2011 SVBC Board of Directors nominees and election information

It's time for our annual election of directors to the SVBC Board. There are nine open seats to be filled for the coming year. The Board reviewed a number of candidates and has chosen a slate of nine to recommend to the membership. These candidates were chosen for their commitment to the mission of SVBC; specific skills, such as organizational development and fundraising; and ability to further the development of bicycling in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

Members will also have the opportunity to list a write in candidate.

This election is open to current members in good standing who signed up or renewed by November 18, 2011. Voting will again be conducted online, through an independent company. Members will receive instructions for voting at the email address you have on file with us in our membership list. If we do not have your current email address, or if you are a current member and do not receive the link to vote, please email election@bikesiliconvalley.org.

The voting will be open through December 15. If it is not convenient for you to vote from home, come to the Winter Party on December 8 at Palo Alto Bicycles from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. We will have computers available for people to vote then.

The nominees for the 2012/2013 Board of Directors term are:

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 24 miles a day 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 the University of Southern California in 1971, and earned his law degree at Hastings College of the Law in 1975. He is a member of the California State Bar Association.
Gary’s passion for cycling has also shaped his professional career: after a refocusing 20 years ago, 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 Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, he currently serves on the Board of Director of the League of American Bicyclists. He also served on the Board of Directors of the California Bicycle Coalition for ten years. His office proudly co-sponsors the Velo Girls, the Race Across America, and many other groups and cycling activities. In his spare time, he acts as a volunteer attorney for various racing clubs.

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.

Dave Fork
Dave Fork is the founder and program manager 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.

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 would welcome the opportunity to serve as a 2012 SVBC board member.

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.”

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. This year, he joined the SVBC Policy Advisory Committee with hopes of supporting member involvement through area issue forums.

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!"