Our staff exemplifies experience, dedication, and a passion for doing the right thing. Whether we work in advocacy, education, or provide the terrific services Vermonters have come to expect, we all know that our work is all about making Vermont a happier, healthier, and wealthier place.
Karen Yacos - Executive Director
Throughout my career, whether leading programs at nonprofits or corporations, I’ve been driven by a passion for creating sustainable and livable places. Now, I work with the Local Motion community (staff, board members, partners, volunteers, and the public) who share that passion and know that biking and walking is a way to get there. We need more communities where you can choose to not drive a car; where it is pleasant and safe to jump on a bike, a skateboard, into your shoes or onto a bus, and get where you want to go. Why not? Walking and biking as a mode of transportation are better for people’s health and for the planet. Imagine if we all burned more carbohydrates and less carbon.
3 favorite things: Skiing, exploring new places in VT, and around the world, cooking amazing meals from local ingredients (including those found in the woods behind my house).
Email: [email protected]
Ext: 108
Jonathon Weber - Manager, Complete Streets Program
As a kid, I spent a lot of time jumping my bike off the raised corners where driveway aprons met grass along my neighborhood street. And I just sort of kept riding, and finding more and more friends and community along the way—out in the woods building dirt jumps, suffering to the top of a grueling climb on a mountain bike, and cruising down the bike path. Now, I’m working to build a bike community and culture by advocating for safe walking and biking infrastructure in communities throughout Vermont. Someday, I hope everyone has a commute that’s as good as my 4-mile ride down the Burlington Greenway.
3 favorite things: Riding bikes with friends, riding bikes alone, eating ice cream.
Email: [email protected]
Ext: 104
Leslye Dentch - Bookkeeper
Leslye is a transplanted New Yorker coming to Vermont for more snow! Walking, hiking, and cross-country skiing are her main activities but she finds just being outdoors, in general, is good enough. She has a strong office manager and bookkeeping background and does her best to keep all of us at Local Motion free of the detailed, mundane, and day-to-day tasks so we can concentrate on promoting people-powered transportation and recreation for healthy and sustainable Vermont communities.
Email: lesl[email protected]
Ext: 107
Lynne Graves - Director, Finance and HR
I love to be active! I love to be outdoors! That is what attracted me to Local Motion- an organization with a mission to get people outside and moving. When not tending to finance and human resources that need at work, I can be found participating in a variety of activities such as running, gardening, rowing in my single, sailing, and skiing. As Dr. Suess reminds us, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” I try to inspire others to do the same.
3 favorite things: Family. Sunsets over Lake Champlain. Anything vanilla
Email: [email protected]
Ext: 109
Mary Catherine Graziano - Senior Manager, Education, and Safety Programs
Email: [email protected]
Ext: 106
Stu Lindsay - Valet Bike Parking Coordinator
It took just one bike ride in The Netherlands for Stu to realize the benefits of having a safe and secure place to leave your bike when you are shopping, going to a waterfront concert, or just about any other bike destination. After attending a Winning Campaigns workshop hosted by Local Motion, Phil Hammerslough and Stu revived the Valet Bike Parking program, going from only 150 bikes parked the first year to over 8,000 in 2018. Stu coordinates over 70 Valet Bike Parking events in a year, from the Burlington Farmers’ Market to the Waterfront Festivals – come by bike and say Hello! He won’t rest until we have a “Fietsenstalling” in Burlington- a safe and secure place for any cyclist- rich or poor, young or old to park their bike.
Email: [email protected]
Tanawat Luekr-u-suke – Logistics Coordinator
I am a born and raised New Yorker who has spent the last 30 years living there & the last 16 years commuting through New York City. Over the last 7 years, I commuted 10 miles every day to work. I have also worked with freegan bike co-ops, Uptown & Boogie Bicycle Advocacy, raced in alleycats, raced in a velodrome, and participated at critical mass. As Logistics Coordinator, I work behind the scenes making sure my coworkers have one less thing to worry about.
3 favorite things: Repping NYC, Cycling & Fermentation.
Email: [email protected]
Tom Clark - Director, Services and Marketing
I’m passionate about bikes, boats, and making things go.
My work here at Local Motion checks all those boxes for me. I oversee Local Motion services which include the Trailside Center bike rentals, the Bike Ferry, Valet Bike Parking, and the organization’s marketing effort. Prior to coming to Local Motion, my career took me to lots of cool places, working with all sorts of companies, big and small; always for profit.
And my reward after all those years?
I found my way to Local Motion and quickly learned the value of making things go for a cause rather than a profit.
3 favorite things: Spending time with family. Being outdoors on bikes and in boats. Camping and traveling.
Email: [email protected]
Ext: 102
Wylie Dulmage - Bike Fleet Service Coordinator/Lead Mechanic
Riding my bike to get to work in heavy Los Angeles traffic is how I began to become a true believer in the power of bicycles. With my bike, I was able to successfully track down a rumor of a thousand-person monthly bike party and join a huge community of midnight cyclists all over the city. In this community, I learned how to work on bikes, made lifelong friends, and helped others get into cycling by running my own weekly "hustle" bike rides. It has since become my goal to emphasize and elevate alternative transit, particularly bicycles both to improve people’s lives and to perhaps reduce the effect of climate change. To this end, I have worked as the service manager at North America’s largest bike valet, have run locally-sponsored free repair days, and worked as a mechanic both for my own business and local bike shops. I’m here to make sure all of the bikes at Local Motion are running safely and flawlessly, and to spread the knowledge and joy of bike maintenance to others.
3 favorite things: Group bike rides, replacing car trips with bike rides, troubleshooting!
Email: [email protected]
Ext: 111
Jessica Poulin - Program Coordinator
I spent many years working as an educator, both teaching English as a foreign language in South Korea, as well as working with kids with special needs here in Vermont. After that, I got my MS in Sustainable Development and Climate Change from Antioch University New England. It was here that I really developed an interest in how people get to the places they need to go, the barriers to getting there, and the negative impact our current transportation system has on our health, our communities, and the planet. Our transportation system can be transformed so our communities are walkable, bikeable, roll-able, and liveable on a human (not car) scale for everyone.
At Local Motion, I manage our E-Bike Lending Libraries, assist with the Bike Smart Program, the Everyday Bicycling Project, as well as bicycling encouragement programs.
3 favorite things: Being outside and exploring new places by foot and bike, knitting and sewing, houseplants and gardening.
Email: [email protected]
Ext: 103