BFK Board Members

Building on our work in the community since 2011, our board members have been guiding BFK since its formal incorporation as a Michigan non-profit organization and preparing it to achieve its goals on into the future.

Current Board Members

Deb Carpenter

  • Child injury prevention consultant
  • Safe Kids Kalamazoo County: Former Executive Director
  • Safe Kids Worldwide President’s Advisory Council: former member
  • MI Safe Kids Steering Committee: former member
  • Nationally Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor
  • MI Occupant Protection Team: current member
  • BFK Advisory Council: former member
  • Has planned, coordinated and implemented numerous bicycle, pedestrian and road safety events for youth
  • M.A. in Elementary & Early Childhood Education

Erin Denay

  • Erin Susanne Photography: Owner
  • Open Roads Bike Program: Executive Director (fmr)
  • Certified Non-Profit Professional (CNP)
  • Volunteer Ride Leader, Bike the Zoo
  • B.A. in Organizational Communication and Environmental Studies

Robert T. Loftus

  • CPA and Senior Manager with the accounting firm of Seber Tans, PLC.
  • Kalamazoo Nature Center: Treasurer
  • Provides accounting, assurance and consulting services to clients in a broad range of industries
  • BFK Founding Board Member

Paul Runnels

  • Veterinary Clinical Research Scientist at Zoetis, Retired February, 2016
  • Board Member and Treasurer, Open Roads Bike Program
  • Chain Gang Bicycle Club: current member
  • Kalamazoo Bicycle Club: current member
  • BFK Advisory Council: former member
  • Survivor, June 7, 2016, Chain Gang Bicycling Tragedy (and very grateful for the support of the entire community!)
  • Avid bicyclist (and sometimes runner)
  • BA degree, DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana
  • DVM, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
  • PhD, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Paul H. Selden

  • Retired in 2016 as president of an information systems support firm he founded in 1978
  • Bike Friendly Kalamazoo: Founder; Founding Board Member
  • Fall Bike Celebration: Chair
  • Kalamazoo Bike Week: Organizer/Chair
  • Kalamazoo Region Bike Route Committee: Chair
  • Kalamazoo Bicycle Club: current member; former Board Member; former Awards Committee Chair; former Director of Road Safety; Volunteer of the Year Award (2013)
  • TriKats: current member
  • Chain Gang Bicycle Club: current member
  • League of Michigan Bicyclists: current member; Volunteer of the Year Award (2014)
  • MDOT Pedestrian & Bicycle Committee: current member
  • Randonneurs USA: current member; owner/designer of many “Permanent” routes; P-12 Award (3 times); R-12 Award
  • Adventure Cycling Association: former member
  • KATS Citizens Advisory Committee: former member
  • World Ultracycling Association: former member; Larry Schwartz Year Rounder Challenge Award (2 times)
  • The Complete Kalamazoo (1976): Author

Kimberly L. Swinehart

  • Attorney with Lewis, Reed, Allen, PC
  • Practicing corporate and estate planning attorney, 8 years
  • Kalamazoo Concert Band: Clarinetist
  • Van Buren County Young Professionals: current member
  • Chicago Public Library Foundation Junior Board: former Membership Chair
  • Recent area transplant from Chicago
  • Avid bicyclist: favorite trips include Chicago to Milwaukee and Chicago to the Indiana Dunes
  • B.A. in English and History, Northwestern University, 2005
  • J.D., Loyola University, 2010

Donna Whitcomb

  • Kazoo Valley AMBUCS: President – 2016 to present
  • Vocational Counselor- State of Michigan: retired
  • Volunteers for KBC Kal-Tour: Coordinator
  • BFK Advisory Council: former member
  • Committed to inclusion of persons of all abilities riding bikes in a safe environment
  • Member- Women Who Care, Kalamazoo
  • 20+ years nonprofit board and officer experience in budget, fundraising and event planning
  • M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling, Western Michigan University

Former Board Members

Michelle Karpinski

  • Portage Public Schools: Community Relations Manager
  • Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE)
  • Pretty Lake Camp: Former Executive Director
  • Kalamazoo Nature Center: Former VP of Development
  • Kalamazoo Bicycle Club: Member
  • 20+ years in nonprofit management
  • B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and Spanish
  • Masters Degree in Public Administration
  • BFK Founding Board Member

Timothy M. Krone

  • Pedal Bicycles: Owner/Founder
  • TriKats: Current Member
  • Former technologist
  • Good sense of financial practice and organizational structure
  • Committed to bicycling as a profession, pastime, economic development and source of wellness
  • Degrees in physics, economics and engineering
  • BFK Founding Board Member

Daniel P. McGlinn

  • Practicing business attorney, 27+ years: Kreis, Enderle, Hudgins & Borsos P.C.
  • Lift Foundation: Current Board Member
  • Kalamazoo County: Former County Commissioner
  • Friends of Western Michigan University PAC: Former Board Member
  • Lakeside for Children: Former Board Member
  • Northside Business Association: Former Board Member
  • Western Michigan University Center for Disability Services: Former Board Member
  • BFK Founding Board Member

Brendan Molony

  • Bronson Healthcare Group: Acting Sustainability Coordinator
  • Passion to drive organizational and community change while taking into account the people, planet and financial success. Focus on waste reduction, mobility, green building design, local/healthy food, green cleaning, and smarter purchasing
  • Helped Bronson become one of the top 50 Green hospitals in the United States as rated by the Becker Review
  • Michigan Health and Hospital Association’s Green Healthcare: Current Chair of the Committee, engaging other hospitals on sustainability issues and creating a common vision for reducing healthcare’s impact on the environment.
  • Aquinas College: Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainable Business
  • BFK Founding Board Member

Brian Persky

  • Discover Kalamazoo (a.k.a. Kalamazoo County Convention & Visitor Bureau): Director of Sports Event Development
  • Assists and supports local, regional, and national sports event planners, organizations, and venues
  • Urban planning and economic development: 10 years experience
  • Brian’s involvement with Bike Friendly Kalamazoo stems from his interest in strengthening the Kalamazoo region as an even more bike-friendly destination through education, policy/decision-making, community events, and other approaches.
  • BFK Founding Board Member