Cascade Members, Meet Your 2025 Board of Director Candidates!
E-ballots will be delivered to active Cascade members December 1, 2024 and must be submitted by December 15, 2024. For 2025, we have nine seats up for election.
Sara Kiesler
The Cascade Board of Directors represents the voice of its members and is responsible to the membership. Their role is to ensure that Cascade’s resources are being used to the greatest benefit for all members, as well as the larger community.
For 2025 we have nine seats up for election. Over the past months, we’ve received great nominations. After review, the search committee is happy to present the following new and returning candidates to the Cascade Board of Directors.
If elected (or re-elected), the board members will serve a three-year term beginning in 2025.
The candidates are:
- Roxana Gomez, Current Director
- Stephen J. Hall, Jr., Prospective Director Candidate
- Allison Handy, Current Director
- Eric Jensen, Prospective Director Candidate
- Gina Kavesh, Current Director
- Matthew Latimer, Prospective Director Candidate
- Mark Mercado, Prospective Director Candidate
- Michael Payne, Current Director
- Kai Shih, Current Director
Bios below
Roxana Gomez, Current Director
Roxana Gomez (she/her) is a first-generation American and the proud daughter of Honduran immigrants. She was born in Seattle and raised in South King County, and learned early in her life that where you live heavily affects your health outcomes. This awareness pushed her to study the social determinants of health at the University of Washington, where she graduated with a BA in Public Health. She later took her knowledge of impacted communities and lived experience to politics, where she served as a Legislative Aide to Council President M. Lorena González. She now works at the ACLU of Washington, where she works to advance their legislative agenda in Olympia.
Roxana first took up cycling as a form of exercise (and as a way to get out of her UW dorm). Soon enough, she was going on long rides almost every weekend on the Burke Gilman. Now, she doesn’t ride outside as much as she would like to, but when she does, she’s reminded of the liberation that cycling provides her.
Of course, not everyone feels this freedom. Roxana acknowledges that communities of color, in particular those in South King County, need greater investments in infrastructure before they feel safe riding their bike on the road. She’s hoping to bring this passion and awareness to the Cascade Board!
Stephen J. Hall, Prospective Director Candidate
Stephen draws on extensive experience in business and environmental advocacy to support community initiatives. His career spans from marketing roles to founding and later selling a specialty printing company.
An avid bicyclist, Stephen has ridden the Seattle to Portland (STP) and has owned multiple bicycles, including: an old racing bike with sewn-up tires as a teen, a tandem for camping, multiple road bikes, multiple mountain bikes, and e-bikes. Today, he rides everywhere for everything on greater Seattle’s amazing bicycle infrastructure.
His connection to the outdoors has shaped his work, including service on a co-op board and founding a nonprofit focused on recreation. These efforts have helped expand trail access and outdoor facilities throughout Washington.
Today, he serves as a volunteer mentor to business owners, sharing insights from his entrepreneurial journey and expertise in sustainable practices. His approach integrates sound business principles with environmental responsibility.
Stephen's leadership in both corporate and nonprofit settings has refined his skills in governance and strategic development. He continues to apply this practical experience to foster business growth and advance conservation efforts in his community
Allison Handy, Current Director
Allison has enjoyed cycling since childhood but started riding seriously in 2007 in Chicago. Since then, she has done triathlons, cyclocross races, and biked across Colorado and all over Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. Since moving to Bainbridge Island in 2013, she has been a year-round bike (and ferry) commuter to her job in Seattle and enjoyed the 2018 RSVP. Allison rides regularly with her husband and two kids on Bainbridge, the Olympic Peninsula, and wherever else they can find the opportunity.
Professionally, Allison is the Co-Chair of the Corporate & Securities Practice at Perkins Coie LLP. She counsels public and private companies on corporate governance practices, disclosure issues, and capital markets transactions, such as equity offerings, debt offerings, and tender offers. She is also a leader of the firm’s Environmental, Social, and Governance advisory team, and co-founder and frequent contributor to the firm’s Public Chatter blog. Allison also serves as a trustee of the Pacific Northwest Research Institute.
At Perkins, Allison is active in connecting with other bike commuters in the Seattle office, especially those who are just starting in bike commuting and looking for guidance on safe routes and office amenities that make bike commuting easier.
Eric Jensen, Prospective Director Candidate
Eric grew up in Bremerton and attended the University of Washington and Tulane University, where he received a Masters in Hospital Administration. Eric worked as a rural hospital administrator and CEO in Washington for over 30 years at hospitals in Central Washington, the Olympic Peninsula, and in the Puget Sound area. He is currently semi-retired living in Bothell and working in Governmental Affairs for a small health care system.
As a hospital CEO, Eric has worked with nonprofit and hospital boards and brings in-depth experience in financial planning, strategic planning, legislative advocacy, and fundraising to Cascade’s Board of Directors.
Eric’s involvement in cycling spans six decades, including many years of membership to Cascade Bicycle Club as time and geography has allowed. As a triathlete living in Reno, his first training ride was around Lake Tahoe, not appreciating the extent of the vertical elevation. Throughout the 2000s, Eric has been an avid Cascade Bicycle event participant riding STP and RSVP 3 years each. He has also participated in numerous other rides over the years including Chilly Hilly, Kitsap Color Classic, MS ride, and Vashon Passport to Pain.
Throughout his career, Eric has served on numerous nonprofit boards including Clallam County United Way, the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts, the Kittitas County Board of Health, and Astria Toppenish Hospital, to name a few. Eric is excited to bring his passion for cycling and experience in board governance to the Cascade Bicycle Club’s Board of Directors.
Gina Kavesh, Current Director
Gina is a Seattle native but found cycling during the few years she lived in the Bay Area. She has been a Cascade member for over 25 years and has participated in the majority of Cascade’s rides – STP, Chilly Hilly, RSVP, Flying Wheels, Kitsap Colors Classic, and many others. Along the way, Gina created several cycling clinics including a women’s only clinic in Redlands, Calif. with an average attendance of more than 100 women.
Gina has been involved in cycling governance at the national level through USA Cycling and at the local level with the Washington State Bike Association. She also served as the Executive Director of The WAVE Foundation which is best known for Cycle the WAVE. She is excited to be able to spend her energy as a Cascade Board member to support all the critical work Cascade is undertaking to ensure cycling in the Pacific Northwest is accessible and safe.
Professionally, Gina has been a retail business owner, a nonprofit executive director, and is now self-employed as a business consultant focused on working with small businesses to improve their operational functions.
Matthew Latimer, Prospective Director Candidate
Matt is a Chief of Staff for the OneDrive and SharePoint team at Microsoft in Redmond. He holds a BS in Business and an MBA from Indiana University. He has lived in the Seattle area since 1995 with his wife (Karen) and two daughters (Hannah and Olivia).
Matt has been an active cycling enthusiast since buying his first 10-speed at age 13 and has participated in numerous Cascade events, including STP, RSVP, Flying Wheels, Bike`n’ Brews, and Emerald City Ride. In 2009, he was introduced to Cascade and STP by a friend who convinced him (in March) that he could train for and ride STP (2 days) by July. He bought his first road bike (GT Series 3) and spent most of the next 4 months training and ultimately having a fantastic experience. Nine more STPs and one new road bike (Specialized Roubaix) later, Matt is aiming to ride STP annually and accumulate 30 total STPs.
That first STP was a catalyst that awakened a love of cycling, which has provided numerous unique life experiences since. Cycling has enhanced (and created) some of his closest personal relationships, improved his fitness/health, and enriched his life in profound ways. Matt has long admired Cascade as a member and rider and is grateful for the door opened 15 years ago. He appreciates the opportunity to contribute to an organization that he knows has a profound impact on every community member it serves.
Mark Mercado, Prospective Director Candidate
Son of immigrant parents from Puerto Rico, Mark grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs and attended college near Chicago. Today he is a career public school secondary science teacher.
Like many former runners, he switched to spandex and cycling. Now, he loves the breeze on his face and the joy of seeing scenery at the pace of a bike.
He’s ridden all Cascades major rides and especially gets a kick out of seeing all the bikes on ferry decks before Chilly Hilly and Kitsap Color Classic. He enjoys the physical challenge and synergy of riding with others. During the summer he regularly rides with Cascade's NERDS Free Group Ride group out of Lynnwood. He especially enjoys the post-ride beer, potluck, and conversations.
Two summers ago, he bike-toured fully loaded with panniers from Anacortes, WA to Bar Harbor, ME on the Northern Tier route, with some assistance from Amtrak.
Mark is passionate (and impatient) about protected bike lanes that make it safe for everyone to ride. He wishes the USA was more like Holland, where everyone from young to old rides and bikes have priority over cars.
He is active in his church as a volunteer and sings in the choir.
Michael Payne, Current Director
Michael has been engaged in cycling advocacy throughout his adult life and is excited to help Cascade Bicycle Club grow. He is particularly eager to see Cascade strengthen its partnerships with regional and national organizations and unite more cyclists for greater impact.
Over the last decade, Michael was the first Executive Director of Houston’s bicycle advocacy non-profit (BikeHouston), and served six years on the board of Safe Routes to Schools. He is currently on the board of national bike advocacy organization the League of American Bicyclists, and also chairs Inkomoko, a microfinance nonprofit that supports refugees in Africa.
He brings experience leading organizations ranging from start-ups to nonprofits to large corporations. Having lived in multiple cities across six countries, including 15 years in the Netherlands, he is a big believer in benchmarking and adapting best practices to meet local needs. He is fortunate to have experienced best-in-class cycling infrastructure and wants to help Washington get there as soon as possible.
Before getting his MBA from Northwestern, he spent seven years as CEO growing and ultimately selling a technology startup. During this time he served on the board of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. Before shifting to nonprofit work, Michael spent 17 years in the wind energy industry managing large-scale project development in Europe, Asia, and the US.
He has completed his League Cycling Instructor (LCI) as well as his Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification and enjoys riding for recreation, fitness, and transportation. This summer he survived and enjoyed his first self-supported bikepacking adventure riding 340 miles from Whidbey Island to La Push and back. He is extremely grateful to all people who support bicycle advocacy!
Kai Shih, Current Director
Kai was the last kid in his neighborhood to ditch training wheels: he was too afraid to even try. As a parent, he wants his kids to be so much better than he was. He wants biking to teach his kids to brush off that scraped knee, to feel the joys of independence and the thrill of accomplishment, to get exercise, and to help the environment. When his 10-year-old suggested they bike STP, Kai said "let’s try" even though none of them had biked more than 15 miles. The family started on group rides; his wife and two older kids have now ridden Major Taylor and Chilly Hilly together, and all had a wonderful experience. His view is these experiences will be formative, and a ride like STP will be a lifetime memory for them.
However, Kai still hasn’t seen many families or people of color participate on Cascade’s rides. He would like to join the board to push for a greater emphasis on family-oriented programs, and for increased access to biking for people of color and underserved communities. Kai believes kids, people of color, and the underserved can enjoy a lifetime of positive impacts from biking with some encouragement and support. He would like to see programs like supported rides for families (training wheels welcome!), and medals for your first ride, and for kids.
As for Kai, he’s the president of the board of the Denise Louie Education Center, which provides early childhood education to underserved communities around Seattle. He’s also the founder of Shih Investments, a financial services firm. He holds graduate degrees from Stanford and MIT.
To vote
Electronic voting will be available to all Cascade members on Dec 1, 2024 via email. Keep your eyes out for an email from Cascade Bicycle Club with your personalized voting link, and review your cascade.org account to keep your email address up to date. Please contact Cascade if your membership is active and you did not receive your personal e-ballot.
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