Dear Jackson Bike Advocates,
First, allow me to apologize for the lack of correspondence of late. The JBA has been waiting to move forward until we were certain about some news! And now we are!
Melody Moody, current President of the Board of the JBA, has been hired as the director of Bike Walk Mississippi! We congratulate her and look forward to working more closely with them! They have moved headquarters to Jackson so we will be seeing a bigger presence from them here.
Another big change is that Lizzie Wright, current Executive Director of the JBA, will be leaving us on September 28th to pursue her passion for insects and trees in the British Virgin Islands and then at the University of Missouri in January.
What does this mean for the JBA?
So the ground work has been laid. All of the paperwork to get Non-Profit status has been done, but not filed since Mel and Lizzie are leaving.
A lot of hard work has gone into the JBA and we’ve made a lot of progress. If you’ve paid any attention to the Jackson Free Press, the Clarion Ledger, Portico or Boom Jackson Magazine you will have noticed that bikes are on everyone’s minds lately. It seems that the formation of the JBA and the events that we’ve held have really brought the issue to the attention of Jacksonians. With the passage of the 3 feet law in Mississippi and the efforts of other bike groups like Bike Walk, Jackson Metro Cyclists, and other bike groups all over the state alternative transportation has a future in Mississippi.
If the Jackson Bike Advocates want to continue this work, two people need to step up to fill the roles of Executive Director and President of the Board of Directors.
If you are interested in either of these positions or would like to nominate an individual, please, contact us at jacksonbikeadvocates@gmail.com. We are also accepting general nominations for board members.
We are planning a meeting for September 8th for all members of the JBA! Please, come ready to discuss these issues and the future of the JBA. We need to know if Jackson is ready to move forward with bicycle advocacy! An agenda will be sent out a couple of days before the meeting.
We would LOVE to see the JBA thrive once Lizzie and Mel have left. So, please consider helping! We have detailed descriptions of the positions and have redefined the goals of the JBA now that Bike Walk Mississippi is more focused on Jackson.
We hope to see you on Monday, September 20th at the Jackson Community Design Center at 509 E. Capitol St. Downtown at 6:30pm.
Thanks so much!
Lizzie Wright
Executive Director
Jackson Bike Advocates
303-332-2949
