Milissa Rick

Board Chair

Milissa Rick has 20 years’ experience leading strategy creation, innovative product launches, customer insights, brand building, and team leadership for global consumer brands.

She has spent her career working in various organizations: higher education, research and social media agencies, and the last ten years leading global brand marketing for such heritage consumer brands including Schwinn and Mongoose Bicycles and Lands’ End. She recently joined Regal Ware (a premium cookware and coffee brewing products co.) as Vice President of Marketing.

Milissa holds a MBA and BA both in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Terry Esau, Executive Director

Terry has over 12 years in the non-profit sector, having exercised his leadership as the founder of FB4K in 2010.

In addition, Terry has been instrumental in catalyzing the move from a Minnesota-only platform to the 17 US cities that FB4K currently calls home. Terry has been recognized for his societal contributions both nationally (USA Today Make A Difference award) and internationally (Guinness World Records). In his spare time, Terry is a published author and speaker on various topics, including the ‘Wellbeing of under-resourced kids in America.’ In addition to his bicycle advocacy, Terry is an avid cyclist, musician and artist.

Chris Larson

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.

Shona Koester

Shona is an entrepreneurial leader who specializes in business growth. Her roles within for and non-profit organizations have led to exciting opportunities around the world and have moved her across the country multiple times.

For the past 15 years, Shona has held executive roles within the Public Media industry, developing innovative audience and revenue growth partnerships with organizations like the BBC, The New York Times, NPR, TED, The Moth, and Marketplace.

Shona’s love of the outdoors was sparked early on, growing up on the West Coast—from Alaska to California and everywhere in between. She and her husband currently live in Minneapolis and are obsessed with all things cycling, hiking, and cross-country skiing related.

Thong Nguyen

Thong is a human-centric tech leader who enjoys creating products that people love to use, while helping individuals and teams achieve their best together. He’s had the privilege of serving in executive management and advisory roles in the private sector and is now working with the public sector to help federal institutions innovate at the pace that modern missions demand.

Thong is inspired by how shared experiences, ideas, and compassionate people can spark, galvanize and transform this world for the better.

Chief Richard Sneed

After graduating from Cherokee High School in 1986, Richard Sneed served in the United States Marine Corp for four years. On May 25, 2017, he was officially sworn in as Principal Chief of the Eastern Band and subsequently re-elected as Principal Chief on September 5^th, 2019. Chief Sneed has also recently been elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Center for Disease Control’s Tribal Advisory Committee.

During his time in office, Chief Sneed has successfully passed legislation that enhanced transparency, accountability, and economic opportunities for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. He believes in the unrestricted potential of the Eastern Band and its ability to sustainably meet the needs of its people. By investing in a long-range vision that responsibly balances resources with the needs of the Cherokee people, Principal Chief Richard Sneed is committed to ensuring that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians continues to thrive for generations to come.

Bradford Hosack

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.

Paul Koch

Paul is a General Partner of Likewise Fund I Advisors, LLC, the Advisor to Likewise Partners Industrial Fund I, LLC which is acquiring and developing a consistent, high quality, and geographically diverse portfolio of income-producing industrial properties.

He is a Director of The MPX Group, a Golden Valley, Minn. marketing, design, specialty printing and promotional products company.

Paul is a former Managing Director, Private Wealth Advisor and Senior Portfolio Manager with 31 years of investment and portfolio management experience serving as the Wealth Advisor for high-net-worth families.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota and was a long-standing member of the college’s Board of Trustees. He is a former Vice Chair of the Board and a past Chair of the investment committee for the school’s endowment. Paul also serves on the Free Bikes 4 Kidz (FB4K) National Board.
In addition, Paul is a former Chair of the Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners Board of Directors and served on the Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest and Economic Club of Minnesota Board of Directors. He also previously served as a member of the University of Minnesota’s Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Committee and is a member of the Twin Cities Dunkers.
Paul and his wife, Michelle, live in Plymouth, Minn., with their three sons. They are passionate University of Minnesota basketball supporters and avid golfers.

Marc Swiontkowski

Marc Swiontkowski, MD, is Board Certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is the past president of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and the American Orthopaedic Association.

In 1979, he received his Medical Degree from the University of Southern California School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency training at the University of Washington. After a research fellowship in Switzerland he joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University. In July 1988 he returned to the University of Washington and in 1989, was promoted to Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and assumed the position of Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. From September 1997 through October 2007, he held the position of Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota. From 2007 through July 2015, he held the position of CEO for TRIA Orthopaedic Center. He is currently a Professor at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Swiontkowski is an NIH funded investigator and has published articles in peer review journals on numerous topics including osteomyelitis, fracture treatment, and the assessment of musculoskeletal outcomes.

He’s lectured extensively in this country as well as abroad. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Maggie Romens

Maggie is a strategic marketer, brand builder and entrepreneur who thrives while designing a vision and leading a team toward a common goal. She consults with companies to elevate their brand, negotiate/activate sports sponsorships, and secure naming rights partnerships. She specializes in the business of sports and enjoys serving on the non-profit Boards for Bolder Options, (an activities-based youth mentorship program) and the advisory board for the Dougherty Family College at the University of St. Thomas.

Maggie is inspired to help FB4K create an opportunity for every kid to feel the freedom of riding on two wheels to spark healthy life choices that propel all of us beyond our limits.

Maggie lives by the river downtown Minneapolis and loves hiking and riding trails in the woods, kayaking, practicing yoga and traveling.

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.