2026 Hawai‘i Bicycling League
Executive Committee of the Board
Samantha Lara
PRESIDENT
I am excited to express my interest in joining the Board of Directors for the Hawai‘i Bicycling League (HBL). As the Senior Community Planner at OahuMPO with four years of experience in the transportation sector, I bring a strong background in community outreach and education, which is crucial for advancing HBL’s mission to promote cycling for health, recreation, and transportation through advocacy, education, and events.
Recently, I adopted a car-free lifestyle, aligning my personal values with my professional work and demonstrating my commitment to sustainable transportation. This decision has strengthened my dedication to creating safer and more accessible cycling infrastructure, which I am eager to support as a board member.
As a woman of color and a mother, I offer a unique perspective and a deep understanding of the diverse needs within our community. My current role within state government has provided me with valuable networking connections and expertise in securing funding and opportunities. This network will enable me to actively seek out and leverage resources that can significantly benefit HBL.
Patricia Johnson
Vice President
“As a kid growing up in Southern California, I had an adult sized womens Schwin my Dad had adapted with wooden blocks on the pedals where I had to ride standing up. I would ride for hours with my buddies, free and without supervision. I still remember the joy of those rides! At age 62, in 2006, Lance Amstrong inspired me to get a bicycle, and needless to say, I got hooked. I have ridden 74,00 miles since then.
In 2007 I moved to Hawaii to care for my mother. I met some great people cycling in Hawaii who together with me started the Red Hot Ladies Cycling Club and two HBL rides, Monday’s Start the Week Off Right and Kailua for Brunch, that continue to grow in popularity. My interest in expanding the role of cycling in Hawaii took me to becoming a League Cycling Instructor, joining the HBL Board in 2016 and to currently serve as the Vice President of the Board and a member of the Nominating committee. The highlight of my week is welcoming new and renewing members of HBL and discussing the great work HBL is accomplishing.
Going forward I am committed to growing our membership and establishing a robust fund raising committee. I will work with the board and our Executive Director to enhance the effectiveness and results of HBL for all of our members.”
Andee Blackwell
Treasurer
I am a daily commuter cyclist and have been cycling regularly for almost 20 years in multiple cities. I began biking in Honolulu over nine years ago, and while I loved the idea of commuting by bike, it initially felt challenging and, at times, unsafe. I often experienced close calls with drivers and was involved in one accident early on. Over time, however, I have seen a noticeable shift. Today, those experiences are rare, and I feel significantly safer riding on Oʻahu. That change has allowed cycling to become not just my primary mode of transportation, but a consistent source of connection to my community and environment. I also enjoy participating in local cycling events such as the HBL Century Ride in 2022, 2023, and 2025.
My involvement with the Hawaiʻi Bicycling League has primarily been as a beneficiary and supporter of its work, and I have enjoyed being a part of the Board so I can have a more regular involvement. I use Honolulu’s bike lanes almost daily and have directly benefited from HBL’s advocacy for safer streets, improved infrastructure, and greater public awareness around cycling. I hope to support the organization’s continued impacts on safer streets for all.
What excites me most about HBL’s mission is its focus on building safer, more inclusive communities through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Through my many roles in various levels of education, I am deeply committed to community engagement and long-term cultural change. Giving back to an organization that has had such a positive impact on my daily life feels both meaningful and necessary.
2026 Board Members
Gary Gill
PRESIDENT Emeritus
“As a bicycle advocate and commuter for decades, I have served on the HBL board for the past few years and am eager to continue this important work for another term. Way back In 1969, I attended a bike rally in Honolulu as a kid on a single-speed and have been a dedicated cyclist ever since. As a member of the City Council in the 1980’s I introduced and saw passed the measure that created the Bicycling Coordinator position for Honolulu. Much later, while working for a community-based nonprofit, I helped create KVIBE (Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange), an organization that continues to train and motivate young riders in urban Honolulu. As the State’s Environmental Health Director, I helped to secure public funding to start the BIKI bike share system in Honolulu. In the coming years, I hope to continue to advocate for the expansion of a safe bike transportation system in Honolulu and work to make the Hawaii Bicycling League even more effective in fulfilling its mission.”
Atomman Kimm
Cycling brings me joy and much of my life has revolved around it. I learned how to ride as a kid growing up in Liliha. I rode everywhere, to high school and UH then got introduced to the racing crowd. I started riding with the racers and then became their race photographer. Racing came next and nothing I had ever done matched the thrill of riding and racing. Along the way I worked at The Bike Shop for a total of 11 years, in a variety of roles in two different stints. After masters swimming for a while, I got back on my bike to do the HBL Perimeter Ride with a couple buddies. The cycling bug bit me again and I’ve been riding, racing and organizing Tradewind Cycling Team since.
For 20+ years, Bob Bengtson and I have been organizing the Course Marshals for the Honolulu Century and the Metric Century. Several years ago, I started volunteering as a photographer at the HBL Annual Dinner which has been fun. The late John B. Kelley convinced me to be to be on the HBL Board when we were almost insolvent years ago. We worked hard to keep HBL afloat, thank goodness it worked.
Since the 70’s HBL has been the mothership of cycling in Hawaii. At the same time, I’ve seen our state’s population more than double with a commensurate increase in traffic. Thanks to HBL’s advocacy our infrastructure for cycling has greatly improved. We have a lot of room to improve, no question, and I want to be a part of that for ourselves, our kids, our grandchildren and new residents. If there is one legacy that I’d like to leave, it is to continue the path to a time and place where cycling in this state is normalized, popular and as safe as possible.
Julia Parsons
Bike riding continues to represent freedom and friendship to me. As a child, having a bike meant
the ability to visit a friend’s house and ride in a pack around the neighborhood, unbeholden to
my parent’s availability or car. I picked up biking again in my mid-20s with the purchase of my
first hybrid. Jumping on one of the nearby Rails-to-Trails, I could transport myself from Virginia
to DC, Maryland, and even West Virginia in a day, immersed in nature instead of Beltway traffic.
My next purchase, a road bike, led to supported bike rides—favorites like the Fredericksburg
Cannonball Century, the Great Pumpkin Ride, and DC Bike Ride—as well as sprint triathalons,
all in the company of friends. I brought that bike with me on the plane in 2021, in recognition that
it could be weeks before my car arrived. The scenery is better now, but the story is the same: I
explore neighboring locales, compete in races, enjoy the snacks in supported rides, and pedal
around the neighborhood, this time with my ride group, the Sleep-in Beauties.
I began serving the state’s biking community as a member of HBL’s Board of Directors in
January 2026. I became involved with HBL shortly after I moved here—I figured participating in
packet pick-up would be an easier way to meet people than during the Honolulu Century Ride. It
worked! I began riding weekly with members of the Red Hot Ladies and leading the occasional
ride. HBL fosters respect for the biking community with its public-facing service events—like
helmet giveaways, bike path cleanups, and Zach’s Ride for Safe Streets—and I am glad to be
counted among its valued volunteer cadre. I particularly appreciate the space HBL creates and
holds for cyclists of every make, model, creed, and speed
David Sherman
Cycling does so much … Recreation. Transportation. Competition. Fitness. Adventure. Different folks with different spokes, from grade school to senior living. I found my life in cycling at a young age … from Sting-Ray to Varsity to Campy, I kept diving deeper. Commuting, racing, touring, traveling, and futzing around … I’ve dabbled in it all. I enjoy cycling for the joy and freedom that connects me to my inner child.
HBL has a broad mission to make cycling easier, safer, and better for all of us.
I’ve benefited from HBL’s work, and I want to play a role in HBL’s future. I moved to Hawai’i in 1986, fresh out of law school, living in Kailua. Soon after I arrived, I joined HBL group rides, rode the Century Ride, dabbled in road racing, and occasionally commuted over the Pali. I served as an HBL director in the mid-1990s, creating its first website and helping other cycling initiatives. And then …
I moved to Oregon … a crazy, fun place for cycling. Portland has a strong cycling culture, and I keep a couple bikes there. But life took a turn. Last year, I returned to Hawai’i, now living in Makakilo, working again Downtown. With Skyline, I occasionally use the bike/train combo to get to the office. I gotta admit … it’s getting better, all the time.
The HBL of today is an impressive evolution of what I knew forty years ago, and I look forward to its future. BikeEd brings passion and safety skills to students, cultivating the ridership of tomorrow. The Century Rides challenge us along the most beautiful roads in the world, in collective celebration. We must encourage cycling for our communities, Island-style, drawing from lessons around the world. The road stretches ahead, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Frank Smith
“For many years my goal has been to save the planet with bicycles and the HBL is the key actor to do just that. Think globally, act locally. Let’s get more people on bikes! Bikes offer so many benefits: economic, fitness, fun, ecology, just to mention a few. Hawaii should be an example to the world.
I will continue to ride my bike and to do some of the less glamorous HBL volunteer work like picking up trash in Waimanalo and calling lapsed members to encourage them to renew. Since the late 1970’s I have been involved with the HBL so I can offer a historical perspective. After selling Island Triathlon & Bike I have been refurbishing bikes at the Men’s Shed and donating them to folks who truly need a bike for transportation. I look forward to many more miles in the saddle and to a great future for the HBL.”
