Meet Your Newly Elected 2020 Board Members

Why are you interested in being a NABSA Board Member?
I’d like to continue my service and to help support the organization as it undertakes some large decisions over the coming year. My continued presence on the board can help provide continuity as some other longstanding board members are at the end of their term.

What skills and experience would make you a good NABSA Board Member?
I’m a creative and critical thinker who looks to bring in a broad range of experiences and opinions. I would be able to help foster an inclusive board culture, and to bring my 4 years of experience on the board to bear at this important point in our industry.

Why are you interested in being a NABSA Board Member?
I believe that NABSA is a valuable and powerful collaboration that can influence the future of transportation in North America; I want to be a part of this effort. NABSA’s stated organizational values ring true to me, particularly the “community first” ethic and the commitment to equity and diversity. A large part of my industry knowledge is owed to my fellow NABSA colleagues. I’m excited to serve this organization as our field continues to evolve at this historic moment.

What skills and experience would make you a good NABSA Board Member?

As Program Director for Chicago’s Divvy system, I am uniquely qualified to serve on the NABSA board of Directors. Divvy’s 100+ sq. mi. footprint encompasses a variety of cultural and political arenas giving me insight into diverse operational and community needs –not just a downtown, big city framework. Chicago has been a stalwart during the ebb and flow of industry change, as a player in this field I will be a strong addition to the Government sector seats on the Board.

My cross-sector and cross-agency coordination skills are well-honed, as I spearhead Chicago’s three-pronged bikesharing system transition (contractual, operational, and geographic). I’m not just bringing a broad perspective, I’m committed to making teams work together to find common ground, define goals, and excel cooperatively.

My 14-year career in active transportation planning, policy, and advocacy includes six years of equity-focused programming with the Divvy system. This sets me firmly in-line with NABSA’s intentional focus on inclusiveness and equity for the industry.

Why are you interested in being a NABSA Board Member?
I would like to support NABSA’s vision in connecting folks in bike share and shared micromobility to support, promote and enhance shared alternatives to traditional transportation across North America. At Heartland Bike Share our mission as a local, nonprofit exists for the development, promotion, and operation of bike sharing programs throughout the Heartland region for the benefit of the general public, aimed at promoting health and quality of life as well as mitigating climate change and promoting the use of sustainable forms of transportation for all people. We serve a population that expands across multiple counties, cities, and two states in the Midwest and I am interested in sharing my experience with our mission to enhance NABSA as well collaborating with other NABSA Board Members to learn more about our industry and how we can best move forward.

What skills and experience would make you a good NABSA Board Member?
Benny Foltz began his career in the online payments industry where he also was the sustainable leader and bicycle coordinator for a large technology company earning the business a Nebraska Gold Bicycle Friendly Business award.  Benny is a co-founder, former officer, and currently serving on the board of directors for Nebraska’s statewide non-profit advocacy group Bike Walk Nebraska and also serves on the board of directors for the Nebraska Trails Foundation.  He is a League Cycling Instructor and has taught multiple bicycle safety courses to riders of all ages and skills.  Benny joined Heartland Bike Share as the Special Projects and Business Manager working for both the Heartland B-cycle (Omaha Metro) and BikeLNK (Lincoln) programs, and then launched the organization’s third bike share program, Valentine Bike Share, as the Executive Director.

Education:
M.A., Recreation Management, University of Nebraska-Omaha, Omaha, NE
B.G.S., Public Affairs & Community Service, University of Nebraska-Omaha, Omaha, NE

For more than a decade, I fought for protected bike lanes to transform streets in New York, and I have carried this activist spirit with me as I have worked in a variety of positions to expand bikeshare across North America. Now leading micromobility policy at Lyft, the largest bikeshare operator in the United States, I firmly believe in the role that our bikes and scooters can play in creating cities that are more livable, safe, and healthy. At the same time, I believe in NABSA’s role in creating an environment where a diverse array of providers and governments have the standards, know-how, and network to make micromobilty successful. Overseeing Citi Bike, Capital Bikeshare, Divvy, and more, Lyft is now the largest bikeshare operator in North America, and I believe my experience there will provide the NABSA board with an important national view of the most key issues in our field today.

Why are you interested in being a NABSA Board Member?
Replacing car trips with micromobility trips is one of the most powerful things we can do for safer, more sustainable, and more equitable cities. Doing so requires overcoming decades of structural, regulatory, and political barriers that force Americans off of micromobility and into cars. NABSA is one of Bird’s key allies in this effort by bringing together diverse stakeholders in pursuit of a common goal.

What skills and experience would make you a good NABSA Board Member?
Bird introduced tens of millions of Americans to micromobility by providing them with brand new, innovative micromobility modes that fit their needs and use cases. Today, this focus on the rider remains at the center of all of our work, as we and our city partners constantly challenge ourselves to better deliver on the promise of micromobility in our cities. In doing so, we bring diverse and actionable perspectives from our riders that make real differences in how people are able to get around our cities safely, sustainably, and equitably.

Why are you interested in being a NABSA Board Member?
I’ve enjoyed being a NABSA board member for the past few years and would like to continue to serve the organization in this way. NABSA both as an organization and the people I’ve been fortunate to get to know and work with at NABSA have provided my organization, staff and myself a great deal of professional development and industry knowledge over the past several years and I want to give back to the organization and my peers who have worked hard to build a successful organization. In this dynamic industry, there is a lot at stake with how NABSA evolves over the next few years and I would like to be a part of that.

What skills and experience would make you a good NABSA Board Member?
Coming from both a mid-size City as well as a non-profit organization, I bring a somewhat unique experience to the NABSA board. For the past two years, I have been the board treasurer for NABSA and I would like to continue in that role to provide some consistency to the finance committee.

Why are you interested in being a NABSA Board Member?
I would like to be part of the NABSA Board to support the growth and success of the bike share industry. From infrastructure like bike lanes to national and local policy a lot of work is needed to remove the many barriers in place limiting bike share access to everyone in our communities. I believe NABSA can play role in addressing climate change through advocacy of transportation programs that are green, accessible, and inclusive.

What skills and experience would make you a good NABSA Board Member?
I bring over ten years of experience in the electric vehicle and bicycle industry, in addition to 20 years of project management and leadership experience. I have worked in IT, finance, and logistic departments within companies from various sectors in France, Spain, Argentina, and in the United States which has provided me with a diverse and broad professional background.

I started my own eBike business in Paris in 2005 (one of the very first!). I was also very close to the Velib project that launched a couple of years later. I moved to Los Angeles in 2010 and worked for an electric car startup before joining Bike Transit as General Manager of Metro Bike Share in 2016.

I am a lifelong bike commuter. I am a board member of a local chapter of Safe Routes to Schools. I believe in education and advocacy for alternative transportation modes to cars. Joining the NABSA board will let me share my global perspective, my enthusiasm and energy for bike advocacy, and my experience as a leader of a bike share program in one of the biggest and most difficult US cities for transportation access.