Seeing Yourself in a Shared Micromobility Role
To complement NABSA’s Building a Better Shared Micromobility Industry: Best Practices for More Diverse and Inclusive Workplaces toolkit and strategy to increase diversity in the shared micromobility workforce at all levels we launched “Workforce Diversity Wednesdays”. This blog and social media series spotlights jobs in shared micromobility throughout the year. We post interviews with individuals in the shared micromobility industry highlighting their work and role with the hopes of encouraging more diversity and representation in the field.
Meet Julia Hamill! Julia (she/they) is the Programs & Partnerships Director with Hamilton Bike Share! Learn about Julia as she shares her journey to shared micromobility below:
How did you come to arrive at working in shared micromobility and your current role?
I had been interested in bikes as a tool for affordable and accessible transportation for many years – I was a volunteer mechanic in community bike shops, led overnight bike tours for a student group, and travelled for months on solo bike tours. I had also been working in the non-profit world, primarily in grant writing, project management, and reporting, including for an organization promoting sustainable commuting. When an opportunity came up to join Hamilton Bike Share as the equity program manager four years ago, it felt like the perfect fit to bring all my past experiences together. Since then, my role has grown to oversee all of our programs and partnerships and include more organizational leadership and strategic planning.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
I love when I have an opportunity to be out in the community, meet riders, and hear their stories. Last year over 20 people delegated to our City Council to advocate for increasing funding for bike share in Hamilton, and the outpouring of support hit me hard! I also love the problem solving that can come up in the day to day, and the opportunities to use data to make our work more effective and get more people on bikes. And lastly, I love working with a team of people who all care about our mission to improve equitable access to bike share in Hamilton.
What has surprised you most about your job?
The diversity of work that can be done within shared micromobility! When I started working for Hamilton Bike Share, I never expected that I would end up coordinating a street mural installation, applying for a building permit for a shipping container, or managing a major software integration with the university.
