As your Coalition, we invite you to contact any member of the staff or board with questions, concerns or suggestions.
Are you interested in serving on the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors?
The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition is an established organization (40-year history) with strong grassroots support. Our board is active and engaged in growing our impact while strengthening your Coalition and invites you to join us.
We are looking for candidates who will help further the Coalition’s mission to build better communities in the Valley. If you are interested in starting the process to see if board service is right for you, please fill out our letter of interest at the bottom of this page.
If you have questions or would like to talk to someone from the board engagement team before filling out the below form, please get in touch with our board engagement committee: [email protected]
We ask that Board Members:
- Act as enthusiastic ambassadors for The Bicycle Coalition in the community
- Participate in annual strategic planning sessions to set goals for the organization and assess the organization’s performance.
- Help the Coalition live up to our JEDI committment
- Actively assist with fundraising efforts
- Participate in the work of our various spokes or “committees.”
- Attend all board meetings within reason.
- Assist with monitoring financial reports.
- Evaluate the performance of the Executive Director.
Important Details
- Time commitment: The board meets for two hours 8-10 months out of the year, and board members are asked to help with committee work between these meetings – such as development, communications, or advocacy. Three-year term limits are placed on board members, and those terms can be renewed.
- Community Centric Fundraising is core to our development approach. All board members are asked to help ensure that we live up to the principles of Community Centric Fundraising.
Additional Details:
The Bicycle Coalition works to Build Better Communities in the Valley using the Bicycle as a tool. Our Coalition Board helps ensure our campaigns are a success. Current campaigns include:
- Safe Routes for Everyone – Space for everyone to ride and walk in our communities
- Shenandoah Rail Trail – A transformational project to connect communities in the Valley for biking and walking
- More Trails Close to Home – Expanding access to trails in the Valley that are more accessible and welcoming for new visitors.
- Trails on Public Lands – Expanding and improving accessible trails on our public lands, largely in the National Forest.
- Bikes for Neighbors – Providing bikes to community members for transportation
Next steps for Serving on the Coalition Board – Letter of Interest Form
Do you have questions before you submit this form? Please get in touch with our board engagement committee: [email protected]
Once you submit this form, someone from our board engagement team will contact you to discuss the next steps and answer any questions.
Kyle has been advocating on two wheels since arriving in the Valley nearly 15 years ago. Knowledgeable in all-things-bicycle (and often pedestrian, as well) he has been instrumental in administering federal grants for trail building as well as helping to secure support and funding for the North End Greenway and Connect Our Schools initiative to bring shared-use pathways to Harrisonburg.
Kyle was President of the Coalition (2010-2018), the Rockingham County Safe Routes to School Coordinator (2015-present), and has been a member in the George Washington National Forest Stakeholder Collaborative since 2010. He is a Harrisonburg resident and 2007 graduate of James Madison University.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, my life has taken me all over the country and across the globe, and throughout my moving and travels, I’ve found bicycling to be a major part of my life in so many ways from recreation and competition to just getting around and getting to know people. I’ve experienced the beauty of what bicycling can be and I’ve slogged through what it absolutely shouldn’t be (and seen most of what’s in between).
While my career brought me to Virginia, riding in and around Harrisonburg pulled me to the Shenandoah Valley. We’ve got it all here: world-class mountain biking on well-maintained trails; fantastic road biking through the gorgeous countryside; and communities that either are already put together with or have the potential to develop bike and pedestrian-friendly ways for getting to and from school, work, and life in general in a comfortable manner.It was apparent when I was a visitor and has been even clearer to me since I moved here in 2016 that it’s no accident that the Valley is such a great place to ride: the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) has very effectively put in the time and legwork to make this such a great place for bikes. And while it’s fantastic here in the Bike Capital, there is plenty we can do to make it even better, to bring in new riders and get more people out walking and riding and enjoying this wonderful place we have. I’m excited to be on the Coalition board and be a part of these efforts to bring the Shenandoah Valley to its full potential as a place where people can live, work, and play comfortably in the fresh air. Bikes are just a ton of fun and I want to share that with everyone. Let’s get to work!
I moved to the Shenandoah Valley in 2008 and was quickly welcomed into the cycling community. I have been so fortunate to make great friends and enjoy our amazing trails during my time here. The growth of the community, trails and biking infrastructure have all inspired me. I am grateful for all the work that has been done to build an amazing coalition.
Whether building world-class mountain bike trails, making our communities more bike-friendly, or improving access for all the residents of the Valley, I believe that we have the opportunity to continue to build the SVBC into an organization that can achieve great things. I am excited about what the future holds and grateful for all the work that has made the Shenandoah Valley a great place for bicycling.
I grew up in Harrisonburg and went to college in Massachusetts. Following college, I moved back and forth between Harrisonburg and other cities and states including Portland, Pittsburg, Atlanta, West Virginia, and Alaska. Harrisonburg always has me coming back. I love this community, I love the four seasons, the farmland, and the mountains and waterways. And now, I don’t really imagine myself moving away again. I’m ready to more deeply invest in this community.
For work, I am a co-producer of the Red Wing Roots Music Festival and a co-owner of the Christmas tree and wreath retail lot on route 42 S. For fun, I spend time outdoors fishing, hiking, hunting, and camping. I also enjoy music festivals. 🙂
Living in Portland, OR, I gained a true appreciation for a city that you can safely and efficiently bike anywhere and everywhere. It was my favorite thing about Portland. I love the work SVBC is doing. I know how large the scope of work that SVBC is involved with and how important it is and would love to help move the agenda forward.
I would like to see the SVBC platform and vision realized! I would especially love to see the bike/ped infrastructure greatly improved in Harrisonburg. It would be a dream to see Greenways connecting North to South and East to West.
I relocated to Harrisonburg in 2020 for work, but it wasn’t just a coincidence that I moved to an area with great trails and roads for riding. I had already experienced the joy of riding in the Shenandoah Valley and knew this was a place I could call home.
Not long after moving to the area, I volunteered at some SVBC trail work parties and knew that this community is one I wanted to be a part of and give back to.
I moved to Virginia from Alabama in 2017. I also enjoyed being part of the cycling community in Birmingham, where I often volunteered my time leading group rides and served on the board of a local non-profit bicycle cooperative.
I’m excited to join the SVBC Board and look forward to serving the community and meeting more of its members!
Bicycling has been foundational to my life and provides me with adventure, fitness, transportation, and life-long friendships. My wife, Julia and I live in Stuarts Draft, and she rightly once said to me about my cycling friends, “They are your tribe.” Yes, you are. My goal as a board member of SVBC is to learn from and support the members of the club and to become a voice in the Valley regarding the value of community biking.
About me – a few cycling highlights:
- I have enjoyed bike tours, including a 3-week tour from Philadelphia to Nova Scotia and back with five friends at age 16, and a Baltimore-Danville tour in my 20s via Skyline Drive.
- As a photojournalist, I covered the first US pro team in the Vuelta Espana.
- Editor and cycling blogger for a newspaper in Westchester, NY: After a cyclist was killed by a city bus in 2009, I helped write an editorial suggesting a safe passing law be enacted. Thanks to the efforts of many, Merrill’s Law went into effect a year later, making New York riders safer.
- LCI Certified Instructor
- Currently helping to organize Bike Kitchens and lead rides in Staunton and Waynesboro: Bikebox of the Blueridge
I am retired and now live with my wife in Rockingham County. I am an active member of the Rockingham County Bicycle Advisory Committee. I enjoy riding roads and get out as often as possible. I appreciate the variety of activities in which the Coalition is involved and the numerous initiatives taken by members. I want to engage with the community to encourage the interests of cyclists, while we remember that we share the roads not only with cars and trucks, but also with tractors and farm vehicles, and buggies as well as pedestrians. I am an LCI Certified Instructor. I am an active participant with Bicycles for Refugees, now called Bicycles for Neighbors. I also support and use the rental scooters in town. My goals as part of the Board would be to share the fun of being outside on a bicycle for exercise, recreation, and for simply getting around town. I plan to be active in encouraging more riders to get out and to do it safely.
I am an avid road cyclist, who also loves to photograph and share the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley as seen from a bike, or from adventures walking my dog in Bridgewater. For me, cycling is an essential part of both my mental and physical health and I believe in advocating for the benefits of cycling for all people while recognizing for many people there are barriers that keep them from riding bikes for either commuting or recreation. I also serve as chair of the Rockingham Bicycle Advisory Committee. I’ve also volunteered as the recorder for the SVBC Board for the last 3 or 4 years and I’m excited to join the Board as a full voting member.
Interested in serving on the Board of Directors and running for election?
Please fill out a Letter of Intent to let us know you are interested.
When are the elections?
Our board elections are typically held in March of every year. For 2022 our elections have been postponed. Please read a letter from our Board of Directors for more information.
Who can vote?
Any current SVBC member 12 years or older.
How many Board Members will be elected?
The SVBC board consists of 11 members. The terms are three years. Each board member is limited to three consecutive terms with no limit on the total number of terms.
Board Member Duties and Responsibilities
Board Members Eligibility
Must be an active member of SVBC in good standing. Good standing is defined as projecting a positive image, conducting oneself in a professional manner, respecting the rights of other directors, staff and members to express their ideas and communicating with honesty and respect.
Must agree to uphold the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the organization.
All Directors are elected to represent the membership as a whole and not the interest of a particular constituency.
Directors cannot own, run or be employed in a business that is in direct competition with this organization.
Time Commitment Required
The Board of Directors meets every month for an average of 2 hours per meeting. Committees of the SVBC meet three to six times a year, depending on the committee. Directors are expected to attend an annual board retreat, of one day in length. Board members are encouraged to attend the monthly membership social which typically immediately follows the monthly board meeting.