Sharing important news
The Next Path for Phoenix Bikes
A Note from Michale McComis, Board Chair
April 5, 2024
Dear Phoenix Bikes Community,
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am writing to share that after more than five years Emily Gage has made the decision to leave Phoenix Bikes in August of this year in order to pursue new professional and personal opportunities for herself and her family. Although we will miss dearly her impactful leadership, we are grateful that she has given us a long runway to find a replacement who can lead our organization into the future.
First and foremost, we want to thank Emily for her caring, creative, thoughtful, and inspiring leadership. We are exceedingly fortunate to have had Emily at the helm during key transitional phases of the organization and to shepherd us through the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Her passion for the organization, the Phoenix Bikes mission, and the youth we serve has been invaluable and we are where we are today in large part due to her commitment and dedication. There is no doubt that she will be missed and we all wish her the very best in her next endeavors.
Amongst Emily’s many successes, she has built upon the vision of those who came before her and positioned the organization for greater stability and strategic growth for the future. She leaves behind a solid foundation and framework for her successor to continue to build upon. Coupled with a committed staff and team of dedicated volunteers, Phoenix Bikes will continue to provide a safe community and educational opportunities that allow our students to learn and grow.
To manage the leadership transition, Phoenix Bikes has established a Search Committee and has consulted with outside resources to aid in this endeavor. The search has begun in earnest. The staff and our volunteer leaders will be asked to provide insight into what will best serve Phoenix Bikes and its mission as we move forward with the search. We are committed to gathering valuable feedback from a variety of our stakeholders and to finding another outstanding leader who can take Phoenix Bikes to new levels of success and growth.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our organization and our important mission and we hope to see you out at our upcoming events.
Sincerely,
Michale S. McComis, Ed.D.
Chair, Board of Directors
A Note from Emily Gage, Executive Director
April 5, 2024
It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as Executive Director of Phoenix Bikes for the past five years. It is with mixed emotions that I announce that I will be stepping down at the end of August.
When I joined Phoenix in the fall of 2018, our team had just moved into our new shop space, excited for the stability, extra elbow room, and opportunities the space represented. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished since then. It’s been a delight to see our youth programs expand to offer more riding opportunities, new advanced mechanics classes, and two fantastic internship programs to prepare students for the working world. Led fearlessly by a shop team composed mostly of our own program graduates, I’ve seen our reputation continue to grow as a trusted community bike shop—now offering over 700 repairs and selling over 400 bikes to neighbors each year. And I’ve celebrated alongside all of you as we’ve grown our amazing adult volunteer program, revamped all three of our beloved annual events, and nearly doubled the resources supporting getting kids on bikes!
None of this would have been possible without the tireless support of an incredibly talented (and fun!) staff team and the kind of Board of Directors most nonprofits dream of having. I’d like to express special thanks to those who have served as board chairs during my tenure, for their guidance and encouragement—and especially to our current chair Michale whose steadiness and wisdom have made us a stronger organization and who is now expertly guiding us through this next period of transition.
The Phoenix community has taught me so many things, but one has been to never pass up the chance for adventure, even if it’s a little scary. It’s thanks to Phoenix that I found myself pedaling (or let’s be honest, pushing) a tandem bike through ankle-deep mud in a cyclocross race, planning crazy trips with our youth to Atlanta and NYC for Youth Bike Summits, and cycling from Pittsburgh to DC to raise money for our work. And it’s that very same sense of adventure that is nudging me into a career transition. Now that our three daughters have grown into young adults, my husband and I are exploring opportunities as “empty nesters” to spend this next season of life working internationally.
Thankfully, this is not goodbye quite yet. I won’t be wrapping up my time until the end of this summer. The next few months will give the board the chance to work on recruiting a fabulous new leader, and will give me the chance for a few last hurrahs, including chaperoning our students to this summer’s Youth Bike Summit, seeing a few key projects across the finish line, and giving it one more “go” to out-fundraise Henry Dunbar at this year’s Raise + Ride (I’m coming for ya, Henry!).
To each and every one of you who have cheered us on—and will continue to cheer on our team and our students—thank you. Your energy, generosity, and passion for our students have made it hard to consider moving on. But I’ve never felt more confident in our team, our Board, our partnerships, and our community support. Good things are ahead for this extraordinary organization with your support!
Warmly,
Executive Director