Deb Hubsmith Shifts Gears After 13 Years on Marin County Bicycle Coalition StaffAndy Peri is the New Advocacy Director
The Marin County Bicycle Coalition announced today that Deb
Hubsmith, its "front line," energetic, Advocacy Director who has been
on staff for the past 13 years will be taking on a new role within the
organization as an Advisor.
Hubsmith is making the shift to focus more energy on the national organization that she directs and founded six years ago, the
Safe Routes to School National Partnership.
Andy Peri, who
has served on MCBC's advocacy staff since 2006, will be taking over as
MCBC's Advocacy Director in July. As a five-year MCBC advocacy team
member, Peri brings the experience, relationships, and know-how to take
MCBC's advocacy program into a new era of success.
"I'm changing my role, but I'm not going too far -- MCBC has been my
baby," explains Hubsmith. "You can still expect to see me at key
public meetings advocating for critical projects such as the SMART
train and pathway, the Alto Tunnel, and the Nonmotorized Transportation
Pilot Program -- visionary projects that will provide an alternative
to Highway 101 and are essential to building the continuous North South
Greenway through Marin and Sonoma Counties. Things are going well in
Marin; it's a good time to make this shift. At the national level,
however, we're struggling with a new Congress, many of whom are trying
to eliminate bicycle and pedestrian funding. It's time for me to have an
increased focus on national level policies. Ultimately, my national
advocacy will help bring more funding to Marin County for
bicycle facilities, creating healthier more livable communities here,
and nationwide."
In addition to Peri's 5+ years of experience working on bicycle and
pedestrian projects with MCBC, he brings a comprehensive understanding
of sustainability and equity issues to the job. "After five years on
MCBC's advocacy staff, I'm excited to be moving into the Advocacy
Director position. The transition has been smooth and virtually seamless
due to my ever expanding roles within the organization and on projects
throughout the County."
Deb Hubsmith was the MCBC's first Executive Director from 1998-2005,
and served as Advocacy Director since 2005. She built the
organization's reputation as a political power house, and led the
effort to bring more than
$100 million in funding to Marin to
build more bikeways, including her work on the Nonmotorized
Transportation Pilot Program which brought more than $25 million from
Washington DC to Marin. For 12 years Hubsmith led the campaign for
completion of the Cal Park Hill Tunnel, (which opened to much fanfare in
December 2010) and since the 1990's Hubsmith has been a key leader for
Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) which will create dozens of
miles of multiuse pathways in Marin and Sonoma Counties, and establish a
new train. Deb Hubsmith also played a key role in establishing and
funding Marin's popular Safe Routes to School program, which is now in
50 local schools. During her tenure at MCBC, bicycling in Marin has
more than doubled.
Deb Hubsmith's 13 Year History with MCBCA founding board
member of Marin County Bicycle Coalition in the spring of 1998, Deb
Hubsmith became the organization's first Executive Director later that
year. She started as a volunteer, and grew the organization's budget,
structure, programs, staff and membership to become a political
powerhouse in Marin County. The non-profit Marin County Bicycle
Coalition has been led by Executive Director Kim Baenisch for the past
six years.
In the year 2000, Deb Hubsmith pitched Safe Routes to School to
Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN), and landed MCBC a federal contract
with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop a
national model program for getting children to and from schools walking
and bicycling as a way to help reduce childhood obesity. Based on the
success of the Marin program and increased momentum throughout the
nation, Hubsmith worked with Oberstar and his staff to craft national
legislation to develop the federal Safe Routes to School program to
bring opportunities for safer walking and bicycling to schools to
children and families in all 50 states. Hubsmith also worked with
together with Oberstar to develop the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot
Program as a demonstration project to test the effectiveness of
investing in a connected bicycle and pedestrian network.
In March 2005, Hubsmith stepped down as Executive Director of MCBC
to become the organization's part time Advocacy Director because she
knew that she need more time and focus with Congress to ensure that the
federal transportation bill SAFETEA-LU would include the Safe Routes
to School program and the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program.
Both pieces of legislation were enacted in August 2005, and Hubsmith
simultaneously launched the
Safe Routes to School National Partnership, a
national non-profit which now includes more than 550 organizations and
is advancing policies to improve bicycling and walking to schools and
in communities nationwide.
Including the Pilot Program, which resulted in more than $25 million, Hubsmith helped lead the way to bring more than
$100 million in funding to Marin County jurisdictions
for safer bicycle and pedestrian routes, including projects such as
the Cal Park Hill Tunnel, Lincoln Hill pathway, and bicycle lanes,
routes and racks all over Marin.
Hubsmith spearheaded the development of Marin's first Bicycle and
Pedestrian Master Plan and worked for seven years to ensure that solid
active transportation policies were included in Marin County's 2007
Countywide Plan. She was also a key player since the 1990's in crafting
the policy language for and running campaigns to ensure the passage of
Measure A (Marin's 2004 transportation funding measure) and Measure Q
(SMART's 2008 funding measure for the train and pathway). Over the past
year, she worked diligently with SMART's staff and board to ensure
that two-thirds of the pathway was retained when the economy forced
project changes.
As she moves into an Advisor role, Hubsmith will remain active with
MCBC. She will be continuing as MCBC's representative to the Bay Area
Bicycle Coalition, working on regional transportation policies, and she
will continue to advocate for critical local projects including the
SMART train and pathway, the Alto Tunnel, which will link Mill Valley
and Corte Madera, and the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program
which is a national model. Through her roles as
Chair of the California Safe Routes to School state network and
Director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, Deb
Hubsmith will remain active in bringing state and federal
transportation resources to make Marin County more sustainable, green
and healthy.
During Deb Hubsmith's tenure at the Marin County Bicycle Coalition,
bicycling in Marin County increased 135% on weekdays and 159% on weekends.
