This year brought three new voices and fresh viewpoints to the Bike/Walk Central Florida (BWCF) family. The organization welcomed Doug Crenshaw, Director of Capital Planning Services for AdventHealth; Jairo “JR” Rodriguez, Florida Drainage Engineer Leader with Volkert, Inc.; and Lauren Torres, Program Technical Advisor at the National Safety Council to the board of directors.
Crenshaw, Rodriguez, and Torres join a dedicated existing “hands-on” board that strives to educate, promote, and advocate for equitable active transportation systems on behalf of local pedestrians and cyclists irrespective of their residence or destinations. The BWCF board of directors engages in a variety of activities and duties from conducting policy research, writing letters, attending public meetings, assisting with events, and more.
“Doug, JR, and Lauren were willing to roll up their sleeves and dive in, offering their support in promoting walkable, bikeable, and rollable community options, making our neighborhoods safer and accessible for all,” noted Emily Hanna, Bike/Walk Central Florida Executive Director. “We have experienced a great deal of growth over the years, in addition to providing more assistance throughout the counties we serve. There is much work to be done and we are so pleased to have their unique perspectives and skills that contribute to furthering our mission and vision.
Meet Bike/Walk Central Florida’s Newest Board Members
Doug Crenshaw
Born in Orlando, Crenshaw has spent more than a decade as a healthcare administrator for AdventHealth where he currently is the director for Capital Planning Services leading a team responsible for creating capital planning programs that support each of the hospital system’s eight campuses and their leadership teams.
Prior to that, Doug spent 15 years as a PGA Golf Professional at several Central Florida golf clubs followed by a few years as a government consultant. Crenshaw’s mid-career passion for studying leadership concepts and practices led to obtaining his master’s in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University.
“I want to advocate for more cycling infrastructure and the development of better places to ride. This involves creating a great variety of cycling experiences for all interests and user groups. I also want to advocate for getting kids off screens and on bikes. Keeping kids’ interest while competing against video games will require having great and exciting places to ride with variety and opportunities for progression,” said Crenshaw, “All of us deserve safe ways to travel by bike, rather than cars to these developed trails, bike parks, and trail centers. This level of cycling infrastructure means your driveway becomes your own trailhead.”
Jairo “JR” Rodriguez
Jairo, aka “JR”, is a Florida Drainger Engineer Leader with a B.S. in Civil Engineering who specializes in Transportation, Water Resources, and Environmental Infrastructure Projects. An avid cyclist enthusiast, Rodriguez cares about safe roads and has spent most of his career designing safe roads and trails in Florida, in addition to many other states, and overseas. Originally from Colombia, JR has lived in the US for more than twenty-three years, serving as a political consultant and helping write legislation to provide safety for Florida’s transportation projects and infrastructure. He also serves as a Treasurer for the American Society of Civil Engineers Board, EWRI, in the Central Florida Chapter.
Rodriguez shared, “The very first time I used a bicycle, I almost got hit by a car at an intersection in my neighborhood in Bogota. I was very lucky and ever since I have advocated to make sure our roads and highways have the best safety features possible. I care about the safety of everyone who shares public spaces, especially our roads.”
Lauren Torres
Torres is currently a member of MetroPlan Orlando’s Vision Zero Central Florida Task Force and holds the title of Program Technical Advisor at the National Safety Council, where she represents and manages the National Safety Council (NSC) position as the sponsoring member of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUCTD), group co-lead of the National Safe Systems Approach – a working group that is part of the Road to Zero coalition led by NSC in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and is also the Director of the National Work Zone Safety Advisory Council.
“I have always been passionate about pedestrian and bicyclist safety, specifically for our most vulnerable users. There is a need in Central Florida to provide safe, efficient, and reliable means of transportation, outside of cars, to many low-income communities and communities with high populations of disabled or elderly people. My experience with Bike Walk Central Florida has shown me that this organization can help make these changes and I want to do everything I can to help push these objectives forward and make a real difference in our community,” said Torres.
