San Francisco Bicycle Coalition 2022 Board of Directors’ Candidate Questionnaire (Responses)

	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	M	P	S	T
1	Name (First and Last)	Preferred Pronouns	How do you connect to bicycling?	Why did you join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition?	Indicate whether you commit to all of the responsibilities of an SF Bicycle Coalition Board Director, as listed above.	Indicate whether you commit to all of the Community Agreements of an SF Bicycle Coalition Board Director, as listed above. *	Summary of Your Skills & Experiences	Tell us about your involvement within your local community - not necessarily limited to bicycling. It could be volunteering with Sunday Streets, youth/community/religious organizations, school/educational, neighborhood/merchant groups, etc.	Is there anything else you’d like to share about yourself?	How would you describe your race or ethnicity?	Are you a parent?	What is your city or neighborhood of residence?

2	Jean Kao	She/Hers	I bike to get around town and to explore further afield. I love how bicycling keeps me in the moment - the sun (or rain) on my face, the wind, the intimate awareness of my surroundings. I love the physicality of it - how I feel strong and capable. And I love the freedom and confidence it gives me to go where I want,, when I want under my own power.	I joined the SFBC to support their bicycle advocacy work, and I continue to be a member because of their programmatic work bringing bicycling to more people.	Yes	Yes	I've served 4 years on the board in roles as President and Treasurer as well as on the Board Development, Finance, and Personnel committees. Outside of the board, I've worked in the finance dept at Tartine and am currently managing a team - professional development, performance reviews - at Populus. I've also been a bicycle ambassador with the SFBC for over 10 years.	Before serving on the Board I was an active volunteer with the SFBC for 10+ years. I was also the chief organizer for the Norcal Bicycle Touring meetup for 4 years before stepping down to focus on my role on the Board. A few years ago I received training to be a Legal Observer with the National Lawyers Guild and continue to observe police actions at protests in support of activist organizations.		chinese	no	Castro
3	Marie Jonas	She/Hers	Bicycling is my primary mode of transportation and recreation, and a source of immense joy. It's also a way that I connect with my community.	My dad gifted me a membership when I moved to the city in 2011, even though I didn’t yet ride. What a gift! I began riding in 2012, and stayed a member because the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition helped make me feel at home on a bike and safe on our streets.	Yes	Yes	Regular fundraising as part of political campaigns Have supported the membership + fundraising committee on the board (including one year as Chair). Event fundraising experience, including for AIDS/LifeCycle. / Currently, I am serving on the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Transition Task Force, to facilitate the hiring of a new Executive Director, and participated in drafting our ED job description. I have served on the Personnel Committee (including as Chair), participating in, planning, and drafting in substantial part the performance evaluation of the prior Executive Director. As an attorney, I advise clients on employment issues, including those related to performance. / I have served on the Executive Committee as Treasurer for 2 years, and am in regular contact with staff regarding budgetary oversight and management. I have great facility with Excel/data management. Comfortable with numbers and reading budgetary data. / Regular street-side volunteer, including Captain at the Panhandle BTWD station. Since COVID hit, I have organized with fellow members bi-monthly Women + Non-Binary bike rides on Friday mornings down car-free JFK and the Great Walkway - bringing new people to bikes and new members to our organization. / Experience with meeting facilitation and team building, having worked as a leader on new policies and training to address equity and inclusion in the workplace. This included multiple in-depth sessions with expert consultants for internal reflection and growth, and planning and facilitating meetings in larger groups based on learnings from those experiences. / Have now served on the board for almost 4 years - which has given me the opportunity to learn and grow into this role. As an attorney, I regularly work with non-profit boards, giving me valuable perspective and added experience with other non-profits.	Board service with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has been a central part of my community involvement over the last four years, including (pre-COVID) regular street side volunteer activities. My community involvement as a member has been just as important for me. Together with a fellow member, I have helped organized regular Women and non-binary rides. These events over the past year have been a critical way to connect with the community, create an inviting space for riders of all levels, introduce many folks who were previously afraid to ride to bikes, and work on advocacy to maintain + reclaim car-free JFK and the Great Walkway. / Another way I engage with my local community is through political volunteering with Sister District Project. The organization pairs “blue” areas (like SF) with state legislative political races in other parts of the country. Through regular neighborhood meetings, fundraisers, watch parties, and volunteer events it gives me the opportunity to get to know a broad range of activists in my area who are committed to making change both in their local communities and around the country. / AIDS/LifeCycle is also a large part of my community involvement, including participating in team activities (Team ALC-aholics!) and ALC training rides and other events.	Serving on the Board the past 4 years has been an honor and a pleasure. As the organization begins a new chapter with the hiring of a new Executive Director, I think my experience and institutional knowledge will be a great asset. I would love to continue my support for this phenomenal organization - and to share my joy and passion for bikes in this critical role.	Mixed (Hispanic/Caucasian - white-appearing)	No	NoPa
4	Allison Arieff	She/Hers	I long to ride everywhere but am fearful of doing so because of the lack of safe infrastructure. I want to change that.	I've devoted my career to a better built environment and I believe SFBC has done an amazing job advocating for the cause (better, safer cycling/streets for people)	Yes	Yes	My most relevant experience is my work as Director of Communications at the urban data platform REPLICA, and my near 10 years as Editorial Director of the urban planning and policy think tank, SPUR. I've also written about building better cities for nearly two decades including my own column for the New York Times (2007-2020). Of the list above, I'd be most helpful o Marketing & Outreach (I oversaw all public engagement for SPUR) and planning/policy.	I volunteer at the SF Marin Foodbank. I've been extremely involved with the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts parent community over the last several years (my daughter is a sophomore in the Arch & Design program). I'm fundraising for a mural in Glen Park on the Crosstown Trail. I support local orgs including Friends of the Urban Forest, the SF Public Library, Bird & Beckett, and others.	You won't find a more committed advocate of safe, walkable neighborhoods. To wit: One day, my mother-in-law was lamenting that her neighbors let their kids play in her cul de sac. "But granny," said my then 6-year old daughter, "Streets are for people, not cars." There's so much we can do to make our streets safer, more lively, and more car-free. Bikes are a major part of the solution.	White/Jewish	yes	Glen Park, SF
5	Sarah Barnes	She/Hers	I was a reluctant cyclist at first, at the ripe old age of ten I finally learnt how to ride a bike, tears streaming down my face as I pedalled one foot in front of the other. Thankfully, with each year my love of cycling grew and grew, reaching new heights when I moved to Vancouver where the cycle paths were wide and the cyclists were many. I went on to study geography and city design, working in transportation research, and more recently in bikeshare policy and development.	I joined the bicycle coalition when I first moved to San Francisco—in August 2020 amidst the pandemic—in an effort to meet like minded friends who I could explore the city with by two wheels. In addition, cycling advocacy has long been a part of my life, and it was important for me to find a group of committed individuals striving to make streets safer in San Francisco.	Yes	Yes	FUNDRAISING: In my work with bikeshare in London and San Francisco, I have extensive experience working through competitive public procurement processes, successfully winning millions in funding to support both capital and operational investments in bikeshare. In addition, I have experience writing grants from public and private institutions to fund new ventures in bikeshare. Today I help develop systems including Baywheels, Citi Bike, and Divvy across the US. My previous experience in the UK included partnerships with organizations including Transport for London (TfL). When I was an undergraduate student I led a large, volunteer based organization advocating for climate change solutions. As director of the organization for over a year, I was primarily responsible for the financial sustainability of the organization, featuring grant writing and fundraising from local universities and businesses. This resulted in the organization procuring annual funding commitments for the first time, that the organization still receives to this day. PEOPLE OPERATIONS: I led a large, youth-based volunteer based organization (Common Energy) in Vancouver, with over 140 youth volunteers working across intersections of climate change advocacy. I managed the steering committee, hosting bi-weekly meetings discussing everything from internal goal setting to professional development and leadership training. I hosted quarterly performance reviews with the 12 members on the steering committee. In addition, I have experience managing small teams professionally, and am equipped with people management training and leadership training. MARKETING AND OUTREACH: As somebody who tends to be roped into leadership positions by beginning as a member or volunteer with an organization, I have learnt a bit from my own experiences in terms of what it takes to attract new members and build relationships with existing folks. Creating compelling opportunities for new members to be welcomed and connect with existing communities, building an inclusive and respectful environment for all, and finding opportunities for each member to see and understand their impact are just a number of tactics that I have seen help build community across multiple organizations. In addition, in my bikeshare experience launching new cities, I have conducted significant outreach to bring new community groups into the system design process to help meet their needs. Hosting design charrettes, attending community meetings, speaking with schools, and community events. I am very well versed in speaking with the public, and know first-hand the many challenges that come with speaking to the public about cycling specifically. URBAN PLANNING: I hold a bachelor's degree in urban geography, and a master’s degree in city design and social sciences—each including field research housing policy, transportation, technology, and social infrastructure. I have worked in transportation research and bikeshare for the last five years, and write a weekly newsletter about transportation, technology and urban planning called Along for the Ride. My newsletter is read by hundreds of transport nerds globally—from New Zealand to New York—including local, state and federal level politicians, world class professors, and transport and planning industry veterans. In my bikeshare work, I have worked in policy, planning, and business development roles to help bring bikeshare to new cities. In addition, I was previously a member of the UK governments’ All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group (APPCG) advocating for better infrastructure and funding for active transport through monthly meetings with MPs. Presently, I work for Lyft’s Transit, Bike and Scooter division, where I am 100% allocated to working on government partnerships for micromobility programs—supporting systems run by Lyft including Baywheels. BUILDING COALITION: In Vancouver, I studied with Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue, which trains students and professionals in the art of dialogue, facilitation and mediation. Through this program, I was also given training in identifying privilege, various communication models.	Since moving to San Francisco in August 2020, I have struggled to engage in community in the ways I typically have in the past due to Covid-19. Activities I have participated in include the SFBC Women and Non-Binary Coffee Club, and the occassion Friday morning ride to the Great Walkway. I have also volunteered at the Lake Slow Street collecting signatures, attended Tuesday Volunteer Nights, and volunteered during Winterfest.	I am currently in London, UK until January 7th!	White	No	Inner Richmond
6	Karen Wiener	She/Hers	Cycling is central to everything I do! I am one of the co-owners of The New Wheel, where we have served San Francisco cyclists since 2012. I believe deeply in the transformative nature of bicycling and electric bicycles, and have committed my life to the mission of getting more people on bicycles.	I joined SFBC to be a part of the established bicycling community in San Francisco and to be a part of the collective action that is necessary to transform a place like San Francisco into a cycling city.	Yes	Yes	I have been running a growing small business since 2011 and in that capacity have had the opportunity to build skills in many of these areas. For example, I do our annual budgeting and lead operations, including goal setting, performance tracking and marketing.	Central to the nature of a bicycle shop is the community that it both creates and supports. In my work as the owner of a bicycle store, we have our door open every day. We exist to be of service to our community and to build a brighter future. I am committed to working in the service of any customer who comes in, creating opportunities for my employees, and participating in the local community.	Bicycling is life changing and it can be place changing too. I would love to work more closely with SFBC to continue to transform the cycling experience in San Francisco.	White	Yes	I live in Sausalito, and work in Bernal and Bayshore (in San Francisco).
7	Jason Ford	He/His	At first, it was the transport I could afford. Now, 20 years later, it’s a source of joy, health and wellness, a cornerstone in my family’s low carbon footprint strategy, and the primary way my children and I experience the city, nature, and the world around us.	My family and I cycle San Francisco’s streets daily. Car-free and slow streets are extremely important to us. We joined the bicycle coalition to support advocacy that keeps, expands, and improves the active transport network we use. I also believe one of the best ways to improve cycling in SF is to have more people doing it. The bicycle coalition’s education and outreach efforts are some of the most effective tools we have for bringing new riders into the community.	Yes	Yes	Enterprise sales (outreach, coalition building, group facilitation, mediation, budgeting, goal setting, securing new revenue)	KidSafeSF and other bicycle activism groups. Family cargo ebike education. Corwin Street Garden.	Biking changed my life in more positive ways than I can count. I want to help remove all the barriers that keep people from biking— safety, maintenance, parking, or gear questions, so that more people can experience the same joy my family does.	White	Yes	Outer Sunset
8	Lisa ratner	They/Them, She/Hers	I think bicycling is the repair for many of our social ills: global warming, poverty, obesity, and isolation. I personally felt a great deal of joy observing bicycling in cities such as Copenhagen and Amsterdam where I would see multiple generations of a family on a single bike: parents biking with a bucket in the front for a grandparent who was holding a baby. I think San Francisco can have more of that and I have a lot of ideas for how to get there. I spend my free time participating in SFBC events and write letters and generate diagrams that I send to the SFMTA and Board of Supervisors urging them to support street designs that protect people who bike.	I joined the SFBC, the EBBC, and the California Bike coalition about 13 years ago because I strongly believe in their missions and commitment to providing safe bicycling infrastructure in all neighborhoods. Before I had joined, I was living in Los Angeles and was heartbroken by the lack of bicycling infrastructure and limited options to get around despite the temperate climate and relatively flat topology. When I moved back up to the Bay Area I felt “seen” and refreshed by the commitment to environmentalism and I wanted to find like-minded enthusiasts to push the work forward with. I was also seduced by the warm and quirky community vibe.	Yes	Yes	Professionally, I’ve been working in the mobility domain space for over 8 years and on a wide range of areas: electric bike share, autonomous vehicles, TNCs, micro-transits, public private partnerships, street design, road safety, and product inclusivity. In addition to having subject matter expertise I focus my efforts on driving impact and having action. Half of my job is conducting the research and collecting inputs through a variety of methodologies. The other half of my job is ensuring these research insights are sheparded throughout an organization and that requires having aligned successful cross-functional kickoff meetings and getting the right stakeholders in the room from the beginning and showcasing the insights in a captivating way so the storytelling and teaching sticks. A big part of my practice is about facilitating these conversations in an inclusive way where everyone feels heard and appreciated, no matter what the power dynamic is.	My favorite day of the year is Bike to Work Day. The bike ambassador training I received from Margaret McCarthy many years ago has stuck with me to this day. It was all about asking questions, listening, sensing where someone is at, and then making the ask. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being an SF Bike Coalition Ambassador and have recruited many members through events. I try to make those volunteer booths feel like a celebratory party. I would bring music, speakers, and even made bike and heart stencils and got spray chalk to decorate the Caltrain station and lure people to our booth. For halloween I was a Slow Street and walked down Page Street while neighbors cheered. That is the kind of volunteer I am. I feel very passionate and take this cause very seriously AND I try to recognize that the message may go over better with a wide range of people if it is communicated in a playful way :) . I also parlayed these techniques when volunteering for SF Transit Riders and People Protected Bike Lanes. Before Covid, I hosted a monthly SF Transit Wonks Happy Hour where I brought people together from the private and public sectors to have rich dialogue about the mobility space. I’m a natural hostess and discussion facilitator and I love bringing people together especially around causes I am passionate about.	I love this organization tremendously and it would be an honor to serve on this board.	white and jewish	Only to a beautiful orange tabby kitty	Inner Sunset
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