Our Team

BikeMN is governed by a Board of Directors and staffed by tireless advocates for bicycling and walking.

CJ Lindor
Education Coordinator

Before coming to the Bicycle Alliance in 2014, CJ was teaching outdoor and environmental education for 6 years. His background also includes many years of bike shop retail and repair experience, and he is a founding coach for one of the MN High School Cycling League teams. CJ believes in the transformative power of the bicycle to improve the quality of life for people and communities. His current role at the Bicycle Alliance is a perfect synthesis of his passions for outdoor recreation, sustainable communities, and transportation advocacy. CJ loves all types of cycling but most especially ripping through the forest on a mountain bike.

Dorian Grilley
Executive Director

Dorian has worked with non-profits as a volunteer or staff for almost forty years, volunteering many years with the Minnesota Coalition of Bicyclists, BikeMN’s predecessor, and serving as the BikeMN executive director since 2009. He worked for the Minnesota DNR from 1979 to 1996, and then served as the Executive Director Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota 1996 to 2008. Dorian currently serves on the board of the Lake Links (White Bear Lake) Trails Association. He commuted 25-30 miles round trip daily for 25 years and raced for more than a decade. He and his wife Margie live in Mahtomedi near White Bear Lake and enjoys bicycling, nordic skiing, sailing his ice boats, fishing, and working on his model railroad.

Tim Brackett
2021-22 GreenCorps Member

Tim has been an avid cyclist since 2014, when he purchased a blue Huffy Strider at the New Hope Unique Thrift Store for $15 and rebuilt the bike with the help of the Cycles for Change bike shop. After putting 10,000+ miles on this Huffy Strider, Tim mothballed his beautiful blue steel steed in 2019 and purchased two new bikes (Road & Fat Tire) to replace her.

Tim studied Community Development at Minneapolis College (MCTC) and is currently enrolled at Metro State as an Advocacy and Political Leadership Track (BA) major. Tim’s career aspiration is to engage communities and work collaboratively to build safe, equitable and sustainable transportation options for everyone. He looks forward to doing this work through advocacy, education and outreach initiatives.

Tim is married (Kari) and a dog-owner (Marla) and spends his free time exploring the North Shore of Lake Superior, attending concerts, listening to new music, completing crossword puzzles, serving on two nonprofit boards (streets.mn and Windom Park Community in Action) and doing woodworking projects.

Helena Howard
Education Associate

Helena grew up biking around Bloomington, MN and moved to Minneapolis in 2015, where she worked at Animal Humane Society providing low-cost vet care and snuggling baby animals. During this time, she attempted to bike across the country which sparked her interest in bike repair. In her three years as a professional bike mechanic, she felt most fulfilled when getting someone rolling again who needed their bike for transportation. She facilitates bike repair nights as a volunteer for Grease Rag, a Twin Cities group for FTW riders. When not riding her bike, Helena loves sewing, puppetry, dance, and taking her dog Grazie on long walks.

Maya Sheikh
Communications Manager

Maya is the Communications Manager for BikeMN. Maya has been biking around Minneapolis with her family for years throughout the Twin Cities, and is excited to write words for BikeMN in this role. She recently returned to Minnesota from Washington, DC, where she worked in communications in the US Senate. She is eager to dive into the world of transportation equity, education and advocacy, and she looks forward to learning to love a chilly bike ride, exploring new trails throughout the state, and talking to passionate Minnesotans.

Angela Olson
Education Director

Angela has worked in the bike industry as a mechanic, service writer, and in sales, as well as leading rides and workshops for WTF (women, trans, femme) folks. Advocating for cycling and pedestrian safety speaks to her passion for public health and access. Angela views her role at BikeMN as a perfect marriage between her personal interest and professional experience.

Before joining BikeMN, Angela worked in the arts education field for public schools and museums across MN. Most recently, she managed Studio Programs at Mia (the Minneapolis Institute of Art). Cycling has been her main source of transportation since she moved to Minneapolis in 2005 when she was gifted a yellow 1987 Schwinn road bike from her grandpa.

In her spare time, Angela loves to bake, spend time with her family, and play in the backyard with her dog, Princess Leia.

Natalie Gille
Greater Minnesota Program Manager

Natalie Gille grew up in Lauderdale, Minnesota, biking and walking to local parks, community events, church, and the mall. She continued commuting by bike while studying at Bemidji State University. As a League Cycling Instructor (LCI), Natalie teaches bike education, leads bike rides, helps plan Bike Month activities, and works with communities to become more bicycle-friendly. She leads the Minnesota Bike Walk Leadership Network, moderates monthly webinars and manages the Community Bike Walk Leadership Team program statewide. Natalie cycles for both transportation and leisure, frequently choosing travel destinations based on whether they are walk and bicycle-friendly.

Spencer Polk
Communications Intern

After growing up in southern Wisconsin, Spencer moved to St. Paul in 2016 to attend the University of St Thomas where he studied Geography, Justice and Peace Studies, and German. During this time, the importance of biking in his life accelerated as he biked across the country, became a campus bike ambassador, and developed a career interest in the intersection of transportation with public health, equity, justice, and community building, helping publish a book highlighting the intersections of transportation and social justice in the Twin Cities. He has a diverse local and international background working in supporting legislative work, voter engagement, disaster response, food sovereignty, refugee/immigrant entrepreneurship, water resource protection, and political organizing. Currently, Spencer lives in South Minneapolis where he is active in the bike, music, and dance communities. He helps lead community bike rides as a member of the Fulton Racing team, serves on the Minneapolis Southside Greenzone Council, plays viola in a band, and enjoys documenting different moments and places through photography. He is excited about the opportunity at BikeMN to support Minnesota communities in advancing inclusive biking as a people-friendly, fun, and ecological way to move, explore, and live by promoting events and policy developments across the state.

Ted Duepner
Supporter Relations Manger

Ted has been using his bike as a main source of transportation year-round in Minnesota since 2003 including 15 years of commuting 20+ miles per day. While the most rewarding job he had was being a playground/lunchroom supervisor at an elementary school for 10 years, he has always strived to incorporate bicycle advocacy and encourage ridership wherever he has found himself. Legitimizing cycling and walking for transportation has been and remains a central component of his identity. When not on his bike you may find him, canoeing, hiking, fishing, hunting, playing yard games, losing at board games, and foraging for wild foods or pretty rocks.

Board of Directors

This group of skilled professionals, active transportation advocates, and passionate bicyclists and pedestrians has built up BikeMN from an ad-hoc committee to an organization with statewide influence and a $1 million budget. Directors have hailed from communities across Minnesota.

Paul Acito, Saint Paul

Bill Dooley, Minneapolis

Steph Jacobs, President, Minneapolis

Rachael Weiker, Vice-President, Minneapolis

Andy Lambert, Minneapolis

Tom Steen, Rochester

Rachel Callanan, Saint Paul

Julia Eagles, Secretary, Minneapolis

Verónica Jaralambides, Hopkins

Shawna Mullen, Duluth

Nancy Roehr, Minneapolis

Interested in becoming a board member?

The BikeMN board has annual openings for people from around Minnesota that are interested in contributing their time, interest, skills, and passion toward accomplishing BikeMN’s mission and vision. At nonprofits, a Board of Directors is typically organized as either a “working board” or a “governing board.” At BikeMN, you’ll get a little bit of both flavors.

Directors may participate in meetings virtually and reimbursements are available for meeting travel for Greater Minnesota-based directors. Everyone is invited to apply.

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