PeopleForBikes Welcomes Three New Vice Presidents to Leadership Team

June 16, 2020

BOULDER, COLO. (June 16, 2020) — PeopleForBikes is proud to announce the promotion of three new vice presidents, rounding out the experienced leadership team at the helm of the national bike advocacy and industry organization. The internal promotions include Jose Maldonado as Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Kyle Wagenschutz as Vice President of Local Innovation and JJ Trout as the organization’s Chief of Staff. The three join President Tim Blumenthal, Chief Operating Officer Jenn Dice and Vice President of Finance Erik Esborg on the senior leadership team.

“These are three talented individuals who bring a ton of experience to the bike industry and advocacy worlds – this high-performing team is ready not only to respond to the urgent needs of the bike industry today but also chart a strong course for our future,” said Dice.

Maldonado joined PeopleForBikes as the Marketing Director in 2019, coming to the organization after eight years at Backcountry.com and Competitive Cyclist. As the Director of Marketing for Competitive Cyclist, and as Director of Bike Merchandising for Backcountry.com, Maldonado developed brand value propositions and on-the-ground activation strategies that helped grow Backcountry’s bike sales to more than $100 million. With experienced digital marketing chops, Maldonado oversees all of PeopleForBikes’ marketing projects and communications, including the strategy for the Ride Spot app.

“This is a moment in time like no other, and with it comes tremendous responsibility for our organization to communicate its work and to illustrate how bikes play an indispensable role in our communities,” said Maldonado

Wagenschutz formerly served as the Director of Local Innovation at PeopleForBikes, where he led city-focused programming for the organization. In his work with city governments and local advocacy groups, Wagenschutz helps communities chart a course for improving bicycling. Prior to joining PeopleForBikes, Wagenshutz spent more than a decade advocating for better biking in Memphis and was recognized by the Obama administration in 2015 as a Champion of Change for his work there.

“At PeopleForBikes, we’re doing cutting edge work to help cities expand and connect bike networks and reimagine the role bikes play in their communities, and we’re showing how bike lanes and paths can make a difference in the personal, social and economic lives of residents,” said Wagenshutz. “I’m excited to continue shaping local policies and practices that make bike riding a reality for millions more Americans.”

Trout joined PeopleForBikes in 2014. Her path to Chief of Staff was circuitous, including work as a business analyst at Professional Ski Instructors of America, a graduate degree in biomedical sciences, and oversight of all of PeopleForBikes’ data and technology work. She serves as a City Councilor for the City of Golden, Colorado.

“At the heart of everything I do is making people, teams, and community better,” said Trout. “In my new role, I’ll be helping PeopleForBikes be an even more effective organization. Everyone here cares deeply about getting more people riding bikes more often. I care deeply about optimizing our organization and about making sure each staffer and team has their own path forward to improve, collaborate and do what they love that makes a difference every day.”

About PeopleForBikes

PeopleForBikes represents the bike industry in Washington, D.C. and at the state and local levels with 271 supplier/brand members, 1,000 Ride Spot retailer members and 1.4 million individual supporters in our grassroots network. We work to get more people on bicycles more often and make bike riding better for everyone. Join us at PeopleForBikes.org.