Michael Payne,

Michael has been engaged in cycling advocacy throughout his adult life and is excited by the chance to support the League of American Bicyclists. He is particularly eager to see the LAB strengthen its relationship with local advocacy organizations and grow its influence and membership. He brings experience leading diverse organizations ranging from technology start-ups to non-profits to businesses within large corporations. He has served on both for-profit and non-profit boards.

Over the last decade, Michael was the first Executive Director of Houston’s bicycle advocacy non-profit (BikeHouston), and served six years on the board of Safe Routes to Schools among other organizations. He currently chairs a microfinance nonprofit with 470 staff and a $30M budget. Following an MBA at Kellogg/Northwestern, Michael spent seventeen years in the wind energy industry ultimately managing teams of developers in Europe, Asia and the US.

After completing his BA at Emory he spent seven years as CEO of a technology startup which was acquired by a publicly traded UK corporation. During this time he served on the board of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.

He has lived in France, Chile, Panama, and UK as well as 15 years in the Netherlands. He completed his LCI in 2014 and enjoys riding for recreation, fitness and transportation. This summer he will be bikepacking the Olympic Discovery Trail in WA.