As anyone who has attended our last couple of meetings can attest to, we are growing! With this growth comes a problem, how to spread the responsibility and leadership opportunities, so that anyone who wants to help out can do so. During our last meeting, we decided to create four standing committees:
- Programs: The program committee will be chaired by Dick Durishin. Their focus will be on developing and organizing programs sponsored by The Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition (RIBike) and its member organizations.
- Legislation/Advocacy: The legislation/advocacy committee will be chaired by Barry Schiller. Their focus will be to keep tabs on RI legislature and any bills of importance to cyclists, keep an eye on the national scene to monitor what is working well in other states and could benefit RI cyclists, and help maintain a formal relationship with RIDOT, RIPTA, the Mayor’s Office, etc.
- Public Relations: The public relations committee will be chaired by Jack Madden. Their focus will be to help create and maintain our online presence, relationship with radio stations, and other news outlets. They will also work closely with the program and legislative/advocacy committee to ensure events and legislative activities are well publicized to cyclists, the general public, government, etc.
- Fundraising: The fundraising committee will be chaired by Margherita Pryor. Their focus will be to watch for and seek out grants and other funding sources. They will work closely with the program and public relations committee to ensure there is ample funding to carry out the mission of RIBike.
Thanks to these four brave souls who have stepped up to the plate to take on a leadership role within the organization. If you are looking to become involved with local or statewide bicycle advocacy, I would encourage you to reach out to one of these individuals or join one of the committee email lists.