North American Bikeshare Association Executive Committee Welcomes Three Women
Organization led by all women for first time ever
Executive director says new leadership represents changing industry
Bikeshare’s first and only membership organization announces three female leaders have joined its executive committee. This news comes on the heels of the North American Bikeshare Association (NABSA) announcing its first-ever executive director, Samantha Herr, in the summer of 2017. The For the first time, the organization is led by all women in the roles of executive director, president, vice president and secretary. Out of a 15-person board, six are women.
With a vision to make bikeshare accessible to all people regardless of age, gender, income or race, Herr says that infusing NABSA’s board of directors with female leadership demonstrates the organization’s commitment to equality from the inside out.
“Each one of our female board members understands the power of bikeshare to change lives. They’ve developed and grown bikeshare in their own backyards and now they’re coming together to transform the industry across North America,” says NABSA Executive Director Samantha Herr. “Their expertise equips NABSA to guide the growing bikeshare industry as a tool to improve mobility, public health and quality of life for everyone.”
NABSA highlights the following visionaries on its board:
- President: Dianna Ward, executive director at Charlotte B-Cycle
As the executive director of Charlotte B-cycle, Ward is responsible for managing and growing the bikeshare system in Charlotte’s urban core. Honored as one of the 50 most influential women in Charlotte, she collaborates with sponsors, city leaders and bike advocates with a vision to make her city a “city of bikes.” - Vice President: Kristen Camareno, executive director at Fort Worth Bike Sharing
Camareno currently serves as executive director of Fort Worth Bike Sharing, Inc. (FWBS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to operate and maintain a bikesharing system in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to her role at FWBS, Camareno worked for Fort Worth Transportation Authority and was responsible for property management as well as various special projects — most notably launching a bikeshare program in Fort Worth’s central city. - Secretary: Kim Lucas, project manager at DC Department of Transportation
Lucas manages Washington, D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare and Bicycle Parking programs. The City’s Capital Bikeshare program has more than 400 stations and approximately 4,000 bikes available system-wide, and users have taken over 19-million trips since its launch in 2010. Recently, Washington D.C. launched a dockless bikeshare demonstration program and is in the process of evaluating its impacts and effectiveness. - Board Member: Kären Haley, executive director at Indianapolis Cultural Trail/Pacers Bikeshare
As the Indianapolis Cultural Trail Inc. executive director, Haley leads the team that manages and programs the urban bike and pedestrian path in downtown Indianapolis. In 2014, she launched Pacers Bikeshare, a program named after the Indiana Pacers basketball team, now comprised of 29 stations and 251 bikes. - Board Member: Mirte Mallory, founder and executive director at WE-cycle
Mallory, inspired to bring bikeshare to the Rockies after having lived in France, recognized bikeshare as a way to improve the lives of residents and commuters. She started the first bikeshare outside of a metropolitan area in the US and now there are 43 stations throughout Aspen and Basalt, Colorado, enabling accessible and affordable life on two wheels. - Board Member: Lindsey G. West, president and CEO at Bantam Strategy Group
West has more than twelve years of operations experience in public transportation and healthcare. She launched Bantam Strategy Group in 2016 as a bikeshare management and operations company. She also founded Zyp BikeShare in Birmingham, Alabama, the first electric pedal-assist bikeshare system in the Western Hemisphere.