Our Team

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Executive Director

Clarrissa has deep roots on the Peninsula spanning four generations in Daly City and San Francisco. She comes to the Bike Coalition with two decades of policy experience in transportation justice and immigrant rights.

Most recently, Clarrissa was the policy director at TransForm, a Bay Area-wide mobility justice organization, where she advanced transportation policies and pilot projects that center the needs of Black and Brown residents, as well as the building of affordable housing near transit. She is passionate about working with government and private partners to implement community-driven ideas. Her equity efforts alongside bike coalitions and grassroots groups were instrumental in defining low-income access standards for the tech-enabled mobility sector.

Clarrissa has high hopes to elevate the power of the bike in undoing the impacts of climate pollution, emboldened by her mom’s decade-long fight against lung cancer, and her own autoimmune condition.

Clarrissa got her start in mobility justice pushing back on bus service cuts with the Bus Riders Union in Los Angeles and Urban Habitat in Oakland, and advocating for innovative solutions like Free Muni for Youth and AC Transit’s bus rapid transit service.

Outside of work, Clarrissa enjoys bike packing, rock climbing, and coffee. Most days Clarrissa can be found at the beach with her one-eyed pup, Poppy. She holds a Masters in Urban Planning with concentration in Transportation Policy and Planning from UCLA, and a BA in Ethnic Studies with a minor in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley.

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Deputy Director

Deanna Chevas spent her early career in small business and nonprofit bookkeeping, HR, and administration before pivoting to helping build a nonprofit organization doing outreach and advocacy. She’s also worked in: a flower shop, jewelry store, law firm, newspaper, and family foundation.

Deanna has a bachelor’s of fine art with an emphasis on fiberart. She moved from Arizona in 2014 with her cat and teenage daughter. She loves the transit options and bikeability of the Bay Area. She has lived in 8 Bay Area cities and knows Caltrain very well.

Outside of work, you’ll find her knitting at the beach, going to comedy shows, glamping, and enjoying her dogs and cat.

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Development Director

With over a decade of experience partnering with corporate and non-profit organizations in New York and California, Felicia has worked on cross-functional teams to design and drive high-profile events, community-based programs, and advanced capital fundraising campaigns. Felicia most recently served as Program Manager for Stanford University, helping to cultivate a more robust and diverse volunteer pipeline for the Board of Governors and Beyond the Farm Alumni Day of Service while generating innovative revenue channels for Stanford's celebrated Wine Program.

Before Stanford, Felicia raised funds for the San Mateo County Community Colleges District. During her time at the District, she helped raise over $1.5 million for first-generation Promise Program college students, closing the opportunity gap in education. Equity, inclusion, and fundraising work have been consistent themes throughout Felicia's career. As Assistant Director at Columbia Business School, she aided in establishing the School's inaugural Women's Circle, a diversity and equity-based leadership initiative to promote and inspire a lifelong supportive community for alumnae in business leadership.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Business Management from Columbia University. In her spare time, Felicia is passionate about her collaborative work as a program advocate for her family's foundation, which focuses on instituting policy changes to protect the ecological integrity of California water sources, native plant species, and indigenous rights. She also serves as a program volunteer supporting Second Harvest of Silicon Valley's food distribution.

Campaign Manager

Jessica is a Nigerian immigrant who has called San Jose home for 22 years, bringing a powerful narrative of community advocacy and transformative social change to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. With a rich background spanning multiple sectors of nonprofit work, she has consistently championed the causes of marginalized communities through strategic policy work and grassroots organizing. Prior to joining the Bike Coalition, Jessica made substantial impacts in environmental justice, working with an organization that retrofitted homes in low-income and BIPOC communities historically overlooked by infrastructure investments. She also brought her grant writing expertise to a job development organization, helping to create holistic support systems for clients seeking economic empowerment.

Holding a Bachelor's in Political Science from the University of New Mexico and a Master's in Public Policy and Administration from Purdue University, Jessica brings a robust academic foundation to her grassroots approach. Her philosophy centers on people-power - believing that meaningful change emerges from community-driven solutions and collective action. Beyond her professional pursuits, Jessica is a passionate world traveler, a dedicated foodie always exploring new culinary landscapes, and a fashion enthusiast who understands style as another form of personal expression and cultural dialogue. Her multicultural background and commitment to social justice infuse every aspect of her work, driving her to create more equitable, accessible, and vibrant communities. As she steps into her new role with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, Jessica is excited to expand her knowledge and continue her mission of creating systemic change, one pedal stroke at a time.

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Transportation Policy Strategist

Matt grew up in San Bruno, in a more car-dependent neighborhood where the ability to drive was often a necessity to meet ones needs. It wasn't until he spent time in undergrad at UCSB and at Lund University in Sweden when he realized how much the built environment can dictate transportation choices and health outcomes.

Matt has an Bachelors degree in Political Science with concentration in Comparative Environmental Politics along with grad classes in Urban Planning from UC Santa Barbara. Matt has worked with cities in four different Bay Area counties on housing and transportation planning, with several regionally-focused environmental nonprofits, and on campaigns for local and statewide offices. He has been a longtime member of SVBC and has both served on and staffed BPACs. As a planner for his hometown, he helped adopt its first Walk and Bike Plan and secured $1.4 million in bicycle and pedestrian grants for the City. In his free time, Matt enjoys spending time going to local music shows and museums, he loves karaoke, and he has visited 17 countries.cription goes here

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Volunteer & Events Coordinator

Collin Lim came to SVBC with over 20 years of experience serving on the planning committee of the American Diabetes Association's walk-a-thons and bicycle tours. His volunteer roles with the ADA include Route Chair, Safety Chair, Logistics Chair, Radio Communications Chair and City/County Liaison. He also ran the planning committee for a few years.

Prior to joining SVBC, Collin worked in various high-tech fields: semiconductor, electronics, web design and web development. The companies he worked for range from large corporations to small startups. Collin discovered SVBC from volunteering in the Eastside Connect program delivering farm boxes on bikes to low-income East San Jose residents.

Outside of work, Collin enjoys hiking and cycling. His favorite hiking and mountain biking spots are along the ridge of Santa Cruz Mountains. He also enjoys cycling along Bay Trail and the many creek trails in Silicon Valley

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Program Manager

Eleni grew up in San Mateo County riding bikes for fun and transportation. After completing 3 years at College of San Mateo, bike culture drew Eleni to Davis, CA, where she studied Environmental Policy. She was still living in Davis when she first got involved with SVBC as a part-time bike parking supervisor. She has done professional and personal work in the field of Transportation Demand Management since 2015.

Bike culture and the lovely bike people of Santa Clara County made it a natural choice to move to San José in 2019. SVBC rides and programming, San José Bike Party, and bike mechanics classes are some of her favorite parts of what San José has to offer to those on two wheels. She is excited to join the Bike Coalition full-time and work hard to introduce others to the timeless joy and health that biking has always brought to her. 

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Education Program Manager

Kendra grew up in Fremont and studied mechanical engineering at UC San Diego. Upon returning to the Bay Area, she spent five years working in corrosion engineering at PG&E. Her curiosity about the connections between the built environment, transportation, and public health eventually led her to pivot careers. Inspired by how biking transformed her own life, Kendra brings her program experience, enthusiasm for community-centered education, and joy for biking to her role as Education Program Manager.

Kendra learned to ride a bicycle as a kid but only recreationally. She began biking for transportation as an adult in 2022, inspired by Fremont’s expanding bike infrastructure. She took classes through Bike East Bay and earned her LCI certification in spring 2024. Since then, she has enjoyed teaching bike education classes across Alameda and Contra Costa counties and is excited to now deliver bike education in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Before joining SVBC as staff, Kendra attended the annual Bike Summit and volunteered with the Eastside Connect program in East San José.

Outside of work, Kendra is active in her church, loves live theatre, and enjoys spending time with her grandma and dog, getting boba with friends, and, of course, riding her bike.

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Program Coordinator

Cherie Maria Barnett hails from Sonoma County and was the Outreach and Event Coordinator for the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. Her recent move to San Jose created an opportunity to apply her experience and skills to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.  She mobilized Bike to Wherever Days 2025, and currently supports adult bike education, outreach events and serves as a point of contact for members and volunteers.

Cherie is a graduate of both Santa Rosa High School and Santa Rosa Junior College. She was able to walk and bike to school and didn't need to own a car until she transferred to CSU Sacramento to finish her bachelor’s degree in political science. Cherie is a fellow of the Leadership Institute for the Ecology and the Economy Class of 2012.  She is a firm believer in the principles of sustainability and how those principles add quality to your life while reducing your carbon footprint.

When Cherie and her partner are not out on the bike paths you can find her downtown in San Pedro Square or having coffee or working towards biking every stretch of the Bay Trail. You’ll see her at numerous upcoming bike events happening throughout Silicon Valley.