Bike Newport’s Annual Meeting took place on Tuesday, April 29th at Vieste Simply Italian in Newport. We welcomed 75 supporters who included board members, advisory committee members, staff, volunteers, donors, and partners. It was a chance to gather and socialize, to take stock of our programs, review progress, gear up for the future, and for the Board to vote in new members and leadership!
State Representative Teresa Tanzi of South Kingstown was our guest speaker. She shared news of her proposed $25 million bond to fund the statewide Bicycle Mobility Plan which was adopted in 2020 but has so far seen only 1.7% progress toward implementation in its first five years.
In her informative and welcome comments, Rep Tanzi shared, “It’s been five years since we poured our hearts, souls, and energy into making this amazing plan and it has sat untouched – because it is not a priority. There are other uses for roadways besides cars. People need to travel, and not just in cars. It’s up to us to remind [our elected officials] just how important it is to make this plan a statewide priority and to fund it.”
With bicycling increasingly recognized as a solution to health, economy, and environmental challenges, emerging needs create plenty of opportunities that call for thoughtful action.
For the next three years, we will focus on:
- Engaging Aquidneck Islanders
- Expanding and connecting bike and pedestrian infrastructure
- Providing more bicycle safety education
- Expanding sustainable transportation practices
- Optimizing space for our programs and progress
- Strengthening our organizational infrastructure.
You can view our Strategic Plan overview here.
Bike Newport Board of Directors
* new roles ** new board members
We are very happy to introduce our Board of Directors, confirmed at the Annual Meeting.
We encourage you to meet all of these talented, generous, and committed community members on our web site where you’ll find a brief description of their talents and interest in making progress toward our strategic goals. New board members are also introduced below on this page.
OFFICERS:
Peter Coriander, Board Chair *
Guillermo Rojas, Vice Chair *
Chyleene O’Connor, Secretary *
Robert Penha, Treasurer
DIRECTORS:
Jennifer Amaral *
Tyson Bottenus
James Bracey *
Glenn Bradfield
Alex Castillo
Akeia de Barros Gomes *
Brenda Delasanta *
Nicholas Del Greco *
Peter Friedrichs *
Jim Fry *
Donald Hartley
Stacy Hennessey *
Christopher Martin
Paige Myatt *
ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Elizabeth Dougherty
Peter Harty
Renee Kaminitz
Valerie Larkin
Laura Murphy
Monique Peoples
Sarah Whitehouse
A bit about our spectacular new Board Members!
Jennifer Amaral
An ocean engineer and research professor at the University of Rhode Island, where she combines her expertise in marine science with a passion for sustainability and community engagement. Jenn is also a very new mom! She and her husband Brian welcomed Baby Cooper on April 5th 🙂
Jim Bracey
Recently retiring from a sales career with IBM and Oracle, Jim stumbled on Bike Newport while volunteering at the MLK Center and stepped right into helping at our end of year phonathon! He told us that he wants to help enhance knowledge and safety for all cyclists, and
to remind people that biking, driving and walking are all part of the same ecosystem.
Dr. Akeia de Barros Gomes
Akeia is the new Director of the Center for Black History at the Newport Historical Society and is a Visiting Scholar and Adjunct Lecturer at Brown University’s Center for the Study of Slavery
and Justice. She’s excited to integrate the work of Bike Newport with community programming that will tell a holistic history of our city.
Nick Del Greco
Nick is a star volunteer in our Community Bike Garage, so he knows what he’s getting into! He’s fond of the staff and impressed that everyone is so enthusiastic about their work. Before retiring, Nick taught engineering and technology, and ran a communications business. He is excited to help ensure that biking is an affordable means of transportation and exploration.
Brenda Delasanta
Brenda has been involved with Bike Newport for more than 5 years and it’s one of her favorite organizations to support. She’s an active member of our chapter of Black Girls Do Bike. She recently retired from her career as a Senior Auditor for the federal Office of Inspector General which gave her more time to finally join the Board!
Jim Fry
Jim’s first Bike Newport experience was riding the 10-Spot Ride and he’s been hooked ever since. As a career journalist at the Voice of America, Jim covered transportation issues “when
the car was king and bikes were an afterthought.” He hopes to help Bike Newport advocate for safer streets for children and adults.
Peter Friedrichs
Peter is an attorney and urban planner, and former city Planner in Newport and Central Falls. In fact, he’s the author of Newport’s Green and Complete Streets policies. He’s been recognized for his work in economic development, regional planning, smart growth, and new urbanism. Peter is a long time advocate for biking – and for Bike Newport.
Stacy Hennessey Stacy is an attorney and a real estate professional who divides her time between Newport and Washington DC. She says that improving bike education, reducing car traffic, improving air quality, and helping people of all backgrounds and ages is worth fighting for – and biking still makes her feel like a kid!
Paige Myatt
Paige describes herself as an “engineer turned social scientist.” She has worked at Sailors for the Sea and has coordinated Green Teams at major events, and is now the Director of Climate Resilience at the Aquidneck Island Land Trust – focusing on building a resilient community, and getting people from place to place safely biking and walking island wide.
Bike Newport