Eric Moran has been an environmental advocate their entire life, starting with Boy Scouting. They have been an IT professional for over 20 years that has focused primarily in the public sector. They live in North Minneapolis with their spouse and daughter, and Eric’s daughter prefers commuting by bike everywhere year-round. Current favorite transit route is the 19/C Line. Eric has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Bethel University and works for Hennepin County managing Microsoft Cloud services.

John Elliot Schmit’s interest in transportation and urbanism sparked and grew while living car-free in Copenhagen for five years. In the cycling industry, he explored the differences that are possible in prioritizing people-first transportation options. John is currently a carpenter/remodeler with a passion for ADUs. John lives in a three-generation household in White Bear Lake.

Alex Tsatsoulis is the Development Director at the Lake Street Council, working to support Lake Street’s unique and diverse community. Alex has previously worked at Our Streets Minneapolis (formerly the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition), to support the organization’s transportation advocacy work and Open Streets events. Alex has a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from the University of Chicago. His favorite bus line is the 21.

Jem Thompson is a graduate student in the Urban and Regional Planning Program at the University of Minnesota where he is concentrating on the intersection of land-use, urban design, and sustainable transportation systems. In addition to his studies, Jem is also a graduate research assistant with the Accessibility Observatory within the Center For Transportation Studies. Prior to moving to Minnesota, Jem worked at the active transportation firm Bikes Make Life Better, where he helped private companies and developers to plan active transportation infrastructure and shared micro-mobility systems in the San Francisco bay area.

In his free time Jem loves to travel within the United States and internationally, having explored over 30 countries to date. From weeklong trips by train across Siberia to biking from Florida to California, Jem is always looking for ways to combine his love of travel and passion for multi-modal transportation. While living in the Netherlands Jem witnessed how systems and policies could be crafted to provide plentiful transportation options and prioritize people over motor-vehicles. The stark contrast between the Dutch and the United States was the impetus for a career change, which led Jem to the field of urban planning and design. Jem hopes to bring this international perspective on transportation policy, infrastructure, and programs to the board of Move Minnesota to help promote equitable and sustainable transportation for all.

Jonathan Ahn believes deeply in the power of public transit to shape the form, function, and quality of life—balanced and focused investment in high-quality transit is essential to the creation and continuing vitality of communities throughout Minnesota. Jonathan’s work at Metro Transit focuses on transit operations, planning, and systems integration for the region’s growing network of transitways. A member of the American Public Transit Association’s Emerging Leaders, Jonathan has also worked to create positive feedback loops with the transit project lifecycle, refining future projects with inputs from “on-the-ground” operational feedback and implementing innovative strategies.

Jonathan was born and raised as a daily transit rider in Seoul, South Korea, and continues to do so now in Minneapolis. Jonathan holds a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College.

Alma Flores is a seasoned housing, community, and economic development professional focused on leveling the playing field for marginalized communities. For over 18 years, she has been a public servant in Oregon, Massachusetts, and most recently in Minnesota in equitable transit-oriented development, economic policy development, downtown revitalization, commercial corridor development strategies, economic and housing strategic planning development, and land use policies. For over 4 years, prior to moving to Minnesota, Alma worked as an affordable housing developer in Oregon and Washington. Since March 2023, Alma has been the Community Development Director for the City of Golden Valley. Alma is a staunch advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion and grassroots community engagement that help improve and inform policy development. Alma firmly believes that strategies must be tailored to reflect the intentions and needs of a community—no cookie cutter approaches!

Alma was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and is a graduate of MITs master’s in city planning with a focus on Housing, Community, and Economic Development. Alma holds her BA from UCLA where she studied immigration history and the Chicano/a movements. Alma is married to her high school sweetheart and is the mother to a 20- and 24-year-old. She is excited to be on the board of Move Minnesota given the importance of equitable access to transportation options for all walks of life.

Sam Kavalier is a Minneapolis-based attorney at the firm of Ogden Glazer + Schaefer. Sam’s work as an attorney focuses on helping small businesses, startups, artists, and non-profits unlock their potential through meeting their legal goals in the fields of intellectual property, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and food and beverage regulatory matters. Prior to his career as an attorney, Sam worked in the tech industry, primarily in quality assurance and regulatory compliance. He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D.), as well as the University of Michigan (B.A. Political Science and German).

Outside of work, Sam enjoys being outdoors, particularly hiking and biking (his preferred form of transportation). He also delights in spending time with his wife and daughters. Sam joined Move Minnesota to channel his passion for biking and improving car-free transit options within the Twin Cities.

Alyssa Keil has spent her career working in nonprofits focused on financial and housing security. Currently, she serves as the Assistant Director of the Housing Choice Voucher program at Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. After growing up in Colorado and completing her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Denver, she moved to New York City, where she lived for 8 years before moving to Minnesota in 2022. Her time in New York City is when Alyssa grew to love the car-free lifestyle.

She is proud of the public transit options already available in her new city, and excited to support the work of Move Minnesota in making transit, biking, walking, and rolling more accessible for all Minnesotans. Outside of work, Alyssa enjoys trying new restaurants, reading, and tackling DIY home decor projects. She is also a caretaker for her father who uses a wheelchair and depends on Metro Mobility and pedestrian-safe sidewalks and streets to get around. Alyssa lives in Saint Paul with her free-roam rabbit, Lavender.

Sasha Lewis-Norelle is a young environmental activist and organizer, living in Minneapolis. He currently works at the environmental non-profit Clean Water Action Minnesota, as the Environmental Health and Justice Organizer. In 2021, he graduated from Macalester College with a degree in environmental studies and concentration in biology. He first got his start in environmental organizing through his school’s divestment campaign, pushing for the institution to stop investing in fossil fuels. Since then, he has been involved in a number of movements, such as the Sunrise Movement, the movement to Stop Line 3, and the continuous movement for environmental justice. He uses public transit as his main way of getting around, and has a strong passion for creating low carbon, equitable transit systems. Outside of organizing, he enjoys going for long walks, watching anime, and playing music.

Christy Marsden has worked in educational, nonprofit spaces since completing her degree from the University of California, Davis. Now in Minnesota, Christy works to help people feel empowered about taking action for climate change across Minnesota. She believes that moving toward sustainable transportation options is key for addressing our changing climate while building resiliency within community, and is excited to support this work at Move Minnesota. Currently, Christy’s favorite bus line is the 17 when she’s not commuting via the 114 or bike.

Christian Noyce grew up outside of Eau Claire, Wisconsin before heading down to Iowa to attend Grinnell College where he pursued an undergraduate degree in Economics and General Science with an emphasis on Physics. After graduating from Grinnell in 2015, Christian worked multiple campaign cycles in Iowa with a focus on environmental issues for the League of Conservation Voters. Then in 2018, Christian moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan to gain a masters of science degree in environmental policy, planning, and justice at the University of Michigan School for the Environment and Sustainability. During his time there, Christian taught environmental economics and completed research in the field of transportation economics. Christian continued this work with the United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Transportation and Air Quality on decreasing the environmental impacts of transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft as well as issues surrounding consumer acceptance of vehicle efficiency technologies. In 2020, before moving to Minnesota to work as an analyst for the State of Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Christian proposed to his now wife.

Christian and his wife enjoy watching TV and movies while cuddling with their two cats, Reggie and Eleanor. When not advocating for greater mobility solutions, Christian enjoys dreaming of international travel and supporting his teams of choice: Minnesota United and Minnesota Aurora. Christian is excited to strengthen mobility across Minnesota as a board member of Move Minnesota. From biking in greater Minnesota to taking the bus across town, Christian believes access to safe, affordable, and reliable transportation to be a bedrock of a strong and healthy community and environment. While you’ll mostly see Christian walking in the neighborhoods with his wife, you’ll sometimes catch Christian on the 21 bus or scootering along Selby Ave. Christian’s favorite new addition to mobility in the region is the recently launched Amtrak Borealis.

Andrea Riehl believes deeply in creating a more equitable and accessible transportation system for everyone across all backgrounds and income levels. Professionally she has worked as a strategy and innovation leader for over ten years and brings with her a collaborative and community-led approach to program design and implementation.

In her free time, she enjoys riding her bike with her friends, hiking, camping, and spending time with her family.