AARP CA Advocacy Volunteer

He/Him/His

Joe has served as a volunteer with AARP CA since the fall 0f 2019. He is on the San Jose Advocacy Team, championing issues that impact older adults and their families. He represented AARP CA on the San Jose Vision Zero Task Force since 2021. He has been a leader of various community engagement initiatives, including a 4 month SafeGrowth engagement that studied and made recommendations for safety improvements along the Monterey Road priority safety corridor in San Jose.

Senior Associate, Kearns & West

She/Her/Hers

Vidya has 10 years’ experience spanning across architecture, urban design, planning and policy. She supports collaboration, consultation and partnership efforts to improve built and natural environments. Her interest lies in systems thinking approaches and bridging the gap between research and practice. Since 2021, she has been working on capacity building, convening focus groups and community working groups, as well as hosting pop-up events and open houses across Northern California.

President, Tropicana-Lanai Neighborhood Association

She/Her/Ella

Victoria is a community member and President of the Tropicana-Lanai Neighborhood Association. As president she coordinates community-building activities to encourage civic engagement. She has a passion for working with underserved communities and addressing the root causes of health disparities. Victoria’s love for public health stems from her parents’ struggles with diabetes and being monolingual speakers. Victoria has a Master of Public Health and currently works at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

Director, Winter Consulting

He/Him/His

Frank Ponciano is a Bay Area transportation advocate, passionately championing equitable community engagement. An avid cyclist and transit user himself, he empowers fellow commuters to actively shape transportation decisions. Frank's diverse experience, including policy work and community organizing for marginalized groups, informs his approach to fostering inclusivity in the historically exclusive transportation sector. He currently leads community engagement efforts at Winter, a Bay Area firm dedicated to equitable representation.

Lead Community Organizer, Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center

He/Him/His/They/Them/Their

Sulaiman is a long time social activist, rooted in BIPOC intersectional feminism practices, class consciousness, and liberation movements. He is currently organizing with the Bernal Heights Neighborhood in SF to re-imagine community both socially and through the built environment. Previously Sulaiman worked as a tenants rights advocate in Public Housing in SF.

Sr. Programs Analyst, Peninsula Clean Energy

He/Him/His

Carlos develops programs to help San Mateo County residents use clean energy in their transportation, including electric bicycles (e-bikes). He regularly engages with our community to help address the barriers to e-bikes adoption through workshops and focus groups. Carlos is an enthusiastic e-bikes owner and uses his electric cargo bike as his primary mode of transportation.

Managing Partner, The Bike Center, Santa Monica - Culver City

He/Him/His

Ron Durgin has worked on active transportation programming for over 15 years with a focus on reducing barriers to bicycling thru education, advocacy and accessibility. Ron owns and operates bike shops located in Santa Monica and Culver City, CA. He is responsible for daily operations and the delivery of products, programs and services that encourage locals and visitors alike to bicycle for transportation and leisure.

Senior Transportation Planner, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

She/Her/Hers

Lauren has worked in the active transportation planning field for close to two decades. Since 2013, she has managed Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's Bicycle and Pedestrian Program. Prior to that, she worked at Alta Planning + Design for eight years. She received her Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA.

Co-Executive Director of Mobility Justice, Bike East Bay

He/Him/His

Justin Hu-Nguyen (he/him) is the Co-Executive Director of Mobility Justice at Bike East Bay. He identifies as a second-generation Vietnamese American, born and raised in Milpitas, CA. Justin and his family have called Oakland home for the past 7 years. He started his career at the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus in the California State Legislature before entering into the mobility justice realm, first through leading community engagement for Bay Area bikeshare expansion and creating the Equity Policy team at Lyft. Most recently, Justin served as the Director of Advocacy for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC). Justin is extremely excited to be part of the movement in creating a more equitable, resilient, and thriving East Bay.

Project Engineer II and Associate, Toole Design

She/Her/Hers

Sara Rauwolf, PE, is passionate about designing creative and effective solutions to increase safety for people walking and bicycling. As an engineer and planner at Toole Design, she has led and contributed to dozens of multimodal projects throughout the Bay Area, from countywide active transportation plans, to design guidelines, to bikeway final designs. Sara lives in San Francisco and loves walking down the Panhandle with a cup of good coffee.

Organizer, Traffic Violence Rapid Response

He/Him/His

I have been involved with mobility advocacy only since 2021. After returning from a year in the Netherlands, I decided to try living with out a car and while I have ridden my bike and transit and walked for transportation all along, I began to see the shortcomings in American mobility and became activated to make change. I now work with Seamless Bay Area as well as Traffic Violence Rapid Response.

Senior Transportation Planner / Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning Branch Chief, Caltrans District 4

He/Him/His

Greg has been with the Pedestrian and Bicycle Branch at Caltrans District 4 (Bay Area) Planning for nine years, serving as Branch Chief since November, 2021. He was the staff lead on the District 4 Pedestrian Plan, and also helped support the adoption of Caltrans Director’s Policy 37 on complete streets. A native of the Bay Area, Greg holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from San Jose State University.

Director of Transportation Advocacy,
Fearless Advocacy

She/Her/Hers

Jeanie Ward-Waller joined Fearless Advocacy in 2024 as the first Director of Transportation Advocacy, bringing expertise from top leadership roles in government and nonprofit advocacy. For six years, Jeanie was a visible change agent inside Caltrans, as Deputy Director for Planning and Modal Programs. Prior to Caltrans, Jeanie served as the policy director for the California Bicycle Coalition and for the Safe Routes National Partnership. She began her career as a structural engineer for Boston-based LeMessurier Consultants and is a licensed professional engineer in California. Jeanie earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University and holds two master’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge.

Policy Director, CalBike

He/Any

Jared has a background in policy research, rooted in social justice, that connects to grassroots power to achieve transformative policy goals. His work at CalBike focuses on policy advocacy and building connections with community-based justice-centered organizations across California, and connecting bicycling, and sustainable transportation more generally, with intersecting issues such as housing, climate, and environmental justice.

Coevolving with Caltrans, City of Mountain View

She/Her/Hers

Ria Hutabarat Lo serves as Transportation Manager for the City of Mountain View. In this role, she has built a Transportation team, and—together with team members—has worked to advance Vision Zero, secure $47 million in grants, overhaul Safe Routes to School, deliver complete streets improvements via repaving, and implement Castro Street pedestrian mall. She previously served as Transportation Manager for the City of Sunnyvale, and Principal for a sustainable transportation firm. She has a PhD from UC Berkeley and degrees in City Planning, Transportation Engineering, and Environmental Engineering.

Advocate for People-First, Inclusive, and User-Centric Green Streets

She/Her/Hers

April Webster is a software engineer and data scientist who channels her passion for environmental sustainability, usability, and inclusivity into shaping the future of urban design through her advocacy work. Over the past half-decade, she has emerged as a leader in the green complete streets movement, championing sustainable and innovative transportation solutions that prioritize user experience, safety, and community connectivity. In her roles as co-chair of the MTC Active Transportation Working Group, vice-chair of the Caltrans District 4 Bicycle Advisory Committee, and a member of the SVBC Policy Advisory Committee, she tirelessly advocates for people-first streets that are climate-resilient and designed for all users.

Policy and Government Affairs Manager, Waymo

She/Her/Hers

Noelle Duong is the Policy and Government Affairs Manager at Waymo, a leading autonomous driving technology company. She plays a key role in supporting the development and expansion of Waymo's ride-hail services in the Bay Area. Noelle values collaboration and actively engages with local governments and community organizations to foster a shared vision for the future of transportation. Her dedication to safe and sustainable transportation solutions is informed by her prior experience as a legislative aide to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She firmly believes in the power of thoughtful policy to create positive change.

Senior Public Policy Manager, Zoox

He/Him/His

Phillip Pierce is a Senior Public Policy Manager at Zoox, where he leads city policy and engagement for the all-electric, autonomous vehicle company. Prior to joining Zoox, he managed public affairs and government relations for the SFMTA, working on many of San Francisco's largest transportation planning and construction projects. He is a passionate urbanist and environmentalist, having run multiple political campaigns and worked with advocacy organizations focused on making cities more sustainable and equitable.

CEO, Nauto

He/Him/His

Dr. Stefan Heck is CEO and Founder of Nauto, the Palo Alto‐based AI‐technology company on a mission to make driving safer and more efficient. Prior to Nauto, Dr. Heck was Consulting Professor at the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University, directed the Energy Transformation Collaborative and was a research fellow at the Steyer Taylor Center at the Stanford business and law school.Previously he was a Senior Partner at McKinsey and co‐founded and led the Cleantech and Sustainability practice, working extensively with Global 100 technology, industrial, infrastructure, building systems, retail, utility and energy companies across the US, China, Korea, Japan, India, and Europe. Dr. Heck has previously served on the boards of SVLG and GaN Systems.

Economic Vitality Manager, City of Mountain View

He/Him/His

John Lang works in local government primarily in the field of economic development for the last 24 years. John has held various roles ranging from analyst to economic vitality manager for the cities of San Jose, Morgan Hill, and now Mountain View. John has a bachelor's and master’s degree in economics along with a master’s degree in public administration all from San Jose State. John is both a member of and volunteer for the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition.

Safe Routes to School Coordinator, San Mateo County Office of Education

She/Her/Hers

Theresa Vallez-Kelly is the Safe Routes to School Coordinator for the San Mateo County Office of Education. A 2017 America Walks Walking College Fellow, she has over two decades of experience collaborating with students, faculty, school administrators, and community partners. She works with schools, municipalities, and community members to address the safe and active transportation of students to school.

Programs Coordinator, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition

He/Him/His

As a lifelong Bay Area native, Kyle has spent most of his life riding bikes in the Peninsula and living in San Mateo County. As he continues to live and ride in San Mateo County, he knows just how much of a positive impact cycling can bring to the local community. Starting his professional journey as an entry-level bike mechanic, to then working his way into shop management, and eventually into industry programs and operations, he’s had a wide range of roles and responsibilities all involving the humble bicycle.

Director of Planning & Fund Management, San Mateo County Transportation Authority

He/Him/His

Patrick leads the San Mateo Transportation Authority’s (SMCTA) planning and funding operations that help to guide the distribution of Measure A and W local sales tax dollars. Patrick also spearheads many planning projects including the 101 Corridor Connect Program, US 101 Corridor Crossings Implementation Plan (Active 101) and 101/92 Mobility Hub & Smart Corridor Plan. Patrick spent his early career in multimodal transportation planning and engineering at both Toole Design Group and Fehr & Peers.

Director of Policy Research, Lime

He/Him/His

Calvin Thigpen is the Director of Policy Research at Lime, where he conducts Lime’s internal research and oversees external collaborations, with the aim to better understand who uses micromobility, how and why they ride, and the impacts on the environment, equity, and other topics. Calvin received his PhD in Transportation Technology and Policy at the University of California at Davis and worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Arizona State University. His areas of expertise include micromobility policy and planning, travel behavior and attitudes, and survey design.

Hillsdale Bike Club

She/Her/Hers

Anya Lin, a senior at Hillsdale High School and president of the Hillsdale Bike Club, discovered her passion for biking in her freshman year through a friend's introduction to fixed gear bikes. Since then, she has worked to cultivate a biking culture within her community by organizing bike-related events at Hillsdale and hosting group rides with neighboring schools. Anya hopes to inspire others to ride and become part of the biking community.

Student, Cupertino High School

She/Her/Hers

Hello! My name is Raashi Sachdeva, and I am a junior at Cupertino High School. This is my 3rd year as the Safe Routes to School representative for Cupertino High. As a representative, I organize and lead initiatives that promote safe, alternative modes of transportation within the high school community. Some events that I have worked on include Don't Drive for Donuts, Dr. Bike (free bike repair event), and Bike Bus.

Student, Brandeis University

He/Him/His

Allan is a junior undergrad at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, double majoring in Economics and Near Eastern & Judaic Studies. As a competitive cyclist, he is passionate about increasing cycling accessibility and urban advocacy. His presentation focuses on his university bike library project, but he is also actively working on a Waltham Complete Streets ordinance and running a bike rack arts competition for local youth.

President and Founder of the Saratoga Biking Club

He/Him/His

My interest in cycling prompted me to create the Saratoga Biking Club at my high school, where we provide a space for students to develop their cycling abilities while having fun. In a time of social media and video games, we hope to inspire other students in our community to explore the world around them and stay fit.

Student

She/Her/Hers

Manonmani just graduated from Los Altos High School and is an incoming freshman at UC Berkeley, majoring in Civil Engineering. She grew up in Mountain View, where she’s been commuting and exploring by bike since kindergarten. Manonmani will be presenting about the Active Transportation Benefit-Cost Tool developed by UC Davis, and her internship last year where she contributed towards improving it.