Workforce Diversity Wednesday: 2024 Round-Up

As part of an ongoing series, NABSA is highlighting five individuals working in shared micromobility to spotlight diversity within the industry and encourage others to take part in the field.

In 2023, the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association (NABSA) launched Workforce Diversity Wednesdays to showcase the variety of jobs that exist in shared micromobility. The interviews highlight individual’s work and roles with the hopes of helping people interested in shared micromobility see themselves in the industry.

This Wednesday, we are rounding up the interviews from 2024 — hearing from Elese Daniel at Red Bike, Gabriela Becerra at BKT bici pública, Abel Braughton at Divvy, Monique West at MoGo, and Roshin Kurian at BIKETOWN! For the full interviews, visit the links.

HOW DID YOU COME TO ARRIVE AT WORKING IN SHARED MICROMOBILITY AND YOUR CURRENT ROLE?

“In a previous life, I primarily worked in startups/startup accelerators focusing on food access and transit accessibility. As an avid bike rider and public transit enthusiast (some may say nerd), my focus and career started to focus more around transit and slowly my worlds began to combine.” – Abel Braughton

“At the time, I was probably one of the most visible black women riding a bike and commuting in downtown Cincinnati. I also happened to work in the Vice Mayor’s office, which is where I first met former Red Bike Executive Director Jason Barron. I asked to sit in on a meeting between the Vice Mayor and Jason, while they discussed bike infrastructure, the latest bike plan, and bikeshare. The system had been operating for two years or so; I didn’t know much about it and had never used it. A year or so later, in 2017, when I left the city, Red Bike was hiring and reflecting on who their riders were, who was missing, who might benefit the most from bike access, and who felt like bikeshare was for them. I joined the team in this time of reckoning and transition. I got to help shape how Red Bike would address bikeshare equity and access. I’ve since used the same approach with other outreach and engagement efforts: Learn by looking across to peer cities and listening to people locally. Nowadays, I’m no longer the most visible black woman on a bike downtown. Among the ever-growing number of bicyclists in the city center, there are many more black women, more black people riding, more people of color, a variety of ages, genders, etc. I know that my programmatic and engagement work, with community partners, has contributed to that growth and visibility.” – Elese Daniel

“I learned about a role in the NYC Health Department/Center for Health Equity connecting community-based initiatives to state funding focused on creating healthy people and communities. I was able to get to my passion of connecting the thing to the folks, but this felt different. It felt preventative, yet timely — and joyful! I piloted the Prescribe a Bike program in Brooklyn and didn’t want to stop there.” – Roshin Kurian

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?

“Being in the community. Spreading joy within the community, encouraging bike riding — getting out there and having fun. Seeing people who may have apprehension because they have not ridden cycles in a long time, change to enjoy a ride and see that youthful spark return is priceless! Also, there are huge opportunities for growth within our Motor City to incorporate the world of micromobility, and being a part of the expansion of the vision gives me a sense of pride.” – Monique West

“What I really love is seeing how public space transforms. It is a tangible change not only in the daily lives of its users, but also in the city. It’s an exchange in which the systems (the stations and the bikes) generate greater road culture, safety and cycling infrastructure, and this also allows the systems to grow and have more approval in the city.” – Gabriela Becerra

WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? 

“Personally, as a feminist, I find it impressive to discover that public cycling generates greater autonomy and security in women, which is research I’ve presented at the NABSA conference before. That intersection between feminism and the ownership of public space is just amazing. At work, it is very satisfying to see how bike share (in both cities where we work) is considered public, and how we coordinate with the government to achieve its integration into other means of transportation and how it is seen as a public good.” – Gabriela Becerra

“Hm, great question! Likely the sheer amount of mechanic knowledge that can be incredibly beneficial to the role. Knowing why and where our bikes and scooters are important, knowing how they work is another. I like to stay close to the operation as possible and (try to) understand as much as possible about our hardware so we have a clear understanding of what’s going on in the field or with our riders, and as always, how we can improve!”- Abel Braughton

“It is so intersectional! We have learned that the things we have access to in our environments play a critical role in shaping our health outcomes and quality of life. We cannot show up if we cannot get there! Physical connectedness connects our joy to others, health, jobs, schools, recreation and our own well-being. As a med school dropout, preventative medicine is the kind of medicine that feels worthwhile to me, including unlocking access to basic needs. I’m invigorated to create practical ways to connect physical and mental health, including social connectedness and addressing actual quality of life through movement.” – Roshin Kurian

The Better Bike Share Partnership is funded by The JPB Foundation as a collaboration between the City of Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and the PeopleForBikes Foundation to build equitable and replicable bike share systems. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or sign up for our weekly newsletter. Have a question or a story idea? Email odochi@peopleforbikes.org