President: Harald Kliems
Growing up in a small town in Germany and later going to university in Berlin, Harald never thought of himself as a cyclist—he just used his bike to get places. After coming to the US for grad school, using a bike somehow required lots of things, among them identifying as “a cyclist.” And so he did. Trained as a psychologist and sociologists of science and technology, Harald now works as the deputy director of the UW Prevention Research Center. Not having a car in his household, he rides his bike all around town, and he wants to make Madison a place where people of all ages and all abilities can do so too. Harald also somewhat regularly blogs at Ride or Pie!? and has served as the president of Madison Bikes since 2019. You can also find him on Mastodon.
Secretary: Liz Jesse
Liz grew up in Madison and after college moved to the Washington D.C. suburbs for several years, followed by a ten year stint in Sheboygan, WI. However, it was only after moving home to Madison in 2015 that she truly began to appreciate the city’s vibrant bicycling culture. She is now a year-round bicycle commuter (eight miles round trip), but also enjoys recreational road riding and bicycle camping/touring during the warmer months. Liz works as a science outreach specialist/educator at the UW Biotechnology Center and is an active member of the UW-Madison Science Alliance, a science outreach advocacy group on campus. She lives on Madison’s near-west side with her husband, Ben, and their two adorable rescue dogs.
Treasurer: Mark Shahan
Mark first became involved in Madison bicycling through the UW Hoofers Outing Club starting in 1983 while attending graduate school in biochemistry. After graduating, he gravitated towards bicycle advocacy and cofounded the Bicycle Transportation Alliance of Dane County (BTA) in 1993. One of the early efforts of BTA was helping fundraise for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin (now the Wisconsin Bike Fed) as the Bike Fed transitioned into a truly statewide advocacy organization. Mark has served on numerous City of Madison committees and commissions, including 12 years on the Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Motor Vehicle Commission (7 years as chairperson) and the Committee for the Design of the Southwest Commuter Bike and Pedestrian Path. He continues to serve on the Long Range Transportation Planning Committee. Mark’s advocacy for bicycle friendly growth, transportation facilities, and policies is an outgrowth of being a year-round bicycle commuter for over two decades. Mark takes care of the finances of Madison Bikes as its treasurer.
Eleanor Conrad
Eleanor Conrad has been a member of Madison Bikes since 2016. One of her favorite aspects of the organization is the promotion of accessibility to those who might not see themselves as a typical cyclist (athletic, investing in expensive gear and multiple specialized bikes, and fearlessly sharing thoroughfares with cars) because she is not Lance Armstrong She is the Jolly Postman. She rides her lemon on bikepaths and quiet side streets to get groceries in flip flops, until she comes to a steep hill where she has to get off and push her bike the rest of the way. Eleanor would like her parents to know that, although she sees helmet requirements as a barrier to ridership, this is an old photo; she wears her helmet consistently these days.
Peter Taglia
Peter began to see the potential for bicycles as a healthy and sustainable form of transportation while attending college in Missoula Montana. After moving to Madison in the late 1990s to attend graduate school and start a family, Peter began to advocate for bicycles as a student representative to the UW Madison Transportation Committee. He continued to volunteer for bicycle infrastructure and policies while towing his two children in a beloved bike trailer while his career as an environmental geologist exposed him to details of the energy and water impacts of various sectors of the economy. Peter’s work experience includes environmental investigations, remediation, and permitting at an engineering firm (2001 – 2005), environmental policy, research and advocacy as the staff scientist for Clean Wisconsin (2005 – 2011) and continued environmental work as an independent consultant for clients in the public, private and non-profit sectors. He has served as a board member for the Wisconsin Public Utility Institute at UW Madison and the Bayview Foundation, a low-income housing provider in his neighborhood, and on local, state and regional commissions and task forces. Peter lives in a 102 year old home in downtown Madison where he also hosts guests as a licensed short term rooming house.
Robbie Webber
Robbie has been biking for transportation since her parents let her cross the street alone. Both professionally and personally, she is a fierce advocate for improving transportation options, including walking and biking. Her advocacy journey started as one of the first employees for the Wisconsin Bike Fed and continued as a Madison alder for six years. As a League Cycling Instructor, Robbie has taught everything from how to bike to work in winter to how to keep your cool in the heat of rush hour traffic.
Aaron Levine
Aaron came to Madison in 2016, having spent most of his life in Dallas, TX. Arriving from a city where hour-long car commutes are the norm, and safe travel by bike is nearly impossible, he quickly fell in love with Madison’s bike infrastructure and vibrant cycling community. By 2018, he and his family went car-free, and he became a full-time, year-round bicycle commuter. Aaron also enjoys riding recreationally, and exploring our regional trails and state and county parks while bike packing. He hopes that through improved bike infrastructure and culture we can build communities that are more vibrant, healthy, and sustainable places to live, work, and play. Aaron works for UW-Madison and serves the campus community as a member of the Campus Transportation Committee. When he’s not on a bike, Aaron is probably doing some combination of cooking, baking bread, camping and hiking, making music, photography, and watching Liverpool FC.
Connor Stone
Connor’s interest in active transportation began with a rusty single speed used to get to college and work in Milwaukee, and deepened with a healthcare education that showed him how active transportation can make city life healthier, less congested, less polluted, and more affordable. He moved to Madison in 2018 and joined the Madison Bikes Board in 2020, inspired by the organization’s ability to successfully advocate for many local bike safety and accessibility improvements. Connor currently works as a public health nurse for the city and county. He commutes and gets to most places by bike year-round, living in Starkweather with his wife Sasha.
Craig Weinhold
Craig grew up bicycling around Madison and has been a 3½-season commuter and road rider for several decades. He’s also a nerdy bike dad, tying his kids’ allowances to GPS & inclement weather tracking of their bike-to-school efforts. He is not car-free but drives reluctantly and only for multiple errands. Craig’s interest in bike infrastructure and advocacy remained closeted until he began following Wisconsin Bike Fed and, later, Madison Bikes. When not working in I.T., he enjoys family trips, silent sports, and dog walks.
Beth Skogen
Beth grew up in Madison and started Beth Skogen Photography in 2009 where she specializes in photographing families, businesses and community organizations in the Madison area. Beth fell in love with cycling when she bought her first road bike in 2016. She founded RAGBRAI’s first vegan cycling team in 2022 called Powered by Plants Cycling which includes cyclists from all over the U.S. and a private chef for a week of biking across Iowa. Anything bike related puts the biggest smile on Beth’s face. Beth lives on the near east side of Madison and has two dogs named Geoffrey and Fred.
Christo Alexander
In 2021, Christo moved to Madison from Minneapolis where he was an avid bike commuter. He quickly learned of the great biking culture that exists in Madison, and he wanted to get involved in improving the infrastructure even more. His self-proclaimed life goal is to end car-domination and help make a more efficient, healthy, and productive city through biking and transportation. Christo lives on the East side of Madison with his wife Rachel. Outside of his work in IT, he enjoys road cycling, skateboarding, and virtual ghost hunting.
Former Board Members
For a full list of former board members, go here.