Statements (up to 150 words) by Members Running for Election to the 2016 CRCA Board of Directors

President:

Alexis Kraft –

2015 was my first year serving as Director of Teams.  This position gave me insight into the structure of the club and helped me develop strong ties to a critical segment of it.  Working with Team Managers provided me with a deep knowledge base about how to manage this organization to feel confident about taking on a larger responsibility for CRCA.
Last year was a banner year for the club, and together we accomplished a lot of great things, like simplifying the cost structure for racing, providing better support to the membership community, developing new talent through junior development and through more accessible membership fees.  I want the club to continue to serve as the standard bearer of NYC racing and of a positive cycling experience.
The CRCA has played an enormous role in my life for the past five years, and I am ready to give back.

VP of Racing: 

Gabrielle Fisher –

I started racing in 2008 and have been a CRCA member since 2009.  In 2010 I joined the CRCA Board as Director of Open Racing, and I am currently interested in the Vice President of Racing role where I hope to build upon the successes of the 2015 Board team in this area.

As a technical program manager, my background is in leading and delivering complex global technical solutions to production.  This is a team effort and I am a collaborative player in my role.  I am also a proponent of leveraging automation and process optimization and would work to bring these practices to the CRCA racing space as well.

I think there is great opportunity to expand on previous years’ wins and continue to streamline and deliver quality CRCA races while improving the overall experience for our racing community.  Let’s work together to make this happen in 2016.

 

VP of Rider Development: 

Tara Parsons –

I have been a CRCA member since 1997 and a CRCA coach since 2011. I was an active racer between 1995-2005, and a few years later I began coaching. I love bike racing, and I love helping others to love bike racing. CRCA coaches have been a true inspiration to me, and I want to help the CRCA continue its legacy of developing strong and skilled riders.

I always give kudos to our incredible, all-volunteer CRCA board,and the races exist because of the dedication of a few individuals. I now feel a sincere obligation to contribute more to the club by stepping forward for the Rider Development position on the board.

As a veteran educator and cyclist, this is a role that I am well qualified for. I know what the coaching program entails, including the administrative work behind it. I also know what’s needed to improve our program to keep our racers succeeding.

 

Secretary: 

Fred David –

I am a Cat 3 with e2Value and a finance lawyer. I would like to put to good use the skills and experience those roles have provided by serving as CRCA’s Secretary.

I joined CRCA in 2012 and believe it – and the racing and coaching opportunities it provides – is an invaluable asset to both grizzled veterans and new racers just getting their feet wet.  CRCA is blessed to have members with a variety of talents from a wide spectrum of backgrounds. By improving members’ engagement with CRCA and the club’s sense of community, we can make CRCA a more diverse, stronger organization.

As Secretary, I would advance those goals by increasing transparency into CRCA’s and its Board’s inner workings, including by providing more detailed Board minutes, publishing minutes within one week of Board meetings, and ensuring rule changes and minutes are broadcast widely via email and social media.

 

Treasurer

Ken Edwards –

As your current Treasurer, I have worked hard with the Board this year to provide members positive change; an example of that has been the success of the Season Pass initiative which by all accounts have been highly successful in many key areas including race day registration and annual waivers. Behind the scenes we have also been proactively investing into infrastructure to make races safer and easier to run. As your Treasurer, I am proud that we continue to grow on a trend of being financially sound and have used my business sense and best practices to keep us that way. For 2016, it is my hope that we can continue on this path of finding better ways to enhance the member experience and quality racing in the best part in the world! And as always, I am available 24/7 should you need to contact me.

 

Adam Kollender –

Though new to both bike racing & CRCA, I believe I am well qualified to serve as CRCA Treasurer in 2016.  Although my colleagues often joke otherwise, cycling is not actually my profession: corporate finance is my real day job.  I’ve spent the better part of the past six years advising companies and leading their capital raising efforts in various market environments.  As a result of my experience, I have the ability to assess CRCA’s financial condition, raise and disburse funds as appropriate and take measures to ensure we are in sound shape for both the coming year and those ahead.

Since I picked up the sport of bike racing, I have been blessed with a great team (Dave Jordan Racing) and great friends.  I would like to give back to the sport and the organization that has given me so much by serving as your Treasurer.

 

Public Relations Director

Russ Bogin –

I have been a member of CRCA since 2011 and have had the opportunity to race and socialize with many of the Club’s members over the past five seasons.  During that time I have helped develop a CRCA sub-team, Fuoriclasse/NY Vision Group, primarily through building relationships and securing sponsorship for our squad.  This experience, combined with my legal background, makes me well-suited for the role of PR coordinator.  In addition, having come into bike racing relatively late as compared to most Club members I can offer some knowledge from other endeavors (both professional and recreational) that should provide the Board with a additional perspective and input.

 

Membership Director

Randy Locklair –

“Hi everyone! My first year of being your Membership Director could not have been more exciting, fun, crazy, busy, and a huge learning experience.  There were things I did not anticipate in many ways, but it was absolutely a blast.  As a board we were able to maintain a nice large membership and gain many new members, and I hope I was able to answer all of your questions and requests in a timely fashion (at least most of the time!)

I have decided to throw my name into the ring again for next year, because I know that after one year of experience I can give so much more.  I spent a lot of 2015 building up a list of improvements based on all of your experiences and feedback and look forward to implementing them in 2016!  Thanks for your votes and happy riding!”

 

Director of Teams: 

Robert Rakowitz –

I’ve been racing as part of CRCA for 5 seasons now and it would be a privilege to be Director of Teams for the 2016 season. I’ve been lucky enough to play a leadership role within the Sid’s Bikes NYC team, and also have extended that out to running the USA Cycling Team for the Maccabi Games in 2013. As a candidate for this role, I bring a keen sense of organizing seemingly disparate groups to work together, and developing a sense of community to drive towards a common goal. All of our subteams do brilliant work individually, working together we can drive more efficiency in fulfilling our community needs, provide a more welcoming environment for newcomers, and create an even deeper esprit de corps than exists today. I’d welcome the opportunity to help drive more seamlessness, clarity, and cohesiveness in how we operate as a community of teams.

 

Director of Open Racing:

Ted Tyber –

Ted Teyber is well qualified for CRCA’s Director of Open Racing position due to his enthusiasm for cycling at all levels, as well as his administrative experience as a land use and commercial real estate attorney in the NY tri-state area.  Growing up in Southern California, Ted’s entree to cycling was mountain biking, and he was on the University of California Santa Barbara’s MTB team as an undergraduate.  Ted moved East for law school, and with the free time that became available upon graduating, became interested in road racing as an adrenaline substitute for the elevation and switchbacks of mountain biking the western states.  In addition to being a member of CRCA, Ted is a contributing member of IMBA, Transportation Alternatives, and Rails to Trails, and having been impressed by CRCA this past year, wants to ensure that the 2016 season does not depart from this high standard.

 

Communications Director: 

David Wen Riccardi-Zhu

Although I am new to racing and CRCA, I’ve developed a deep love for the sport. Cycling has been a regular source of joy and life lessons, and the passion it has inspired is the foundation for my desire to serve on the board.

I see serving on the board as a way to give back to the sport, as well as an opportunity to learn more about what’s involved behind the scenes. I would also use the opportunity to offer my perspective as a novice, to help the sport grow and become more accessible.

As Communications Director, I’d see my principal role as being a narrator for the club’s activities. I am interested in telling – and helping others tell – CRCA’s story, celebrating the club’s and members’ achievements. I’ve gained some experience in this role working on a website for my former Marine Corps platoon.