San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Names New Executive Director

10:58 AM PDT on June 20, 2016

Say hello to Brian Wiedenmeier, the SF Bike Coalition's new executive director. Image: SFBC

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Board of Directors has selected Brian Wiedenmeier as the organization's next executive director. Wiedenmeier is not a newcomer to the SFBC. He spent the last two years as the organization's development director. "Brian's professional accomplishments and experience really stood out throughout this hiring process," said Brianne O'Leary Gagnon, president of the SF Bicycle Coalition's Board, in a prepared statement. "He's committed to people biking and the city of San Francisco."

From the SFBC's announcement:

Wiedenmeier moved to San Francisco ten years ago from Minneapolis, where he went to college, and joined the SF Bicycle Coalition as a member the following year. He bikes both as his primary means of transportation as well as for recreation. In addition to the long rides Wiedenmeier often takes on mornings and weekends, he just completed his second 545-mile AIDS/LifeCycle Ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles last week.

"It's really important to me not only that we continue improving biking in San Francisco, but that we do so in every single neighborhood of our city," Wiedenmeier said, in the coalition's announcement. "If you live in the Tenderloin, the Bayview, or the Excelsior, I want you to know that the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is here to help improve your streets to meet your hopes and needs."

Readers will recall a few months ago Streetsblog did a Q&A with the SFBC's interim executive director, Margaret McCarthy, when she was appointed after Noah Budnick's departure amidst a contentious board election. McCarthy resumes her role as program director through July. Afterwards, she plans to leave the SF Bicycle Coalition's staff.

Streetsblog will be conversing with Wiedenmeier soon to get details on where he hopes to take the organization. We wish him the best of luck in the new gig. Given the challenges of bringing safe bicycle infrastructure to San Francisco, he will have his work cut out for him.

His official start date will be Wednesday, July 6.