2020 Board of Directors Nominees

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 organizations 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

Why are you interested in being a NABSA Board Member?
I would like to continue making a difference in the micromobility space.

What skills and experience would make you a good NABSA Board Member?
As a passionate mobility executive with eight years of industry experience, I’d love to help shape the future of the industry as a NABSA Board Member. Prior to founding Shift Transit, I was on the ground, working to help define the early years of bikeshare, overseeing 13 bikeshare systems across the globe. Fast forward to the present, I lead a dedicated and talented team, managing over 18,000 assets on a daily basis across multiple micromobility platforms, including bike sharing, scooter sharing, carsharing, and microtransit. The experience, knowledge and continuously changing landscape of micromobility, has me excited for what’s to come in how we move people in cities across North America. This also comes with lots of work to help define, manage, and support the future of mobility and I wish to serve on the NABSA Board to continue to improve the industry footprint.

Why are you interested in being a NABSA Board Member?
We are at an inflection point when it comes to protecting personal privacy in mobility, and I am committed to being an integral part of the conversation. I deeply believe in the work NABSA is doing as a part of this discussion, as it continues to lead across changing politics and form factors, centering on empowerment and education.

As both a representative of Ride Report and someone with a deep understanding of data governance in both the public and private space, I want to participate in having critical conversations on topics such as privacy, data sharing, operational sustainability, true public-private partnerships, and equity initiatives that work. As the only shared mobility trade organization that truly reflects the makeup of the public and private sector in both leadership and execution, I am excited to work with NABSA in its unique ability to affect change and influence policy.

What skills and experience would make you a good NABSA Board Member?
I have spent more than 10 years working at the intersection of private and public information Early in my career, I joined The Weather Channel and was responsible for translating complex meteorological phenomena to those seeking shelter from dangerous weather. In my work with governmental agencies, I honed my skills translating requirements between virtually and physically siloed work streams. In my current role as a leader of Ride Report, I lead teams working with cities and shared mobility operators around the world to launch, optimize, and maintain their programs. Throughout my career, data privacy and governance have been foundational and have given me first-hand experience assessing data needs through the lens of privacy.

That experience has also provided me with a well-rounded perspective and deep understanding of local, state, and federal transportation policy and law and what it takes to help those new to an idea understand the nuance and value. My facilitation skills developed during this period have helped to forge consensus on challenging issues, and I am able to lead groups through decision-making processes.

Finally, I have a 3.5-year-old to whom I’ve successfully explained both coronavirus and forest fires and how they’re different, in and of itself an epic achievement. Integrating his perspective into my day-to-day continues to drive me to more thoughtfully influence discussions and policy that can affect his, and all of our, futures.

Why are you interested in being a NABSA Board Member?
As cities, companies, and non-profits wrestle with the incredible opportunities and challenges that come with bike and scooter share, cooperation and communication are vital to ensuring success. NABSA provides a critical venue for these disparate organizations to come together around shared values, learn from one another, and place shared micromobility on a path towards making cities more equitable for people of color, more environmentally sustainable, and more resilient to climate change. I am interested in being a NABSA board member to lead these discussions, give back to a tremendous organization, and shape the future of bike and scooter share toward our shared goals.

What skills and experience would make you a good NABSA Board Member?
Over the past four years, I’ve guided Seattle’s groundbreaking free-floating bike share program through three iterations, from the hyper-competitive early days to the recent consolidation to a single operator. I led Seattle’s development of a new scooter share system, learning from and guided by my friends and colleagues at NABSA. I’ve done it with a spirit of cooperation and sharing that I believe is vital to ensuring the long-term success of these programs, and the long-term success of sustainable transportation in our cities. I hope to bring those same skills, that same spirit, and the same success to the NABSA board.

Why are you interested in being a NABSA Board Member?
The micromobility industry has seen exponential growth in the past two years, and has demonstrated incredible potential to affect transportation behavior change in support of equity, safety, and sustainability; values which I am working to uphold in my role at Spin, as well as personally in my daily life. I am excited about the opportunity to join other public, private, and non-profit sector leaders on the board and within NABSA’s membership who are working to innovate, educate, and advocate on behalf of the industry, and empower more operators and cities to establish or expand micromobility systems.

What skills and experience would make you a good NABSA Board Member?
I have an extensive and diverse background in shared mobility, spanning the last seven years in both the public and private sectors with car2go, the City of Minneapolis, and Spin, which includes experience in operations, planning, policy, product development, and data. In my role with Spin, I lead our work on data policy and support our local, state, and federal policy work as well. Prior to Spin, I served as the Advanced Mobility Manager for the City of Minneapolis, where I led the City’s work on new and emerging mobility, including our bike and scooter share programs. In my roles with both the City and Spin, I’ve participated in forums convened by NACTO, Transportation for America, and NUMO, which were focused on developing best practices and guidance related to micromobility policy and data. Additionally, I serve as co-chair of the Open Mobility Foundation’s Privacy Committee, as well as a member of the Mobility Data Collaborative’s Executive Committee, and NABSA’s Research and Development Committee.

With my diversity of skills and experience, I believe I can bring a unique and valuable voice to the board, one that balances public and private sector values and insights. I have a collaborative mindset, and a demonstrated ability to achieve consensus in groups with a diversity of opinions, including specifically on questions related to micromobility. I’ve been in the weeds with the operations of micromobility programs, while at the same time working alongside City leaders and policymakers at all levels of government to convey the value of micromobility. I’m strongly invested in the continued growth of the industry and am eager to dedicate time to that end as a board member.

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.