Memoirs of a Board Member: Chapter 5
Ed.’s Note: “Memoirs of a Board Member” is a very occasional series of articles written by board members about the experience of serving on the board. The first two were written by Monte May, the third by Mike Goetz, and numbers four and now five by current IPMBA president Craig Lepkowski. Visit http://ipmba.org/membership/newsletter to read these columns and more from IPMBA’s past.
by Craig Lepkowski, IPMBA President
As my nine years as a board member draw to a close, I thought it appropriate to submit a final “memoir”. It is my hope that current and future board members will continue the tradition; possibly with more frequency. It is also my hope that this glimpse at the “secret proceedings”, as Monte referred to them in jest, will inspire others to serve on the IPMBA Board. We always need people to work together and steer the organization around and over obstacles and into the future.
The IPMBA Conference is one of the most visible signs of IPMBA’s activities. While Executive Director Maureen Becker performs the bulk of the planning, organizing, scheduling, ordering, documenting, and tracking of the IPMBA conferences and courses, the board also plays a role. The board is ultimately responsible for site selection and implementation. While one lucky member serves as Conference Coordinator, the rest of us are assigned roles semi-related to our board positions and given a task list by Maureen. As secretary, I was the Workshop Coordinator; as president, my role has become more “ceremonial” and focused on the business of the association.
Since I was elected to the board at the 2013 conference in Baton Rouge LA, we have held conferences in Tampa FL, Chandler AZ, Asheville NC, Delaware OH, Saint Louis MO, and Fort Worth TX. One of the fun parts about serving on the board is traveling to all of these locations twice – once for the board meeting and again for the conference.
The Conference Coordinator also gets to go on site visits to potential host locations. Going to the conference is always an adventure and a chance to meet old friends and make new ones.
One of the difficult decisions the board had to make was to cancel both the 2020 and 2021 conferences due to COVID restrictions and in the best interest of health and safety.
The board is involved with much more than just the conferences. Our job is to provide leadership and direction to the best of our ability. If you have ever wondered what the board does – and hopefully thought about serving – here is a list of accomplishments and decisions the Board has been a part of in the years I have been a member. This is not an all-inclusive list, but I hope to highlight how the board influences the direction and viability of the association as it maneuvers into the future of public safety cycling, including training and product advancements.
Since 2013, the IPMBA board has:
- Developed and debuted the Bicycle Response Team Training and Instructor Development module to meet the increasing demand for BRTs.
- Orchestrated a BRT Roundtable during the conference to share information and collaborate on operations and tactics.
- Researched and wrote a position paper for flat pedals, defining them as a form of pedal retention suitable for public safety cycling.
- Published a position paper broadening the definition of a “public safety bicycle” to include more than mountain bikes, in response to changes within the industry.
- Responded to the rapid expansion of e-Bikes by publishing a position paper regarding their use and applicability to public safety.
- Designed an eight-hour e-Bike module for instructors to transition students from conventional mountain bikes to e-Bikes.
- Formulated a response to media involving public safety cyclists and the negative perception by some of the public, reiterating our stance regarding use of the bicycle as an impact weapon.
- Composed a response to certain corporations’ reactions to negative media depictions of public safety cyclists resulting from isolated incidents and mis-interpretations at riots and crowd management events.
- Authored a position paper regarding the removal of enforcement as one of the pillars (E’s) of bicycle safety by other cycling organizations.
- Developed a position paper defending the use of backpacks for EMS cyclists when panniers are not necessary or practical.
- Compressed the conference into a more manageable number of days and added universities as venues to reduce expenses, starting with Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, in 2017.
- Finally, an important work in progress: updating the Complete Guide to Public Safety Cycling and the Instructor Tool Kit (both will release in 2022) to make improvements and keep the materials current.
Not a bad list of accomplishments for a bunch of volunteers and one full-time staff person!
I have been blessed to work alongside many highly talented individuals: skilled cyclists, inspiring instructors, dedicated public safety officials, deep thinkers, and tireless workers. We’ve enjoyed learning about each other; networking with those we might never have met without the board connection; struggling with how best to steer the Association while staying true to the founders’ intent; and attempting to address membership questions and concerns. For the most part, I believe we have been extremely successful in our primary goal – maintaining our status as the premier organization for public safety cyclists.
However, as in public safety, the job is never done. There will always be challenges, technological advances and tactical developments, supporters and naysayers, issues to confront and manage, and accomplishments to celebrate. The future of the Association depends on its members. Without the willingness and dedication of board members, the Association would not progress, improve, or evolve, as it has since its inception 30 years ago.
I challenge – and implore – you to take an active role in steering the Association by applying for the board. The perks are few, and the responsibility is large, but the payoff in the end is quite satisfying.
See you in Dayton, June 20-25, 2022!