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Dear Kevin,  I first volunteered for a small but feisty group called the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition 17 years ago, handing out flyers at the corner of Market and 8th streets to people pedaling by. There were a lot fewer of us back then. These days as I ride home, I’m awestruck that a regular weekday commute feels like what Bike to Work Day did all those years ago!I had no idea then that this simple volunteer task would turn into a lifelong passion or that I’d step from volunteer to Membership Manager to Program Director and, finally, to Executive Director. For the past dozen years, I have had the tremendous honor to lead this organization that — thanks to all of you — has grown into one of the most influential membership groups in the city and a model for advocacy organizations around the nation. Now, it is with immense pride in all we have accomplished that I share that I will be stepping down from my role as Executive Director at the end of 2014. It’s time for me to pedal toward new adventures, including participating in a German Marshall Fund Fellowship to research the successes of Vision Zero in Europe. Our Board has already begun the search for an extraordinary new Executive Director to lead the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition into our next stage. We will have a full job description on our website shortly. If you have questions about the search or, even better, suggestions of potential candidates, please email them to our Search Committee Leader, Anna Binder, at anna@annabinder.com. If you have general, non search-related feedback, please email membership@sfbike.org. I will step away with full confidence that the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is stronger than ever, and that our city is poised to become a truly great place for bicycling. The strength of our organization and the movement is evident every day on our streets. Just look at new bikeways on San Jose Avenue, Fell and Oak streets and all-day bike access on BART — to name just a few of our recent successes. Our membership is more than 10,000 strong, and members donate more than 10,000 volunteer hours every year. Together, we have respectfully challenged the status quo in order to reshape our streets and public spaces for the better, achieving successes that were hard to imagine even a decade ago. Recounting our progress together, I feel tremendously proud to have had the honor to work with you to create something far larger than any of us as individuals. And I feel enormous faith in the SF Bicycle Coalition’s future and in this team. Just like the number of people biking, our staff has also grown. They’re working for you, day in and day out, with a level of passion and savvy that is unparalleled. I encourage you to get to know our dedicated staff, as well as our experienced and forward-looking Board of Directors. But I’m not going anywhere yet! I’ll be here through the end of the year, and we have serious work ahead of us in the next few months — continuing to increase and improve great bicycling in our city. As a proud, long-time member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, I thank you and urge you to keep it up! You’re making a tremendous difference. See our blog post for more information on this news, our achievements over the years and the continuing strength of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. With deep appreciation,  Leah Shahum P.S. Our work is far from done, and I urge you not to ease up pressure for a better, more bikeable city. There are many ways to get involved with our work: support our daily advocacy, join or renew your membership or volunteer at an event. Our continued progress is because of you!
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San Francisco Bicycle Coalition - 833 Market Street, 10th Floor - San Francisco, CA 94103 |  |
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