New position created to encourage, facilitate cycling on and off campus

Arizona State University Parking and Transit Services announces Donna Lewandowski has been hired to serve as Bicycle Program Manager. Lewandowski, who is the first to work in this newly created post, begins her job duties on Monday, Feb. 3, 2014.

Lewandowski’s primary responsibilities will be to develop, implement and maintain programs and activities that encourage bicycle usage on and off campus. She will be the lead liaison in connecting bike commuters with services that can help them maintain their bikes and stay safe on the roads. Lewandowski will also assist cyclists with incorporating other modes of transportation that contribute to ASU sustainability goals into their daily commutes.

Lewandowski comes to ASU from Tucson Medical Center, where she served as a community outreach specialist since last March. She coordinated Safe Kids Pima County, a diverse community coalition for childhood injury prevention. Her duties included planning and executing community safety events aimed at children’s and women’s health, as well as developing grant application, fundraising and marketing materials for the Safe Kids coalition.

“Donna brings an extensive knowledgebase to her new position as Bicycle Program Manager,” says Melinda Alonzo, director of Parking and Transit Services. “Her time as a community outreach specialist for Tucson Medical Center, along with her experience as a Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner for Pima County, highlight her long list of qualifications. As a certified instructor through the League of American Bicyclists, she demonstrates a practical know-how, as well as a personal commitment to alternative transportation that will be a great benefit as she further develops the university’s bicycle program and helps educate the Sun Devil community on bicycling as a sustainable transportation solution.”

Prior to her time at TMC, Lewandowski worked as a Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner for the Pima County Department of Transportation. Lewandowski oversaw the Pima County Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program for nine years, from its inception in 2004 – when only eight schools were involved – to its current state with more than 100 schools participating in SRTS activities each year. She led planning committees, conducted workshops and provided technical assistance at more than 50 schools and neighborhood coalitions wishing to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety. Lewandowski assisted with the planning process for bicycle and pedestrian facilities and reviewed plans for national transportation design standard compliance. She also developed toolkits and manuals for schools that were planning cycling and walking programs to help them create a culture of cycling and walking for transportation.

“I was thrilled to see that ASU had created a position that was bicycle-only since so many other universities and municipalities combine bike with pedestrian or put all the alternate modes [of transportation] into one program,” says Lewandowski. “ASU is making a real leap forward in having this bicycle program. I sense a very collaborative vision and look forward to seeing what I can bring to it.”

An avid cyclist, Lewandowski completed a solo bike tour from Florida to Maine in 2000. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and a master’s degree in Environmental and Healthy Cities Planning from the University of Arizona.