2022 MORE Board of Directors Elections
MORE Members will receive an email on December 18 with instructions on how to vote for this year's Board of Directors candidates. Join before the December 18th to vote!
MORE President Nominee (2022-2024 Term)
Ernest Rodriguez
I would like to continue supporting our great advocacy, trail building/maintenance and social ride programing with our awesome volunteers. I see the MORE board of directors president as someone who enables, supports, integrates and celebrates the work of volunteers who build our community of mountain bikers. Our membership has grown over the past few years partly because of the current pandemic and the need to get outside. However I do believe our volunteers are responsible for our infrastructure and social fabric of “Riding Bikes and Building Trails” and therefore our real growth as a community. If you know me, you know I love to say “yes” to liaison projects and dreams for trails. I like to think we, as MORE, enable ride leaders and trail work crew leaders with training, background and mentoring to plan, organize, build, maintain and develop programming for Sustainable, Natural Surface, Multi-use, Public trails. We, as MORE support our ride and trail building/maintenance leaders with tools, hands-on training, fundraising techniques and direct fundraising for trails through grants, either direct or help in applying for grants. Our volunteers have the best ideas when it comes to rides, programming, trail building and maintenance. Integrating techniques and methodologies across our trails and liaison network has helped us become one of the best clubs in the world with over 800 miles of trails in 62 parks. Celebrating the work of our volunteers is key to growing our community. A hand tool, t-shirt, pair of socks or water bottle may not seem like much, however recognition of our volunteer leadership is key to building a welcoming and inclusive community. My goals for a new term, if elected, include improving our documentation process for our history, advocacy efforts and training for new leaders, and continuing to expand our network of trails by working with land managers for access to land. Continuing to work with Arlington County and the National Park Service to gain access to land, one day they will realize, “Trails belong”. I will encourage our advocacy directors to continue working with our trail liaisons and continue working with land managers to help them meet their internal mission to prove public trail infrastructure for all to enjoy, hiking, running, biking and in some cases riding a horse. I also plan to continue partnering with other non-profits who align with our mission and vision and who are better able to serve segments of our community including underserved communities to build equity and most importantly to give youth an opportunity to enjoy a bike ride on a trail close to home. I encourage you to let me know if there are other areas you think are important to focus on as we continue to grow our mountain biking community.
MORE Vice President Nominee (2022-2024 Term)
David Beugelmans
I am excited to run again as Vice President. MORE is a platform for the success of volunteers throughout DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia who are committed to making this region the best in the country for mountain biking. I am excited to continue supporting these efforts through continued funding and resources for trail projects and group rides.
MORE Treasurer Nominee (2022-2025 Term)
Neil Blake
I'm a long time mountain biker originally from Vancouver, BC and started mountain biking on the "North Shore" in the early 90's (before all the craziness that it has become). Fast forward to now and I have 3 kids who all ride and enjoy it quite a bit. I'd really like them to ride as much as they can and to the extent they're "into it" then having mountain biking close by where we live is important. I'm excited to volunteer on MORE's Board to help out in any way I can to continue the significant efforts MORE has made in advocating, building and maintaining trails in this area. I'm an accountant by trade and live and work in Northern Virginia.
MORE VA Advocacy Director Nominee (2022-2024 Term)
Tom Howe
I'm an avid outdoorsman, I enjoy hiking, camping, fly fishing, trail running and snowboarding and have been hooked on mountain biking since the late 1990s. I enjoy spending time with my family, and in my spare time I like to give back to both the mountain biking and the larger trails community as a MORE member, a MORE event volunteer and ride leader, a MORE Trail Liaison at Wakefield Park, and serve on the MORE Board of Directors. I look forward to continue giving back and growing our regional trail community continuing my role on the Board as the MORE VA Advocacy Director by working with the MORE VA Trail Liaisons; all of the local, regional, VA and National government entities / parks; and with all of the outdoor clubs, groups, coalitions, and organizations as we advocate for MORE trails and shared access!
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