Free Bikes 4 Kidz

Terry Esau, Founder

Terry is a seasoned nonprofit leader with over 18 years of experience driving community impact and youth empowerment. As the founder of Free Bikes 4 Kidz (FB4K) in 2010, he has transformed a local Minnesota initiative into a national nonprofit organization now operating in 17 U.S. cities. Under his leadership, FB4K has provided hundreds of thousands of free bicycles to children in need, promoting health, mobility, and opportunity.

Terry’s visionary work has earned him national and international recognition, including the USA Today Make a Difference Award and a Guinness World Record for large-scale community bike collection efforts.

Beyond his leadership at FB4K, Terry is a published author, public speaker, and bicycle advocate, often addressing topics such as the well-being of under-resourced kids in America. In his personal time, he is an avid cyclist, musician, and artist, continuing to inspire others through creativity and action.

Christian Castillo, Executive Director

Christian Castillo’s life has taken him from Chile to Iraq, the United Kingdom, Mexico, the United States, and many places in between. Along the way, his work has included aviation, international service, business, nonprofit leadership, cycling, and art. While those experiences may seem quite different, they share a common thread: curiosity, adaptability, and an interest in people and communities.

Born in Chile, Christian joined the Chilean Air Force at 15 and spent 11 years in the service, eventually working as a pilot and logistics officer. Toward the end of his military career, he spent time in Iraq supporting the United Nations in the late 1990s. The experience was his first extended exposure to working in a very different part of the world and added another perspective to a career that would later become increasingly international.

After Iraq, Christian moved to the United Kingdom, where he completed his undergraduate studies and later earned an MBA. He then began a career in international business, working primarily in operations, procurement, supply chain, and strategic sourcing.

His work eventually took him from the United Kingdom to Mexico when his company offered him an opportunity to relocate there. A few years later, another move brought Christian and his family to the United States, where they eventually settled in Minnesota. Each move brought a new culture, new challenges, and another opportunity to learn how people live and work in different parts of the world.

Over the years, Christian worked with companies and suppliers across many countries and industries. The experience gave him an appreciation for how differently people can approach the same problem and how much can be accomplished by finding common ground. It also reinforced a practical approach that has followed him throughout his career: understand the problem, bring the right people together, and find a way forward.

Today, Christian serves as National Executive Director of Free Bikes 4 Kidz (FB4K), a nonprofit organization that brings communities together to provide bicycles to children who might not otherwise have access to one.

Cycling has been part of Christian’s life for many years, so the connection to FB4K came naturally. But for him, the work is about much more than bicycles. A bike can give a child independence, exercise, confidence, transportation, and the simple experience of exploring the world on two wheels. It can also create memories and opportunities that stay with a child long after receiving the bike.

In his role with FB4K, Christian works with local chapters, volunteers, community organizations, donors, businesses, and others who share that belief. He is involved in both the larger questions of how the organization can grow and the everyday work required to make that growth possible. He enjoys being involved in the practical side of the organization as much as planning for its future.

Outside of work, Christian remains an enthusiastic cyclist and can often be found riding road, mountain, or fat bikes around Minnesota. Cycling provides exercise and adventure, but also a way to slow down, explore, and experience a place differently.

Christian is also an artist. His work includes portraits, animal studies, landscapes, and impressionist seascapes, created both as original pieces and commissions. Painting offers a different kind of challenge from his professional work, requiring patience, observation, and attention to the small details that give a subject its character.

Christian lives in Minnesota with his wife and their family. After a life that has involved many moves, countries, careers, and experiences, Minnesota has become home.

Whether working with a community organization, riding a bicycle, painting, or spending time with his family, Christian is most interested in continuing to learn, staying involved, meeting people, and doing work that has a useful purpose.

More at https://www.linkedin.com/in/castc172/

Anne Hed, Board Member

Anne Hed began her career as a professional triathlete, competing worldwide through the 1980s. Through the sport, she met her late husband, Steve. Together, they shared a vision to create and innovate, to craft some of the fastest, most aerodynamic bike wheels in the world; and in 1984, from Steve’s garage and funded in part by Anne’s race winnings, HED Cycling Products was born.

From competing in the Ironman and the Tour de France to being awarded with several significant patents, HED Cycling is widely regarded as a pioneer in the bike industry.

Today, Anne remains a prominent figure in the sport, as a board member of the PeopleForBikes BPSA Trade Association Committee, and is leading HED in exciting new directions in composite engineering and manufacturing. She is a proud mother to Rebecca and Andrew.

Chris Larson, Board Member

Chris is a former amateur triathlete, turned cyclist-swimmer and one of the founders of FB4K Atlanta. He’s now relocated back to his roots in Minneapolis.
A graduate from USNA and MIT, Chris works at North American Electric Reliability Corporation, helping to keep the electric grid stable & reliable.

In his free time, you can find Chris exploring Minneapolis via bike with his two boys, gardening, or cooking.

Bradford Hosack, Board Member

Bradford is a designer, educator, and researcher. He has built multiple startups in the Educational Technology space including the cofounding of the largest educational video platform in the world, Flipgrid.

He is currently the CTO of MindPrint Learning, a cognitive data solution engineered to optimize learning based on a student’s strengths.

For fun Bradford loves staying active playing hockey, road/gravel/fat biking around the Twin Cities, and running with his three dogs for as long as he can tolerate them.

Mamady Konneh, Board Member

Mamady Konneh is a Cybersecurity thought leader specializing in Identity and Access Management, with over a decade of experience across sectors including SaaS, healthcare, finance, hospitality, and retail. As Lead of Identity Governance and Administration at Okta, the global leader in identity and access management, Mamady played a pivotal role in developing innovative Identity Governance and Administrative solutions. He earned a master’s in Security Technologies from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, where he conducted research on a secure digital identification program for Guinea Conakry, which he presented at the 2018 Smart Security Week in Marseille, France.

Beyond his professional achievements, Mamady is the founder and Executive Director of WeNetworkNow, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering diverse communities through strategic networking, professional development, and mentorship programs. In recognition of his community service, he received the Minnesota 2021 Outstanding Refugee and Immigrant Award.

Eric Duvall, Board Member

Eric is a senior product executive with more than 20 years of experience building and scaling technology platforms across healthcare, benefits, banking, and financial services. He currently serves as Senior Director of Product for Health Benefit Accounts at Optum Financial, where he leads strategy for the health savings and spending accounts and digital payment tools that families across the country use to manage their healthcare dollars. Earlier in his career, he held product and leadership roles at other divisions of UnitedHealth Group, U.S. Bank, and BenefitWallet/Conduent.

Eric holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.S. in Finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and recently completed Northwestern Kellogg’s program in AI Strategies for Business Transformation. On the FB4K board, he’s focused on helping turn the organization’s inspiring mission into a repeatable, sustainable model — bringing a product-and-operations lens to the goal of reaching 100 chapters and a million bikes, always with the belief that smarter systems should serve the human joy at the heart of the work.

A lifelong cyclist, Eric knows firsthand what a bike can mean. Some of his most meaningful miles are the ones he rides alongside his son, Doug — an experience that deepens his commitment to the well-being of kids and families. He lives in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, and this year he got back in the saddle for the cause, riding the FB4K Gran Fondo to help put more kids on bikes. His philosophy is simple: every kid deserves a first bike.

Glen Dall

Glen brings visionary and strategic guidance, experience in growing companies and markets, both nationally and internationally, from his background as a public company CEO and entrepreneur, coupled with his desire to serve, to help guide the long-range strategic process for FB4K.

He also has a life-long love of helping youth, serving in the Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers/Big Sisters organizations and Muscular Dystrophy Society.

Lesley Scibora, PHD

Dr. Lesley Scibora is Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at the University of St. Thomas, where she educates future leaders who will improve the health of their communities.

As a scientist, Lesley’s research focuses on the impact of obesity and physical activity on bone health from youth to adulthood across athlete and clinical populations. She is also a Doctor of Chiropractic and Advisory Board member for the Northwestern Health Sciences University Sweere Center for Clinical Biomechanics and Ergonomics.

In addition to her clinical practice and academic experience, Lesley has worked in the areas of health promotion and corporate wellness as Health Education Director for Life Time Fitness.

Birdie Cunningham

Birdie Cunningham is Director at the Center for College Sleep and Associate Director of Health and Wellness Center at the University of St. Thomas. She also serves on the City of Minneapolis Public Health Advisory Board and is co-founder of Sew Good Goods, a local nonprofit.

She brings to our board energy, passion, and experience in creating, developing and implementing health promotion programs.

Birdie enjoys finding adventures big and small with her kidos, and moments of wholeness found during yoga.

Tom Ritchey

Tom Ritchey is an American bicycle frame builder, Category 1 racer, fabricator, designer, and founder of Ritchey Design[1]. Ritchey is a US pioneer, building the first production mountain bike in the history of the sport.

He is an innovator of bicycle components that have been used in winning the UCI World Championships, the Tour de France and the Olympics.

In 1988, Ritchey was inducted into the inaugural Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, and in 2012 to the United States Bicycle Hall of Fame.

Tim Covell

In 2016, Tim joined World Vision as Supply Chain Director, leading the Gift In Kind operation. World Vision provides aide to 3.5 million children in 100 countries around the world.

Tim has a BS in Operations Research/Systems Analysis from the United States Military Academy, and a MS in Engineering Management from Milwaukee School of Engineering. Tim spent time serving in the Army and then led school bus and regional owner-operator delivery operations before joining GE Healthcare. He spent over 2 decades at GE in the high-tech field of radiological medical equipment, working in roles from manufacturing to material logistics to new product development; and then completed his time there working in global supply chain roles.

Mike Duvarney

Mike Duvarney is the Executive Director of the USA BMX Foundation, a Gilbert, AZ based non-profit dedicated to providing educational resources through cycling. Mike is the architect behind the immensely popular hands-on BMX STEM educational programming used at the USA BMX Foundation. Before coming to the Foundation, Mike founded and sold several companies in the youth sports space in addition to operating his own consulting group, working with clients ranging from the NCAA to Nickelodeon.

Mike also served as an Adjunct Professor in the field of Sports, Entertainment and Events.

As self-proclaimed foodie, he loves cooking, cycling, and can often be found trying to talk to cats.

Alec Bob

Alec is a professional BMX racer and entrepreneur from Plano, Tx. He has competed both domestically and internationally winning a world title and multiple national titles.

In 2015, he received a scholarship to Marian University to compete in collegiate cycling while also earning a degree in business marketing. While at Marian he competed in dual disciplines, BMX and Mountain biking on 7 national championship teams and won 4 consecutive Collegiate BMX National titles.

Mark Treat

Mark is a senior technology executive with more than 30 years of technology and business leadership experience. Mark leads the technology initiatives at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Prior Lake, MN.

The experiences Mark has had in Native American community have inspired him to help FB4K deliver to those underserved communities. He holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a BA from Beloit College.

In his free time, Mark enjoys many adventures by biking, hiking, sailing, traveling, and keeping up with his grandchildren.

THE FB4K STORY

Our Board

Our Advisory Board

Locations