Chris J. Johnson, Bike Fort Collins’ first executive director, will step down and leave Northern Colorado in January of 2017.
Originally hired in October of 2015, Johnson’s oversaw a period of growth in vision and revenue at Bike Fort Collins. Earlier this year, BFC was recognized by BizWest as one of the fastest growing small businesses in Northern Colorado. They received a number of new grants and contracts, including highly competitive grants from Kaiser Permanente and Bohemian Foundation. They also expanded their event calendar to include the Tour de Farm/Farm Weekend, Ride with Pride, the NoCo Bike Show, and the first annual Pathways to Health Conference.
On the policy and advocacy front, Johnson spearheaded BFC’s role in the Sunday Service Now campaign to expand local bus service to Sundays, pressed city leaders to commit over $250,000 in threatened funding for Fort Collins City Plan update, worked with local leaders to secure funding for the 287 “Gap” project, and supported Larimer County’s Built Environment Leadership Group.
Johnson leaves Northern Colorado after 13 years, where he also held a key role in the 2013 and 2015 USAPC Stage 6 efforts, and organized countless rides, races and other community events. In January, he relocates to San Jose where he will lead California Walks’ regional vision zero campaign.
Johnson said of the transition, “i could not be more proud of BFC and the coalitions we were privileged to work with to advance our goals of getting more people on bikes, promoting safer streets and neighborhoods, and building a more inclusive bike culture for Northern Colorado. I think we identified an important role in a regional conversation about the relationships among transportation, sustainability, growth and equity. I know BFC will continue to champion this role in 2018 and beyond. These are tough conversations and many of the challenges have very long horizons. I’m excited about a new opportunity in a new city, but I’ll be keeping an eye on Fort Collins and I”ll miss all the wonderful partners, community supporters, and leaders I’ve gotten to know.”
Read his parting blog past here: https://bikefortcollins.org/support-bfc/looking-ahead-to-2018
Bike Fort Collins will share succession plans in the coming weeks.