Board member and former staffer Andy Thornley’s relationship with the SF Bicycle Coalition stretches back to the first Clinton administration.
“Back in 1994 I heeded an email from SF Bicycle Coalition executive director (and lone staffer) Dave Snyder, looking for a volunteer Mac mechanic to help with donated office computers,” Andy said. From there he began volunteering with Valet Bicycle Parking, tabling at events, and a slew of other opportunities. “It was all so fun and rewarding that I just got deeper and deeper into the SF Bicycle Coalition scene!”
Andy ran for election to our Board of Directors last year with an eye towards the end of our current strategic plan in 2017.
“I stood for the board last fall mainly to offer help with the next strategic planning cycle, which will kick off soon,” Andy said. “In the upcoming strategic planning process, we’re going to have a thorough conversation about where we want the organization to go in the next five years, and how we’ll prioritize and carry out our work getting there.”
With those goals and interests at heart, Andy serves on a handful of related board committees.
“I’m on the Strategic Planning Committee, the Membership Committee, the Governance Committee, and I also sit in on Board Development Committee meetings,” Andy said of his board service. “It’s humbling and inspiring to collaborate on key tasks with sharp dedicated board colleagues and staff members.”
Andy sees service on the board as the most recent elevation of his longtime involvement with the organization, which gives him a regular opportunity to volunteer his time to further our mission.
“It’s an exceptional opportunity to pay back some of the love and hard work I’ve benefitted from as a longtime SF Bicycle Coalition member and a guy who gets around SF by bike,” Andy said. Serving on the all-volunteer board is “hard work if you’re doing it right, and there are people doing it really well.”
Members elect half of our all-volunteer Board of Directors every year. This year, voting opens on Nov. 14 and closes at Winterfest on Dec. 4. Voting will also be available online during that time, and in person at our office (1720 Market St.)