SEATTLE, WA (BRAIN)—IMBA has appointed three new members to its board of directors, filling spots left vacant by longtime directors Hill Abell, Chris Kegel and Jay Franklin, all of whom stepped down due to term limits.
Howard Fischer, James Grover and Alden Philbrick, all from outside the industry, were named to the board at IMBA’s recent meeting in Seattle, Washington. Fischer, CEO and founder of an investment management firm, has experience trail building and is an avid cyclist. Grover, long an active member of the Tarheel Trailblazers IMBA Chapter, has a career in regulatory relations and corporate compliance. Philbrick is president and CEO of Oxford Finance and an avid mountain biker, triathlete and runner.
The group rounds out IMBA’s board, which includes five other directors both from inside and outside the industry, and has already gone to work on the nonprofit's short- and long-term initiatives.
"IMBA's board has tackled some important issues in recent sessions, including a productive planning session with senior staff to examine key strategies and tactics. That discussion resulted in a commitment to continue building our Chapter program, and to strengthen outreach efforts so that the organization continues to grow and extend its influence," said Mike Van Abel, IMBA's executive director.
Outgoing directors Abell, owner of Bicycle Sport Shop in Austin, Texas; Chris Kegel, owner of the Wheel & Sprocket chain in Wisconsin; and Jay Franklin, vice president of an environmental, health and safety engineering firm in Georgia, and board member on multiple cycling organizations, had 40 years of combined service between them on behalf of IMBA.
“That’s over 120 butt-numbing meetings,” Van Abel wrote in a recent newsletter to members.
The International Mountain Biking Association runs on a $6 million annual budget, about half of which is funded through industry support.
For more details on IMBA's board of directors, click on the link above.
