Meet our Board of Directors. They guide the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition in fulfilling our mission. Board membership is a volunteer position for a two-year term, with elections held annually online and at our annual membership meeting.
To find out more about the functions and duties of the Board, see our governance structure and bylaws.
Shiloh Ballard
Shiloh Ballard is Vice President of Housing & Community Development for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a public policy non-profit organization that advocates for the business community. Although she prefers the dirt, Shiloh commutes by bike everyday and is a passionate advocate for incorporating the bike into every day use. Shiloh has served on the boards of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter and the League of Conservation Voters and hopes to continue to assist the organization through her strong policy and organizational development experience.
Phil Brotherton
Phil’s cycling passion started when he was a kid in a Los Angeles suburb riding his bike to school and around town. The Sting-Ray was more than a bike. It was freedom. Eventually, school and his career brought Phil and family to the Silicon Valley and he has ridden thousands of miles on Bay Area roads and trails since. However, at the core, not much has changed over the years. He still loves the freedom of going for a ride around Silicon Valley and getting to work faster than the cars stuck in rush hour traffic.
Having started riding in LA, it’s always been clear to Phil that the Silicon Valley bicycle advocates and planners made a huge contribution to the safety and success of road cycling in the area. Says Phil, “As an SVBC board member, I’d like to continue to develop on that legacy for all future riders. Safety on the roads continues to be a big challenge. For example, while many of our roads have safe shoulders for cyclists, there’s much more to do. One of the most challenging areas, and the one I’d really like to impact, is raising awareness in the cycling and driver communities on how to safely co-exist. We must share the roads and safety is the basic requirement for more participation in cycling for commuting and recreation.”
Gary Brustin
Gary has been an avid cyclist for over forty-five years. His first road bike was a Schwinn Varsity eight speed.
He graduated from University of Southern California in 1971 with a degree in Urban Studies and then earned his law degree at Hastings College of Law in 1975. He is an active member of the California State Bar Association and is the Founder & Chairman of the League of American Bicyclists’ National Legal Affairs Committee.
Gary’s passion for cycling has shaped his professional career. He has been in private practice since 1976 specializing in personal injury litigation. Twenty-five years ago he decided to specialize in bicycle litigation and today his entire caseload involves cycling-related matters. He has personally handled over 1,000 bicycle cases.
Gary is also very committed to bicycle advocacy. In addition to acting as a Director on the Board of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the League of American Bicyclists. He also served on the Board of Directors of the California Bicycle Coalition for ten years & the Sacramento Bicycle Advocates Advisory Board. His office proudly co-sponsors the Velo Girls and many other groups and cycling activities. In his spare time, he acts as a volunteer attorney for various racing clubs, writes magazine & newspaper articles, and travels across the country speaking to bicycle clubs about cycling safety and the law.
Every March you will find Gary in Washington, D.C., lobbying for better bike laws.
He believes bicycling is the best route to healthier and more livable communities.
Ian Dewar
Ian is committed to the ongoing success of building cycling momentum in the Silicon Valley. His experience as a cyclist began where most people’s did – he rode his bike to elementary school. Remaining a cyclist by financial necessity he continued to do so through high school, university, graduate school and his first job. He didn’t intend to make a statement about cycle commuting – it was just easier and more efficient. He has worked in cycling related employment for 15 years, starting in 1996 as a bicycle tour guide, moving into event planning for cycling companies and working with professional teams. Ian is committed to increasing the use of bicycles for transportation as well as leisure. His primary focus is twofold – getting kids on bikes and creating infrastructure to allow safer bicycle use. He believes in Silicon Valley we are primed for growth on both fronts.
Dave Fork
Dave Fork is the founder and leader of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange and also a Renewable Energy Technologist at Google. He has managed the Bicycle Exchange for 18 years and has also served on the Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee. For his volunteer work he has earned a Certificate of Congressional Recognition from Anna Eshoo and the Ellen Fletcher Volunteer Award. He commutes daily by bicycle and donates his Google Self Powered Commute dollars to the SVBC. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Rochester in 1987 with degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering. He completed his Ph.D. from Stanford University in Applied Physics in 1991. Dave is full of ideas; he has over 100 scientific publications and 80 issued US patents. He would like to bring some creative ideas to the SVBC.
Carolyn Helmke
I've been riding my bike since I was five years old and never looked back. I am an unrelenting road rider, and love riding the loop on my Breezer Seven Speed. It would be fun to go faster and farther on a sleeker bike, but I like the workout I get. I only have one bike and use it for rides, shopping, getting around town.
I've worked professionally in promoting bikes as transportation since 1994, most notably at RIDES for Bay Area Commuters, The City of Berkeley, the City of Emeryville, Stanford University and the Active Transportation Alliance.
I am now selling "Commuter Checks" as a benefit to employers; participating on the SVBC Board is a great way for me to stay connected to the bike world and work to improve our infrastructure so that more people want to ride and can get to where they are going safely.
Ted Huang
"I have had the privilege of being involved with SVBC for several years now and have participated in growing the organization’s increased visibility and cycling impact in the Valley and on the Peninsula. As a current SVBC board member, I feel like my work has just begun, and I would like to continue helping to develop and implement membership engagement programs as well as contributing, with Webcor Cycling, to making the roads safer for all cyclists at our local level and beyond. More than ever, I have been able to get out and be actively involved in the community, at both the policy and grassroots levels, and believe I have much more to give that would contribute to our efforts in the local cycling community.
"One of my passions is to further involve the bike racing community in cycling advocacy, and based on the number racing 'type' cyclists I saw at this year’s SVBC Annual Dinner, I think a significant portion of that cycling community has become more aware of and engaged with SVBC’s efforts. However, I also would like to see more done at the policy level. I welcome the opportunity to serve as a 2012 SVBC board member."
Ann Jasper
Ann grew up on a Schwinn Stingray, which she gleefully picked out of her godmother’s Schwinn bike shop and rode so much that the white banana seat turned pink from constant contact with her burgundy corduroys (they were groovy in the 70’s). She rode all over her hometown of Petaluma, CA until she got her driver’s license. Her car took her everywhere, but sadly, it refocused her life on the destination instead of the journey.
Several years later, Ann found herself on a ride in Los Gatos, during which she nearly passed out from exhaustion – but also recalled the thrill of riding. This started Ann’s path back to enjoying the journey, via a road bike that’s about one-third the weight of her old Stingray. She has participated in a number of centuries, picking up a boyfriend along the way who is just as enthusiastic about cycling. The two even traveled to the 2011 Tour de France, during which they rode famous climbs such as Alpe d’Huez and Col du Galibier.
Training for these journeys has been made more enjoyable by SVBC’s efforts to improve bike lanes and to advocate for cyclist safety, a fact that was not lost on Ann. As a token of appreciation, she donated a small refrigerator to the SVBC office when their old one had chilled its last water. In 2012, she decided to get more involved by serving as a liaison between SVBC’s San Jose Team and the Policy Advisory Committee, helping to bring local issues to SVBC’s attention.
As a cyclist who lives and works in Silicon Valley, Ann has a keen interest in improving riding conditions for cyclists and promoting community participation in cycling, whether it be for practical or recreational purposes. She believes that the best way to promote a “share the road” culture is to get more people on bikes, even if only on an occasional basis. Ann is especially encouraged by the Safe Routes to School program, because she believes that helping kids to see the benefits (and fun!) of cycling is a great way to help develop the biking community for the long-term.
Scott Lane
After years of riding in and helping to lead semi-organized rides (SJBP, Bike Soiree), biking to work and "running" errands Scott keeps wishing that a lot more drivers could discover how easy (and not so easy at times) it is to bike every week!
“If we want to be a cool, world class city and region - a large, vibrant and very visible bike culture is a vital and necessary component. We have a growing bike culture, but we need to find ways to "supercharge" it. We do not have to reinvent the wheel - we can combine current SVBC programs with "lessons learned" from other cities across the nation and around the world.”
Scott believes that with SVBC’s small but dedicated staff and increasingly energized volunteer base, we have the potential to vastly increase the number of cyclists who ride every week AND to increase our safety as well, via direct political involvement. He feels that SVBC is really the best avenue to create such changes.
“I've often seen the result of bike accidents (bike vs. bike, bike vs. car) over the years. But after being in a bike vs. car accident myself (after I decided to run for the board), I have an even stronger perspective on safety and how important SVBC is for all of us. I seek your vote to join the board.”
James Lucas
As a youth, James Lucas fell in love with the freedom his blue, 24” wheeled Schwinn Varsity could give him. He didn’t know at the time that this passion would cause him to seek out all knowledge bike related and result in his becoming a race mechanic, fit technician, and an expert in retail operations. He has spent the last 10 years managing people, operating a business, and converting people into regular cyclists.
At UCSB, James served the campus community on multiple boards of governance and as the Student Director of the Sport Clubs program. He competed in the first ever Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships, raced incessantly, and provided mechanical support for Shimano and the USA Cycling National Team during his tenure there. Afterward, he followed his passion to the University of Wyoming to work on his Master’s in Exercise Physiology. There, he taught Exercise Physiology and served his campus community on boards of governance.
James is now working on his next level of service through bicycle advocacy. He went to his first National Bicycle Summit in 2010 and saw what individuals can do accomplish just by showing up. When James isn’t wearing every possible hat running Calmar Bicycles, he follows his two young sons on their rides to the park.
Jack Miller
Jack has bicycled to work since 1972. He has volunteered with the Bicycle Exchange for over a decade, repairing and distributing bicycles and helmets to charities. Jack is interested in expanding the SVBC Bicycle Exchange and other education/safety programs, doing outreach to the Hispanic community, and developing grant applications that benefit the full range of SVBC goals. He is a member of the SVBC Policy Advisory and Membership Advisory Committees and hopes to support member involvement through area issue forums.
Jim Parker
“I believe that there has never been a better opportunity for SVBC to positively influence our community, and I’d like to assist in those efforts.”
Jim has been an avid cyclist for the past 20 years in and around Silicon Valley, including century rides and commuting to work, as well as being a founding member of two of the larger regional triathlon clubs, Silicon Valley Triathlon Club and TRIbe.
Jim is interested in incentivizing more local employers to encourage bicycle commuting.
Alyssa Plicka
Alyssa is a native of the Bay Area and by design currently lives in the biking rich Santa Cruz Mountains. In college, she exclusively commuted on her bike. Alyssa rides road, cross and mountain bikes in addition to competing occasionally in both mountain bike races and triathlons. Alyssa is a CPA with PricewaterhouseCoopers and has been on SVBC's Finance Committee for the past two years. "The Bay Area has such diverse terrain there really is something for everyone. I strongly support cooperative driver/cyclist awareness & education so both can safely coexist."
Jeff Selzer
Jeff has worked in the cycling industry for more than 25 years; the past ten as the General Manager of Palo Alto Bicycles. More recently he and his business partner formed a company, The Bike Arc LLC, that sells modular bike parking systems throughout the US and Canada. He also just opened a new bicycle store in Los Altos CA called 359 State Street to promote the bicycle as a utilitarian vehicle. He has been an ardent advocate for cycling; running the Bikestation Palo Alto (a non profit for cycling commuters) since 1999, traveling to Washington DC as well as the State Capital in Sacramento to lobby for cyclist rights, and serving on the SVBC Board of Directors since 2010. Jeff is excited to continue his work with SVBC and is looking forward to continuing his new role as chair of the Policy Advisory Committee.
"There is a great opportunity right now to bring huge numbers of people into the cycling community. People who just a few years ago would never have considered riding a bike today are willing to look at alternatives to driving their car. There is a resurgence of interest in cycling as a mode of transportation, a form of staying fit, and just a great way to have some fun. Couple that with the benefits for the environment and cycling is in the midst of a perfect storm!"
Cheryl Smith
Cheryl discovered she liked bike commuting to work as a way to train for long events and for many more reasons. As a nearly life-long type 1 diabetic, she appreciates the daily health benefits of exercise. As a casual environmentalist, she appreciates the sustainability aspect of it. She has been fortunate enough to take several international bicycling trips and enjoys looking at the infrastructure and attitudes other countries have toward cycling. She has been captain of several Tour de Cure teams and organized Bike to Work Day, Earth day and Diversity day, Bicycle Exchange activities through her work club. Cheryl considers herself very fortunate to live in a climate that allows biking almost all year and near so many trails and a Caltrain stop.
Cheryl Smith works at SAP where she founded the SAP Cycling Club. The club now has both an active local chapter and an internal website with members throughout the world commenting on their favorite rides, equipment and advocacy activities. The club has led initiatives to secure more bicycle parking, repair stations, and towel service for the campus. They have also sponsored events so companies can share information and activities.