Dear LACBC Family,
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, I’d like to ask you to join me in expressing our profound gratitude to Tamika Butler, our Executive Director, for her leadership of LACBC during her nearly three year tenure. Tamika has decided to pursue other opportunities and will be stepping down as Executive Director effective on July 14, 2017.
Under Tamika’s leadership, LACBC has become both a local and national leader in advocacy for cycling, active transportation, and transportation equity. We’ve seen our operating revenue almost double, membership more than double and have racked up numerous policy wins for cyclists throughout Los Angeles County.
In 2016, Tamika and LACBC, played a key role in the Yes on M campaign – successfully leading to the passage of Measure M – securing, for the first time, a dedicated source of funding for Active Transportation in Los Angeles County. Additionally, having just completed the 17th Annual River Ride, and after 17 years of advocacy, we can celebrate that we will finally see the gap on the LA River Bike Path closed through Measure M funding.
The declaration of Los Angeles as a Vision Zero city means Tamika’s legacy of ensuring all residents of LA County have access to safe cycling infrastructure will be memorialized in the concrete and steel of improving and expanding active transportation infrastructure. While the hard work of implementation and holding elected officials accountable remains, the prioritization of a high injury network means low-income communities and communities of color that have historically been disproportionately affected by traffic violence will finally see real investments in safety and active transportation infrastructure.
Tamika is leaving the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition primed for continued growth and success, which speaks volumes not only to her own leadership, but also to the team and culture she cultivated during her tenure. While we wish her success in all her endeavors, we must now turn to the future of our organization to ensure what has been gained under Tamika’s leadership is not lost. The board will be identifying an interim Executive Director in the coming weeks, and launching a full, national search to attract a strong applicant pool for our next Executive Director. We’re asking members and supporters of LACBC, community partners, and funders to take a moment and encourage anyone you may know that may be interested to apply.
The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition will celebrate it’s 20th anniversary in 2018, and we’ll continue to fulfill our mission of making Los Angeles County a fun, healthy, and safe place to ride a bike. We’re better positioned now to achieve that mission than ever before, and that’s in no small part due to Tamika’s tenure as Executive Director. We wish her well.
Sincerely,
Doug John President, Board of Directors Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition