Board Member Pam Mei Harrison
Biking for a just and joyful future
“Biking is about feeling freedom and feeling your own power,” says board member Pam Mei Harrison. A Bike East Bay member since 2019, Pam Mei joined the board of directors in 2020 and brings to the organization her vision of a radical future where bicycles help us break out of a fossil fuel economy.
“I would love to see biking infrastructure that opens the possibility for human- powered transportation that’s centered around our own joy. In a car, you’re sealed off and your mentality is you against the world. On a bike, there’s an opportunity for healing and connecting with everything around you,” says Pam Mei.
Pam Mei grew up multiracial and frequently was the only family in town with Asian descent. This experience informs her intersectional understanding of transportation and racial justice. For example, in her PhD dissertation at UC Berkeley, she highlighted the intersectional need for better biking, walking and public transit connections to increase access to city parks in the East Bay for women of color.
As a board member, Pam Mei hopes to advance Bike East Bay’s regional work in advocacy and education. She plans to step up in leadership next year as Vice Chair and actively participates in the board’s Advocacy Committee. Pam Mei also brings her skills as Senior Grants Manager at the Asian Pacific Environmental Network. Her knowledge of the field has helped Bike East Bay write stronger grant applications and connect to new foundation grant opportunities.
Her advice to anyone interested in joining Bike East Bay’s board of directors? Talk to one of the board members, come to an event, do some of the rides, get involved and support!
Interested in Joining the Board?
Bike East Bay’s board of directors provide strategic and financial oversight for the organization. Board members play a key role in fundraising and supporting staff as volunteers and advisors. Currently, we are seeking new board members with skills in organizational development, foundation fundraising, financial strategy, and human resources. All board members bring or are committed to developing a strong understanding of social justice and racial equity issues in relation to transportation and urban planning.
Apply to join the board at BikeEastBay.org/Board_Application
