Staff & Board

Hill Abell

Board President

Hill Abell, in partnership with his wife Laura Agnew, has owned and operated Bicycle Sport Shop in Austin since 1985.  Hill has been a cycling advocate for over 25 years, actively supporting and advocating for local, state and national bicycle organizations.  Hill served on the board of the International Mountain Bicycling Association for 19 years, 5 of them as its Chairman, and in 2008 was named to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame for his contributions to mountain bike advocacy.  He currently serves on the Bike Austin board and the Austin B-Cycle board.

Erick Benz

Vice President

Erick Benz, BChE, MBA has replaced 80% of his car trips with a bike ride. He led the merger leadership team for Bike Austin in the spring of 2014 as Board President and continues to serve as the Board Vice-President. He is active in local bike advocacy issues including a successful engagement of the city and TxDOT to maintain safe passage for cyclists on 620 near Concordia University Drive and continues serving with a passion to make Austin a better place through cycling. He is active working with Bike Texas as part of the Cyclists in Suits program at the state level and has attended the League of American Bicyclists annual events including meeting with Senators, Congressmen, and their staff regarding issues important to cyclists. Now using his bike as his primary form of transportation he credits the Bike Austin recreational rides with helping he and his wife learn how to navigate Austin and the surrounding hill country. He also has experience as the Director of a local bike racing team. His bike racing credits include the Texas elite men’s State Time Trial Championship, individual and team Texas Cup State Championships at the novice, amateur, and expert level along with multiple Master’s individual road and criterium State Championships. He also leads a weekly training program in the fall for kids at the Canyon Creek Elementary School as part of the Texas Cyclocross Project.

Patricia Schaub

Secretary

Louis Mestier

Treasurer

I have been a member of Bike Austin since 2010 (and its predecessor, ACA), a recreational rider since 2008 and have lived in Austin since 1978.  I am keenly interested in promoting safe rode riding options for all cyclists along with awareness for those who do not ride on the roads of Austin.  I have seen Austin grow from a sleepy little college town and state capital to a large metropolis with all the traffic congestion, people, financial challenges and safety issues that affect all large cities.  I ride about 85 miles a week on group rides or individually, but I would ride more if I felt that there was a safe route from my home to work.  I believe that if more people ride bikes, it will reduce traffic congestion, increase health, make air quality better, among other things.  Safe bike routes and driver awareness are the key to all of this, in my opinion and Bike Austin is working hard to make that happen.  Professionally, I am a CPA and assist Bike Austin with its financial matters that will help it be more effective in planning for the future.

Greg Anderson

Board Member

Greg joined Austin Habitat for Humanity (AHFH) as the Director of Operations in January 2015 after spending five years at City Hall as Policy Director for Austin Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole. He has more than 15 years of experience in real estate development, including the 360 Condominium Tower and the AHFH Community Home Center. He currently plays an active role in the Dawson Neighborhood Association, serves on the Airport Advisory Commission and the Bike Austin Board. Greg is tasked with expanding AHFH’s product line to include multi-family and live-work properties in transit rich locations. Greg received both his MBA and his undergraduate degrees in Urban Studies and Geography and the Environment from the University of Texas in Austin.

Eileen Nehme

Board Member

Eileen Nehme is a lifelong transportation cyclist who is raising two girls who bike. She holds a PhD in epidemiology, and conducts population health research at the University of Texas System, Office of Health Affairs. She served on the Bicycle Advisory Council from 2012-2014, and was elected to the Bike Austin Board of Directors in 2013.

Sandy Silver

Board Member

Sandy moved to Austin with her four kids in 1968 and has worked as a teacher, nanny and personal assistant.

Stanton Truxillo

Board Member

Stanton Truxillo is a physicist turned geophysicist who retired to Austin in 1999. He’s been a cyclist virtually all his life. He commuted by bike in grad school and for 15 years after. He got into racing in 1975, and still races sporadically. He has toured multiday trips in the US and in France. He served as ACA president for about eight terms from 2001 until the Bike Austin merger in 2013. He was on the City’s Urban Transportation Commission under former mayor Lee Leffingwell, and is on the city’s Bicycle Advisory Council to date.

He currently serves on the BA Board, rides about 150 miles (mostly recreational) per week, and leads hosted rides most weekends. When he is not on his bike, he can generally be found hanging out with his grand kids or kayak fishing.