having legs. Besides the physical part, I want to help stretch imagination for the art of riding, by equipping yourself and planning ambitiously to tap into experiences you didn’t know you could have. Recently, I have been stretching limits of distance with century rides all over the incredible scenery of the SF bay. I also do advocacy and volunteer for East Bay Bike Party. Bicycle instructor is one of the best jobs I have as a permanent juggler of self employment, besides teaching art, pro animation, pet portraits, pet care, dealer of tea and rare books, and investigative journalism.
Phil Yip
When more people ride bikes, we all benefit from stronger, healthier, safer, and more earth-friendly communities. I’ve seen this happen firsthand during our monthly family-focused community rides. That’s why I love helping more people ride bikes, especially to meet their transportation needs. After working in the bike industry for a decade, I became a bike instructor in 2022. I teach with Bike East Bay and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, and enjoy teaching at all levels – from family and learn-to-ride classes to more advanced urban cycling skills. It’s always inspiring to see the amount of effort students put in during the classes, and the smiles on their faces. I’m happy to be part of organizations that organize classes that offer such an incredible public benefit.
Reginald “RB” Burnette Jr
I’m a hand on person, I teach anything biking…fix a flat, learn to ride, family and group riding, youth art bike decorating. I’m very informed about Bay Area bike culture.
Rickie Cleere
I have several years of cycling experience, and enjoy the freedom of mobility and feeling of wellness that bicycling provides. I’m new to teaching, and look forward to helping more people feel comfortable and empowered on two wheels.
Raul Maldonado
I’ve had a few years teaching in various topics and industries. I am happy to combine those skills with my bike advocacy to grow adoption and creating amazing experiences for people in their various biking journeys.
Rose Slam! Johnson
I left the environmental education field to I live in San Francisco and ride bikes with middler schoolers. It was so fun to ride throughout the city and help them prepare to ride to school.
I love working with adults who are learning how to ride for the first time. It is truly amazing to watch someone go from never riding a bike (or not having ridden a bike in 20+ years) to coasting along with confidence and joy. It is as if their inner child is finally back at the wheel.
Currently, I work as a small business coach and practice the same strategy; small sweet steps, intentional skill building, and lots of fun.
Sandra Hui
I’ve been volunteering, learning, and teaching bike mechanics for over 15 years, and I love the sense of independence and capability that comes with being able to maintain and tune up your own bike. I’m passionate about sharing this skill set with other people, especially fellow queer/trans/nonbinary folks, and my favorite part about teaching is the moment something clicks and suddenly makes sense!
Become an Instructor
do you have a love for biking and a desire to share it with others?
Every year, Bike East Bay holds a League of American Bicyclist Instructor Certification Seminar to certify new bike safety instructors (LCIs). Up to 16 scholarships are available to individuals who apply to the seminar.
aLREADY AN lci?
Visit BikeEastbay.org/Jobs for more information on how you can teach classes with Bike East Bay.