2025 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 cyclist and an elementary teacher. I currently serve on the school board and have served on accreditation committees for schools with the Hawai’i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS). I am about to complete my PhD in Global and International Education and I believe my education background, my international background, and my cycling interests could be a nice addition to HBL.
I am particularly interested in giving back to the HBL community because of the ways I have personally, and professionally benefited from HBL’s hard work. I have benefited personally through my almost daily use of bike lanes. I primarily cycle for commuting, and over the last 8 years I have reaped the benefits of HBL’s hard work at making the streets in Honolulu safer. When I first started cycling in Honolulu I had already been an avid cyclist for 5 years in multiple cities and I had never experienced the, let’s say… adventure of biking on the streets of Oahu. I used to have almost daily stories about an aggressive driver or close call, with an actual accident occurring once. However, I am happy to say that these days those types of stories are rare, probably not even once every 6 months, and I attribute a lot of that to HBL’s work on adding bike lanes, raising community awareness, and creating a safer biking community for us in Hawai’i. I have also enjoyed participating in the century ride in 2023 and 2022.
Pattie Dunn
Secretary
Interest in cycling and HBL: I used to commute by bicycle to UH-Manoa as a student. I didn’t get back on my bike until I turned 50 and someone foolishly suggested that I try doing triathlons. I discovered I have a fear of open deep water, don’t like to run but loved being on the bicycle. I had a wonderful coach in Eve DeCoursey, former Executive Director of HBL and wanted to be like Eve in her passion to make bicycling doable for everyone. As a result, I helped to co-found the Red Hot Ladies ride group for women 50+, helped to establish the UH-Manoa bicycle committee, a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Bicycling.
Goals as a HBL Board Member: I see more and more cyclist on the roads not just as athletes but as commuters. I don’t want to be one of those people who commiserate on how bad the roads are and how un- safe it is for cyclist. I want to make a difference and serving on the board of directors of HBL is one of the ways I can do this. I want to see HBL as a strong voice for all cyclist in the state. An inclusive rather exclusive organization.
2025 Board Members
Bob Bengtson
I have been a member of the Hawaii Bicycling League for 25 years. I have actively supported the organization as a volunteer and served on the Board of Directors for much of that time. As a past President, I continue to volunteer because I believe very strongly in the importance of HBL’s mission to educate cyclists of all ages and advocate for safer streets for everyone. I have served on several committees, the Events and Advocacy committees, and I am presently serving as the Chairperson of the J. B. Kelley Endowment Fund committee. I am seeking re-election to the Board of Directors to continue the important work of managing the Endowment Fund and to actively support the mission of HBL.
Norb Buelsing
“I’ve had the good fortune of being able to enjoy many years of bike riding in Hawaii with occasional week-long mainland rides. Apart from the beneficial exercise, biking is a sport shared with my two children. I’ve been an HBL member for several decades, with my initial HBL event being the 1982 Century Ride.
I’m retired from my career at Alexander & Baldwin, where I was President of A&B Properties. While at A&B I had the memorable opportunity to work with John Kelley, who regularly shared his enthusiasm for HBL.
I attended the University of Cincinnati following graduation from Roosevelt High School and have served on the Boards of the, Manoa Valley Theater, Historic Hawaii Foundation, Diocese of Honolulu Land Asset Management & Acquisition Committee and Waialae Ridgeline Association.
I envision numerous opportunities for HBL to expand its reach to community members throughout Hawaii. Biking has a low “cost of entry”; it can be a shared or solo activity and Hawaii offers perfect year-round biking weather. I’m also interested in expanding the network of bike lanes and paths to encourage new bike commuters and recreational riders.”
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.”
Kyle Paredes
Interest in cycling and HBL: Mountain Bike/ BMX
Goals as a HBL Board Member: As a mountain bike professional and BMX advocate, I want to bring a new and fresh perspective to the HBL team. My ultimate goal is to unify the cycling community and create a stronger voice no matter what discipline you desire. I would also like to add to the HBL Mission: to get more people to ride bicycles for health, recreation and transportation by making Hawaii’s streets, PATHWAYS, PARKS, AND TRAIL ACCESS safer through advocacy, education and events.
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.”