Howdy! I’m Mel Gonzalez Vazquez (she/hers) and I am thrilled to join BikeMN as the
Communications Director. I’m looking forward to working with the team to continue providing safe, healthy, and equitable transportation practices to BIPOC and primarily Spanish-speaking communities in Minnesota.
My love for the outdoors was instilled in me via my parents’ passion for urban horticulture where I learned how to plant, and harvest produce native to East Texas. Seeing my passion grow, they encouraged my involvement in a local Girl Scouts of San Jacinto troop for a decade where I met other fearless, outdoorsy women. These experiences fed my enthusiasm to involve more BIPOC folks in learning how to unplug while living in highly urbanized centers. I moved to
Northfield from Houston in 2018 to pursue a degree in Political Science International Relations
and Philosophy at Carleton College and discover the joys of small-town living.
Over the past seven years, I have worked within nonprofits and congressional campaigns in
California, Illinois, Minnesota, and Texas. I taught groups of volunteers how to organize their
respective communities during and shortly after a pandemic in both English and Spanish. I hold
diverse national experience working in supporting voter engagement, immigrant/asylee rights,
leadership development, and social media management. With BikeMN, I will re-engage with the
outdoors alongside a talented team to make Minnesota safer for all bikers.
Now, I live in uptown Minneapolis with my gray tabby, Zeus. I enjoy lifting heavy weights in
the gym, cooking fusion dishes, practicing portrait photography, and all things in the fantasy
genre.