Our board of directors
Our diverse Board of Directors plays a key role in West Town Bikes. For a youth development organization with a strong community focus they offer a wide-range of expertise. They take the lead on local challenges while highlighting linkages to broader, citywide issues. Our board members, uniquely expand engagement in local community organizations and institutions as well as citywide committees and planning groups. They leverage additional financial resources to recruit and place participants, train instructors, develop curriculum and related materials, and provide bikes, tools, and instructional facilities.
Jose Luis Rodriguez
President
Introduced by a former board member and through collaborative projects with the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. José Luis has been sat on the board since 2009. He is Chapter Treasurer of the Latin American Motorcycle Association (LAMA Chicago-West). José Luis is a class of 84′ from UIC with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Latin American History.
Kevin Mitchell
Vice President
First came to West Town Bikes as one of Mayor Daley’s Bicycling Ambassadors in 2005. Holds bachelors degree in Urban Studies from The Evergreen State College and a Master’s degree in the Science of Education from Northwestern University. Kevin is a daily commuter and teaches at Erie Elementary Charter School in Humboldt Park.
Lisa Gillespie
Treasurer
Lisa was introduced to WTB by a colleague at Loyola University. She immediately registered for the exceptional “Build-A-Bike” class and fell in love with West Town Bikes. She is now a board member and is an active participant in the Finance Committee.
Kevin Monahan
Secretary
Chicago Critical Mass was Kevin’s gateway into West Town Bikes in 2004. He soon completed WTB’s Build-a-Bike course and later served as a teaching aide for this foundational adult program. Kevin brings over a decade of experience in cooperative and small-business development. He currently works for UIC in IT administration and volunteers as a community-DJ for WZRD 88.3 FM.
Dan Fleisher
Board Fellow
Dan joined West Town Bikes through the Kellogg Board Fellows program while earning his MBA at Northwestern University. Outside of being a daily bicycle commuter and enthusiast, Dan has professional experience as a public school teacher, district administrator, and management consultant.
Lauren Crabtree
Member
In 2013, Lauren moved from Memphis to Chicago and was working as a Bike Ambassador when she caught a flat and walked to the nearest shop, West Town Bikes. That incident introduced her to Alex, the WTB crew, and a community she knew she wanted to join. Since then, she’s taken the Build-a-Bike course, volunteered with Girls Bike Club and Women/Trans/Non-Binary Open Shop, raced a little cyclocross, and has served on the Board since 2017. Lauren has a B.A. Spanish degree from the University of Memphis and a Master of Public Administration degree from DePaul University.
Francisco Moya
Member
Francisco first became involved with West Town Bikes while he was working as a Mayor Daily Bicycling Ambassador. He visited West Town as an ambassador and was invited to Open Shop. Francisco began to volunteer his time and eventually was offered a full time job as shop manager. Francisco is now a Chicago Police officer on the Bicycle Patrol. Francisco graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice and a Masters in Education.
Michelle Schadler
Member
Introduced to West Town Bikes through its corporate build-a-bike team-building program. Michelle is a recreational cyclist and the COO of a mid-size Chicago law firm. Michelle holds a Bachelors in Science in Economics from Arizona State University and a Masters of Arts in Social Sciences from California Institute of Technology.
Nestor Rodriguez
Member
Nestor has four years of financial accounting experience for organizations ranging from $2.5-$10M. Strong research analysis and accounting experience in governmental, pharmaceutical, not-for-profit, and project accounting.
Chris Busey
Member
Ryan Lakes
Member
Introduced to West Town Bikes by his neighbor and former board member Steve Marsala. Ryan began stopping by on his way to work and eventually became a regular in open shop. Lakes is an Architect of 10 with a Bachelors in Science in Environmental Design and Architecture from Ball State University.
Sid Dhapola
Member
Sid completed his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in Finance, Strategic Management, Marketing Management, Entrepreneurship and General Management.