The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) Board of Directors announced Eli Akira Kaufman has been appointed Executive Director of LACBC. Eli, who most recently acted as Director of Production at Swell Creative Group, has been an active member and volunteer of LACBC for over six years. Coalition board and staff have worked with Eli in various partnerships including our Annual LA River Ride, and know him for his creativity, passion, and commitment to social justice. The team is excited for him to lead the community in making streets safer across Los Angeles County for people who are walking and biking.
Eli has rich experience as a creative professional, working at companies like Film Independent and GOOD as the Head of Video Production before spending over three years as the Director of Content and Experience for River LA. A graduate of Oberlin College with an MFA from UCLA’s School of Film, Television and Digital Media, Eli has spent his career uniting important issues with powerful messaging to create impact at scale. At River LA, Eli brought in world class designer Bruce Mau (Massive Change) to build alignment with the Board to pursue the ambitious goal of integrating design and infrastructure to bring people, water, and nature together along all 51 miles of the Los Angeles River. He also played a critical role in the creation and execution of River LA’s identity (including its rebranding), and building a movement of river advocates.
“I am confident that Eli will provide strong leadership that will advance the coalition’s critical mission,” said Interim Executive Director Janet Schulman. “He’ll provide guidance, support and an energy that will build on our legacy and bring LACBC to a higher ground.”
The father of a ten-year old (who already has three LA River Ride medals) and a bike commuter, Eli has a special relationship to the streets of Los Angeles. Daily, he experiences firsthand how hard it is for bike-riding Angelenos to simply get to work, home, and school. He’s worked for over a decade in local nonprofits and purpose-driven agencies to transform LA – from rivers to streets – into a place where his child, and those across the County, can grow up in a safer, more vibrant and resilient region.
“The Board of Directors is thrilled that Eli is joining our team,” said Board President Marc Caswell. “I’m confident that Eli’s passion for social justice and connecting with people on what they care about will help scale our advocacy work, and that his leadership will inspire the staff, supporters, and allies of the Coalition far into its next twenty years.”
“I believe in the power of people as essential to building a more civil society,” said Eli Akira Kaufman, “I can’t wait to join our partners in growing the movement for safer streets that supports bikeability, transportation equity, and meaningful connections across our region.”
About LACBC
Founded in 1998, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition is a membership-based, volunteer driven nonprofit organization that works to make all communities in Los Angeles County into healthy, safe and fun places to ride a bike. Through advocacy, education, and outreach, LACBC brings together the diverse bicycling community in a united mission to improve the bicycling environment and quality of life for the entire region. For more information, visit www.la-bike.org.
This article was released by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.