Anika moved to Santa Barbara from Sacramento after being hypnotized the area while visiting a friend. She transfered to UC Santa Barbara, commuting by bike on old red schwinn, not realizing how special this was. After graduating with an English degree, Anika worked for the Santa Barbara Independent, which gave her a better understanding of local politics and introduced her to MOVE through an article assignment. Working in downtown Santa Barbara while living in Carpinteria has opened her eyes to the problems with our transportation system and inspired her to take action. She's so excited to be joining MOVE and promoting the cause for safe, sustainable, and equitable transportation throughout the county.

After 15+ years in direct marketing and IT business analysis, Barry shifted gears for a career and lifestyle change and “switched coasts” to Santa Barbara in 2006 from Connecticut, where he studied Elementary Education at Southern CT State University. Joining COAST in 2013 as a bike safety instructor, he then expanded his role to also include advocacy and administrative management, and loved being a part of bringing the first three Open Streets celebrations to Santa Barbara.

Born and raised in Santa Maria, Enrique began volunteering for the MOVE community bike shop (Bici Centro) in 2019, while he was in high school at Pioneer Valley. He joined MOVE in 2024 and is excited to be fixing and building bikes for a living. In his spare time he enjoys mountain rides in Orcutt and playing soccer with his cousins.

Eliza grew up in Boulder, Colorado where she spent her free time hiking, camping and riding through the rockies. In 2019, she moved to California to pursue a bachelor's in psychology from UC Santa Barbara. Along the way, she spent six months living in Denmark where she became interested in sustainable transportation and environmentalism. She joined MOVE as an intern through UCSB's Blum Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy and stayed as the organization aligned with her passions for the outdoors, being active, and getting people to think and act more sustainably.

Raised in Los Angeles, on Tataviam land, with roots in Veracruz, Mexico, Gemma grew up riding public transit with her mom and youngest sibling. These daily commutes introduced her to the greater LA area and sparked her curiosity about how urban ecologies are formed. In 2021, she earned a BA in Urban Studies and Planning from CalState Northridge while also deepening her mixed-media art practice. Over the years, she developed a transdisciplinary approach that bridges urban studies and visual arts to explore community relations, urban ecologies, and mobility. Gemma has spent over 5 years reimagining the urban landscape as a teaching artist with organizations such as The Echo Park Film Center, Las Fotos Project, and the Academy Museum. For three years, she assisted with pedestrian planning and traffic safety work on the East LA Pedestrian Plan and East LA Moves/El Este Se Mueve as ACT Coordinator with Public Matters. Recently relocating to Goleta, Gemma is enthusiastic about continuing to co-create safe and accessible communitas. She looks forward to deepening her passion for bikes and exploring Santa Barbara’s natural landscapes.

Heather is a Santa Maria native who began walking to school in kindergarten, joined a bike club in middle school and participated in bicycle tours of the Canadian Rockies, New England and a four-month ride across the U.S before the age of fourteen. While these experiences shaped her youth, it wasn't until returning to the U.S. after living in Europe that she became aware of environmental, health and economic inequities of our current transportation system. She received a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning and has worked for 20 years in the public, private and non-profits sectors focused on planning, designing, building and maintaining walking, bicycling, transit and trail projects across the country while acting as a tireless advocate.

Ken's been involved in the Santa Maria bicycling community for seven years and has traveled primarily by bike (and bus) for a decade. He has a BA in Psychology from the University of Northridge which he obtained to acquire a broader perception of the people he helps and to better understand their needs. He believes bicycling can reduce the amount of stress people incur everyday whether it's financial, physical, or mental. He wants to spread the benefits of cycling to anyone and everyone he can and is honored to be a part of the MOVE team and see cycling, walking and transit use expand in Santa Maria.

The Greenpeace Save the Whales campaign and a major drought in California in the 1970s made Kim realize that 'regular' people had to do something to save and protect our planet. That awakening brought her to the Environmental Studies department at UCSB where she earned her bachelor’s degree. Her subsequent work at the Community Environmental Council focused on recycling efforts and it was there that she began to feel her work could have an impact and reflect her values. Now in the transportation field of environmental protection, a tenet for Kim is that walking and the bicycle is a simple solution to some of the world’s most complicated problems. At MOVE, Kim leads a team of committed people working on revolutionary change: building communities where people can choose to walk, bike and use transit to get places because it matters and because it is safe, convenient and preferred.

Lynneal moved to Santa Barbara from Colorado in 2013, after completing a degree in Exercise Science at the University of Northern Colorado. She was told to "bring a bike" because it would be her primary mode of transportation. She learned about Bici Centro when her bike needed some adjustments and was so excited to learn how to fix her own bike that her journey with the organization began. She was a initially a volunteer and fondly remembers painting bright tool boards when we moved to our current location. Little by little she learned the intricacies of bike mechanics while utilizing parts that were donated to the shop. Lynneal loves Bici Centro's tenent to empower the community to fix their own bike at an affordable cost and create a unique safe space for a variety of people to work on bikes, share meals, and life experiences.

Martina grew up in Topanga, CA and she has always loved being outdoors. While attending a nature based highschool, she participated in a bikepacking wilderness expeditionary program which opened her eyes to the benefits of biking and the importance of equitable bike access. While studying abroad in Copenhagen, she witnessed a city centered on pedestrians, transit and bicyclist which inspired her to do her capstone project on sustainably developing cities by increasing walking and bike infrastructure. Martina holds a Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Resource studies with a concentration in sustainable development, community resilience, and social justice from UC Berkeley. She is beyond excited to work with the communities and schools of Santa Barbara and Carpinteria to promote walking and biking.

Melissa moved to Santa Barbara from Crested Butte, Colorado in 2014, eager to trade her snow shovel for beach chairs. While in Colorado, she was Executive Director of Living Journeys Cancer Support Network. Melissa has been involved in numerous non-profits both as staff and board for most of her life. She is passionate about active transportation, accessibility and safety for all, and the impact that choosing to walk, bike or take transit has on the environment. Melissa joined COAST in 2019 as Executive Director, became Director of Strategic Initiatives at SBBIKE+COAST upon merging in July 2021, and is currently Manager of Cycling Without Age Santa Barbara.

Octavio was first introduced to MOVE in 2021 through the Goodwill Program, which helps youth connect with employment opportunities. He thought working at a bike shop sounded fun and exciting, only to find out that it was his passion. Shop staff noticed his enthusiasm and commitment and brought him on full-time. He is grateful that he gets to help people, especially those who are low income, with affordable bikes and repairs. He sees his new career at Bici Centro as “another chance in life”.

Sean grew up in a small town in the foothills of Northern California spending his time surrounded by outdoors and playing soccer. He found a love for bikes during high school, when he joined his local Naional Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) team and learn how to work on his own bike. Sean moved to Santa Barbara to study Mechanical Engineering at Santa Babbara City College. In his free time, Sean enjoys mountain biking, running, woodworking, or juggling on Leadbetter Beach.

In 2006 Tee relocated to Santa Barbara from Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. She worked as a barista and screen printer to make ends meet. During that time she visited Casa de la Raza (the former location of Bici Centro) to buy a bike and was intrigued by the shop. Years later, she was invited to join Bici Centro as a volunteer and then as staff as she had prior experience working on bikes with her uncle at his screen printing shop. Tee appreciates the way Bici Centro brings volunteers together to mutually solve problems problems and work together.

Terrence is from Santa Maria, California. He grew up with a love of the outdoors, riding BMX bikes and attending frequent camping, fishing and backpacking trips. He attended Santa Maria Bonita School district elementary schools and graduated from Santa Maria High School. After attending Allan Hancock College, he transferred to California State University, East Bay. There he learned the power of bicycles and public transportation as a solution to many of the issues facing communities. After graduation with BA in Communication, Terrence returned to the Central Coast where he worked in the field of applied behavioral analysis and as an instructional assistant in special education classes at Santa Maria High School for 7 years. After volunteering at Santa Maria Bici Centro, Terrence was excited to learn of an opportunity with MOVE to combine his love of the outdoors, bicycling and empowering students and joined the team as North County Education and Encouragement Coordinator in late 2021. Since then, Terrence has worked with several schools in the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valleys and is excited to bring bicycle education and empowerment to our community. In his free time, Terrence plays bass guitar in several local bands and enjoys camping, disc golf, skateboarding and of course, bicycling!

Tom first experienced a car-free adult life in Lawrence, Kansas in 2000-- the same year Lawrence Transit System began offering its first city bus rides for 50¢. Using America's rails, trails, bus routes, and city sidewalks, Tom felt his civic consciousness elevated as his life grew more fun and full of meaning. After graduating from the University of Kansas with a Sociology degree, Tom spent twenty years car-free in cities from New York to San Fransisco. He saw what it was like to thrive in cities that were more designed for active transit -where being car-free was the norm- and hopes to bring that same lifestyle here. In addition to his passion for growing active transportation in Santa Barbara County, Tom is equally passionate about fostering support for Santa Barbara's many musicians, poets, artists, architects, dancers, and dreamers.

Biking and the outdoors have always been a big part of Vanessa’s life and now she enjoys them with her family. Vanessa was born in Germany and grew up both there and in the U.S. She married in Denmark where the bike culture there impressed her so much; not only the variety and creativity of the various bicycles, but all the bike paths connecting the biggest cities to the smallest farm towns. “I am so excited to be joining the sustainable transportation community and look forward to educating kids about being safe while having fun outdoors and sharing the joy of biking with others.”