Your 2024 Board of Directors Candidates

Our Board of Directors is made up of volunteers passionate about building a Bicycle Friendly America for Everyone. These individuals share their time, skills, and knowledge to advance the League’s mission.

We are excited to introduce the two outstanding candidates who have been approved by the League Governance Committee to run in this year’s Board election.

League members vote in our Board elections and all current members should have received a ballot today in their email. Didn’t receive a ballot? Email us at [email protected].

Katherine Garcia

As Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All Campaign Director, Katherine García leads a team of advocates working at the national, state, and local levels to expand sustainable and equitable transportation options. She is deeply committed to improving air quality and addressing the climate crisis by reducing harmful transportation emissions – and ensuring that our communities are more bikeable, walkable, and transit-accessible. She is a member of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation Leadership Council.

Previously, Katherine served as a policy advocate for Sierra Club California, where she led the state chapter’s clean transportation campaign. Prior to joining the Sierra Club, Katherine was a member of the founding team that launched the Center for Open Data Enterprise, where she promoted the use of open government data for the public good, with a focus on environmental data. Katherine earned her Master of Public Administration from Baruch College in New York City and her BA in Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Katherine is a cargo e-bike mom based in Washington, D.C.

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.