About Us

Julie wears many hats when it comes to improving the pedestrian and bicycle culture in the Tampa Bay area. She is the co-director for the New North Transportation Alliance, project manager for WalkWise Tampa Bay, a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida, and has led several successful safety initiatives including Tampa BayCycle and BikeSmart Tampa Bay. Julie enjoys biking around the Temple Terrace community where she lives.

Karen is a certified urban planner and league cycling instructor serving since 2003 as the Director of Transportation and Planning at the Tampa Downtown Partnership. An avid cyclist, Karen co-founded and remains co-chair of Tampa BayCycle, a regional cycling education, advocacy and encouragement campaign. You might find Karen biking the trails at Flatwood Wilderness park or riding along Tampa Bay Riverwalk.

Eric is the Director of Transportation for the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership and also serves as the Administrator for the St. Petersburg Trolley.

Chris is Director of Transportation for the Westshore Alliance. As the Transportation Director since 2005, Chris advocates for transportation enhancements in the Westshore area to include pedestrian, transit and road improvements. Two of the pedestrian and transit improvements Chris enjoys most are the brand new sidewalks on Boy Scout Boulevard and the beautiful Courtney Campbell Trail extension into Westshore.

Heidi Ferraro is very passionate about helping others, especially kids, participate in fitness and the arts. One of Heidi’s mantras is to make a positive difference in this world by doing what you are passionate about. “I believe not only in the health benefits of fitness but also in the mind/body connection,” shared Heidi. “I saw the pride in my son’s face when he first learned how to ride a bike and how much he continues to enjoy riding regularly. Learning how to ride a bike is something that many neurotypical individuals inherently learn but those with special needs may need this skill broken down into additional steps in order to master it.” Heidi’s hope is that every child has the same opportunity to learn how to ride a bike and experiences the same sense of accomplishment as her son did. This hope, combined with her passion, has inspired her to help bring iCan Bike Camp to Tampa Bay this summer for the first time ever.

Heidi received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Florida State University. Prior to the birth of her son, Alexander, she worked in cash and treasury management at a local Tampa Bay company. When Alexander arrived, she became at stay at home mom, enabling her to pursue additional training in the therapies Alexander participated in to help him be the best he can be. She incorporates these therapy techniques into all aspects of his life. She has served as Alexander’s one-on-one aide in both school and camp settings prior to him now participating in these type of settings much more independently. “It’s been an amazing, fulfilling journey seeing him learn, grow, and make daily strides,” she said.

Heidi’s motto: “Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” —Jennifer Lee

Michelle Cyr is an AARP Florida Associate State Director for Community Outreach in Tampa Bay. As lead for AARP’s work in Tampa Bay, Michelle provides overall leadership in the recruitment and training of volunteer speakers, advocates, and ambassadors who provide education, advocacy and service in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough Counties. In partnership with AARP Tampa Bay volunteers and community allies, Michelle works to connect the Bay area’s 50+ with information, resources, and local offerings aimed at engaging people where they live, helping them navigate their “what’s next” and discover real possibilities.

Michelle also works in collaboration with elected officials, business and community leaders to create Age Friendly Communities where people can safely and affordably live, work, learn and explore as they age. The AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities encourages states, cities, towns and rural areas to prepare for the rapid aging of the U.S. population by paying increased attention to the environmental, economic and social factors that influence the health and well-being of older adults. AARP Florida is pleased to have wonderful partners statewide to make the Sunshine State more age friendly to residents of all ages and abilities. Currently, there are 34 Age Friendly Communities and just this year Florida was designated an Age Friendly State.

Michelle has been an AARP employee for over 20 years. She is a native of Tampa Bay and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Eckerd College.

Cyndi Raskin is the Director of Commuter Services for the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA), where she plans, manages, and directs the team that helps commuters discover and switch to alternative commute options (carpool, vanpool, transit, bike, walk), and helps businesses develop commute option programs for their employees. “We need all forms of transportation to be safe for commuters. Bike riders and walkers are the most physically vulnerable, so we must do everything we can to improve their safety,” she says.

Before coming to TBARTA in March 2019, Cyndi served the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority for nearly 21 years with increasingly responsible roles in the marketing department, and the last four years as their Director of Communications and Marketing. In that role, she led a marketing team of seven staffers and was responsible for all aspects of marketing, communications, public relations, and branding for the agency.

Cyndi holds two Associates degrees, with honors, from St. Petersburg College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities and Literature from Eckerd College, where she graduated with distinction. She is the chair of the City of Dunedin Public Relations Advisory Action Committee, secretary of the City of Dunedin Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee, and a 2016 graduate of the prestigious Leadership Pinellas program. A Dunedin native, Cyndi has a long history of volunteerism including leadership roles with her daughter’s school PTA organizations, and as a Girl Scout troop leader.

Steven Cherpock is a Corporal with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. He has worked for HCSO for over 12 years and is currently assigned to the District III Traffic Section, which covers areas that include Citrus Park, Town N Country, Odessa, and Carrollwood. The Traffic Section includes Motorcycle Deputies and Community Resource Deputies who handle various traffic complaints related to speeding, school zone violations and other traffic concerns. Corporal Cherpock has previously been involved with several safety grants to include the HVE (High Visibility Enforcement) Grant, Triple L (Listen, Learn, Live) Motorcycle Grant, and recently the Motorist Speed Reduction and Education campaign.
“I believe as Hillsborough County continues to grow we must all work together to make our roads safer for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.” Corporal Cherpock says, “Having the combination of representatives from enforcement, engineering, and educational groups is the key to improving the safety of our roadways.”

George Edmiston has been a Sergeant with the Largo Police Department for 30 years and is preparing to retire from this role in October 2019. During 2019, Sgt. Edmiston also began presenting Driver’s Education classes in Pinellas and Hillsborough County Schools as part of the Teen Traffic Safety Education program, a unique approach developed by FDOT District Seven which has been provided to high schools for several years. He recently started working alongside the Center for Urban Transportation Research team at the University of South Florida to continue the Teen Traffic Safety Education program into the future.

Mahshid Arasteh, PE, is the principal of American Quality Consultants, LLC (AQC). Ms. Arasteh has 40 years of experience in engineering and holds two master’s degrees in civil/structural and mechanical engineering from University of Pennsylvania. She serves as the safety ambassador to Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties for Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Seven. She is a board member and past president of Florida Engineering Society (FES) Pinellas and has been the recipient of several awards, including FES Engineer of the Year, FES Distinguished Engineer in Technology, FDOT Davis Productivity Award of Distinction, the Florida Professional Engineers in Government Professional Development Award and has received project awards from Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and American Public Works Association. She also won USA Communicator’s award for producing and hosting “Works in Progress,” a local TV show featuring public works projects in Clearwater.

Prior to starting AQC, she held highly responsible state, county, and municipal positions for 22 years. These include serving as director of transportation for Pinellas County, public works administrator and city engineer for City of Clearwater, and assistant district drainage engineer and Project Development and Environment project manager for FDOT.

She has been married to her husband, Abdi, for 38 years. Their sons, Cameron and Keon, are also aspiring engineers. Ms. Arasteh is active in her community and participates in many fundraisers and marathons for charitable causes.

American Quality Consultants, LLC of Safety Harbor was founded in 2009. AQC is a minority women-owned business that provides local government with high-quality project management, planning, and design and construction phase support with roadways traffic control, intelligent transportation systems, drainage, and utilities. AQC’s staff is also experienced in feasibility, grant funding application assistance and Community involvement and coordination.

As a Transportation Planner with the City of St. Petersburg, Kyle Simpson works on a variety of transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects. Since St. Petersburg is a built-out city, the majority of his work is on projects such as development of the Central Avenue Bus Rapid Transit project, which would be the first premium transit service in Tampa Bay, and the Complete Streets Implementation Plan, which would create a series of low-stress, family-friendly bicycle routes all across the city. What Kyle loves most about his job is working with the community to create a transportation system that puts people first and allows them to rediscover and experience their city in a way that is only possible when walking or biking.

Kyle’s favorite bicycle and walking events are those that allow people to experience the city outside of an automobile. One event he would like to see happen in Tampa Bay someday is a “Slow Roll,” a bicycle ride started in Detroit as part block party, part bike ride, with a focus on bringing the community together around bicycling. The ride pace never goes above 10 mph, which serves to make the ride accessible to people of all ages and abilities. He had the opportunity to participate in Slow Roll Buffalo (NY). “It was a powerful experience biking with that many people across a variety of neighborhoods and roadways,” Kyle reminisced.

Kyle started bicycling in his teens when his cousin talked him into going on a Teen Treks trip, a program that operates bicycle tours for middle and high school students. On his first trip, he was introduced to the geographic feature called “mountains,” which were quite a bit longer than the bridge over the interstate in Cocoa, FL. After that first trip from Albany, NY to Provincetown, MA he attained a fervor for bike touring and went on to bike across the United States in 2010 and across 11 countries in Europe in 2015 after graduate school. It was the trips he did as a teenager that led him to the Urban Planning field. Kyle said, “I’ve never looked back.”

Richard Hartman (Ric) is a Senior Transportation Planner at the City of Clearwater. Ric arrives at the city after working on pedestrian, bicyclist, and transit safety issues as a Research Associate at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida, where he worked on FDOT’s Strategic Safety Initiative and the WalkWise safety education and research programs. He also taught urban planning and geography courses at USF. Ric previously worked for over ten years in city planning where he participated as a member of MPO advisory committees for several jurisdictions. He is a certified city planner (AICP), accredited by the Congress for the New Urbanism, and certified by the League of American Cyclists as a Cycling Instructor. His passion is to build healthy communities that provide access for all people.

Deborah Sickmon serves as the Safe Kids Greater Tampa Coalition Coordinator with St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital (SJCH). For 13 years, she has worked as a safety and wellness educator for the hospital, focusing on injury and illness prevention education throughout Hillsborough County and beyond.

Deborah has also played an integral role in the Safe Routes to School program. She has trained elementary and middle school physical education teachers on bicycle safety topics and has assisted with bike clinics during classes. Through her efforts, more than 12,500 students have received hands-on experiential education on bike and pedestrian safety topics. The Safe Kids Greater Tampa Coalition also supports International Walk to School Day each October and Bike to School Day each Spring by partnering with schools throughout Hillsborough County.

“Teaching children of all ages ways to keep themselves safe while walking or riding their bike or scooter in their neighborhood is very important,” said Deborah. “Many concepts seem simplistic, such as wearing a bike helmet, looking both ways before crossing the street, crossing at crosswalks, and putting away distractions while crossing. However, as adults, many of us forget to follow our own advice. We should make an ongoing effort to model the behaviors we want our kids to imitate in order to keep themselves safe.”

Deborah is a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and Instructor, an American Heart Association First Aid and CPR Basic Life Support Instructor, and she leads the adolescent education team, providing classroom education on numerous topics from hand washing and safe baby to puberty education and nutrition. Prior to working at SJCH, Deborah was a science teacher in both public and private school sectors for a combined 14 years in Tampa.

Michael Maurino is the Director of Transportation and Planning for the Westshore Alliance. He has more than a decade of experience in government relations and advocating for transportation policies and projects.

As Director of Transportation and Planning, Michael focuses on improving mobility options within and to Tampa’s Westshore District. Michael started working on transportation issues as a volunteer on the 2010 Hillsborough transportation referendum. He has advocated for better roads, safer pedestrian access, and more transit options in policy positions with the Tampa Bay Partnership, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, and United Way Suncoast.

Michael serves on the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission as a City of Tampa appointee. He holds degrees in Political Science and Telecommunication-News from the University of Florida. His goal is to be able to walk to a train station near his house in Port Tampa City with his wife and daughter.

Michael Case is the Principal Planner and Project Manager at the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA). He oversees all departments, projects, and budgets of the Authority, including the operation and administration of the Transportation Demand Management-focused Commuter Assistance Program within the Florida Department of Transportation, District Seven, which includes Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsborough counties.

In addition to managing the operations of the Authority, Michael serves as a voting member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization Technical Advisory Committees of Pasco, Hernando-Citrus, and Hillsborough counties. As a committee member, he is able to bring a regional perspective to the development and delivery of county-based transportation products and services, as well as help coordinate efforts across counties where needed. He also serves as an alternate advisory member to the Tampa Bay Transportation Management Area Leadership Group and works closely with area legislators to advise on planning-related issues and to develop policies that further the efforts of cross-county transit and transportation services.

Prior to TBARTA, Michael worked in economic development and small business assistance with the University of South Florida (USF) Research Foundation and has conducted on-site sponsored research on native-based public participation strategies in Alice Springs, Australia. He has a B.A. in Organizational Communication from the University of Michigan, a M.A. Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from USF, and specializes in bringing an interdisciplinary approach to transportation planning by combining economic development, engineering, land use, and social marketing. He has also served as a touring and recording musician with several national artists.

Erica Nelson is a Contract and Grant Coordinator at the University Area Community Development Corporation (UACDC) who also manages the Bicycle Friendly Business activities in addition to serving as the “Try Transit” Employee Ambassador. She works with partners and community members to foster relationships and advocate for pedestrian and bicycle safety in the University Area.

Prior to joining the UACDC, Erica worked at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) on the ITS, Traffic Operations and Safety program. She assisted with managing pedestrian and bicycle grants in addition to naturalistic driving studies, motorcycle safety, and wrong way driving research. She mainly worked on the Alert Today Florida campaign that founded the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Coalition to advance the purpose of Florida’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Safety Plan (PBSSP).

Erica was born and raised in Tampa, Florida where she also completed her Master’s in Public Administration with a certificate in Nonprofit Management at the University of South Florida. She is passionate about people, safety, health, and community. In her spare time, she teaches yoga and meditation classes to assist others in living a happy, healthy lifestyle.

As the Traffic Safety Engineer for District Seven of the Florida Department of Transportation, Peter oversees many projects that help make the roads in the region safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. His work recently earned him a “Bob the Builder” award from the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization. Craig Casper of the Pasco County MPO said of Peter, “Peter’s name is ubiquitous with championing safety projects here. He is known as a collaborator with a focus on implementing projects that bring crash rates down.”

Originally hailing from Warrington, England, Adam White came to the United States in 2015 to earn his MBA from the University of Tampa (UT). He is currently a Data Analyst at the Academic Success Center at UT, and formerly worked in Commuter Services at UT’s Office of Student Transition and Persistence. Adam frequently bikes to work or takes the HART bus. He also recently became a League Cycling Instructor certified by the League of American Bicyclists.

“I bicycle because it allows me to engage with the communities I ride through.” Adam says. “I can speak to and get to know the people on my route that I wouldn’t if I were driving. Through this, bicycling keeps me healthy in body and mind. I wanted to become an LCI, because bike safety is crucial not only for me, but for all road users.”

Chad Hill is a Corporal for the University of South Florida Police Department. He has worked for USF for over 10 years and is currently assigned to the Strategic Enforcement Section (SES). While in this assignment he is tasked with supervising the USFPD bike squad. The bike squad is responsible for high visibility police bicycle patrols in densely traveled areas where cars cannot reach. SES is responsible for bicycle and pedestrian education/enforcement, and participates in University area community bicycle events.
Corporal Hill is a part of the Hillsborough Community Traffic Safety Team and actively participates in safety initiatives in the University area, including partnering with the Center for Urban Transportation (CUTR). He is a League Cycling Instructor certified by the League of American Bicyclist.

Tiffany Sabiel is the Safe Routes to School Supervisor for Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL, where she has worked for the past eight years, to educate children and parents on lifelong bicycling and pedestrian safety skills through school and community events, while also encouraging a more active lifestyle by walking and biking to school.

Her certifications include League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor (LCI), Certified Regional Bicycle Helmet Trainer, Regional Trainer for Florida Traffic Bicycle Safety Education and Certified Car Seat Technician. She received her Bachelors of Arts in History from the University of South Florida. In 2016 she won the annual 2016 Educator of the year award from the Florida Bicycle Association.

Mara Latorre is both a visual artist and urban planner in the Tampa Bay Area. In 2011, she received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology, with an emphasis in Urban Studies, from the University of South Florida. Latorre had her first exposure to affordable housing programming during her duration with the University Area Community Development Corporation (UACDC), from 2011-2014. During her time with Prodigy Cultural Arts, a youth based arts enrichment program of the UACDC, she was able to help connect parents and community members to affordable housing programming offered with the organization. Other initiatives Mara has worked on was her coordination of “Arts Rise! North Tampa’s Festival of the Arts” (2013), and serving as a planning committee member for “Lights on Tampa” (2015). When she is ‘off the clock,’ she is the facilitator of “art jams,” which are organic, community-based spaces that help to connect people through collaborative arts projects.
Mara is a passionate resident of Hillsborough County, Florida. In 2016, she received her Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, and Certificate of Community Real Estate Development from the University of South Florida. Since then, she serves as a Planner for the City of Plant City’s Planning & Zoning Division. Latorre is also a City of Plant City representative for the MPO’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and proudly facilitated Plant City’s Inaugural Bike with the Mayor Ride with Mayor Rick Lott this past March, with support from the Bike/Walk Tampa Bay Coalition. Aside from biking around small Florida towns, her lifelong calling is to help bridge the public to visual, written, and performing arts opportunities by implementing and supporting effective community planning and inclusive economic development opportunities within the public realm.

Gena Torres is an Executive Planner with the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization. After graduating from the University of South Florida, she has spent the past 30 years working to make the streets of Tampa and surrounding communities safer. Tackling the challenge of turning around one of the most notoriously high crash counties has included conducting in-depth analysis of crashes, managing localized studies of high crash corridors, bringing the issues to the attention of elected officials, capitalizing on opportunities to make change, and engaging citizens before, during and after the process. Gena has particular interest in the transit, walking, and bicycle dependent communities who are most affected by our transportation decisions. Gena strives to cycle or take transit to work at least 5 times each month. She is also a proud mother, grandmother and avid softball player!

Alex Henry is the Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety Specialist for FDOT District Seven. He works to develop and program projects to enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety in the Tampa Bay Region and manages the district’s education and encouragement programs.

Prior to joining FDOT, Alex worked at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR), managing education and enforcement programs in support of the Florida Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Safety Plan.

Alex is a 4th generation Floridian and is currently pursuing a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of South Florida. His professional interests include promoting safe, equitable, and healthy communities through active transportation planning and context sensitive design.

Becky Afonso, Executive Director of the Florida Bicycle Association (FBA), is a native Floridian from the Tampa Bay area who has favored bicycle commuting since her grade school days. Her interest in road and off-road riding evolved in the late 1990s, becoming a member of the Suwannee Bicycle Association, SWAMP and a charter member of the Suncoast Cycling Club. She served on each club’s board and held additional leadership roles.

She has over 20 years of cycling experience in project management, route logistics, event directing and marketing from positions at Bike Wisconsin, Bike MS Breakaway to the Keys and Bike Florida. Her certifications include League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor (LCI), certified bicycle helmet fitter and graduate of CyclingSavvy. Upon becoming executive director of FBA, Becky vowed to join FBA member bicycle clubs and is now a member of over 30 Florida bicycle clubs.

In addition to being a Florida Senate appointed and current vice-chair to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Greenways and Trails Council, she is the vice-chair of the Forward Pinellas Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee and chair of the Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety committee of the Florida Suncoast SAFE KIDS Coalition (Pinellas Council). Becky’s position at FBA keeps her busy with education and advocacy across the state to ensure the safety of all Florida bicyclists.

Lucas Cruse is the Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the City of St. Petersburg. He is a certified planner from the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), a League Cycling Instructor, as well as a Cycling Savvy Instructor. He received his Bachelors in Civil Engineering and his Masters in Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering. He is the father of twin girls.

William Porth is a traffic safety advocate with the City of Tampa. His career began in 1993 and in 2001 he began to oversee the City’s Traffic Calming Program as Traffic Studies and Safety Coordinator.

Porth chairs the Community Traffic Safety Team for the FDOT’s educational component of traffic safety, and is a Vision Zero Team Member for the Hillsborough County MPO. Porth works with City Design and Planning staff to implement the Complete Streets Project, is a Bike/Walk Tampa Bay coalition member representing the CTST for Hillsborough County, and a League Cycling Instructor certified by the League of American Bicyclists.

Marc D. Hanger has worked in Pinellas County government for 25 years. He is currently the Staff Transportation Analyst for the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, Forward Pinellas. Marc is the “go to person” for transportation data, which he collects, compiles, measures, and maintains.
Marc also brings his skills to other groups he is involved with such as Bike/Walk Tampa Bay and the Pinellas Community Traffic Safety Team, groups he supports because they work to improve quality of life in Tampa Bay. He is currently excited about expansion of the Pinellas Trail, which is planned for construction close to his home in the walkable community of Countryside.

Craig is currently a student at the University of South Florida, pursuing a Masters in Civil Engineering. He regularly commutes by bike to work. He is an active member of his local Toastmasters club and enjoys exploring Tampa Bay’s trails with his wife, going to the beach, and learning anything about astronomy and quantum physics.

Carrie is the President and Founder of the St. Petersburg Bike Co-op, President of the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, and one of the organizers of the St. Pete Tweed Ride. When she’s not out on her bike or playing shuffleboard, she regularly helps produce video of some of the Bay area’s best local bands for the award winning radio show “Grand National Championships” on WMNF 88.5 FM. She’s also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Jeff has worked with AARP Florida since 2000 and was named state director on an interim basis in October 2010 and permanently in February 2012. He was raised in Jacksonville, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wake Forest University and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Jeff joined AARP after working in public relations, marketing and sales, most recently with the Tampa Bay (then) Devil Rays. He lives in St. Petersburg with his wife and daughter.

Debra Kleesattel has a Ph.D. in Gerontology from the University of Kentucky and has lived in Tampa for 10 years. She is an Army brat and the wife of a military veteran. She works for Humana Inc. and is currently coordinating the partnership development and community collaborative initiatives through the Tampa Bay Health Advisory Board to help make health easier in Tampa Bay.

Brian spent 40 years in the Information Technology field progressing from programming to management, where he learned the value of teamwork and creativity to solve complex problems.
In 2018 he became interested in AARP’s mission to advance the needs of senior citizens and joined the organization as a volunteer advocate. He participated in the listening sessions held in the neighborhoods by the St. Petersburg Age-Friendly coalition to gather insights into what residents of all ages want and need to make their city more livable.
Today Brian represents AARP on the St. Petersburg Complete Streets Committee which oversees implementation of Complete Streets guidelines to promote a balance between pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle modes of transport in the city, an ongoing effort projected for the next 5 years.