Board of Directors
Safe Streets Austin is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization overseen by a board of directors, which provides guidance through roles such as governance, strategic planning, and fundraising. We’re seeking board members who will help guide the organization’s important work. If you’re interested in joining us, please email us with information about yourself, including relevant qualifications.
Jay Crossley
Board Chair
Jay Blazek Crossley is Executive Director of Farm&City, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to high quality urban & rural human habitat in Texas in perpetuity. Farm&City improves Texas public policy at the intersection of transportation, urban planning, sustainability, and equity.
Among other public roles, Crossley serves on the TxDOT External Stakeholders Workgroup on System Safety, the Texas Strategic Highway Safety Plan Stakeholder Group, Capital Metro’s Project Connect Advisory Network, and the Capital Area Regional Transit Coordination Committee. Crossley contributed significantly to Houston Complete Streets policy, Houston Metro’s New Bus Network, Austin CapMetro’s CapRemap, Vision Zero Houston, TxDOT’s Road to Zero program, the Texas Stop for Pedestrians law, and PlanHouston.
Kathy Sokolic
Secretary
Kathy has long been a champion of new urbanism and environmental values, and became more directly involved in street safety after her nephew was incapacitated after being hit by a pickup truck in 2016. She joined other local activists to demand changes in street design and policy to prevent these injuries from happening to other families.
She is a co-founder and current chair of Central Texas Families for Safe Streets, an independent membership organization that works with Vision Zero Texas and others to end traffic deaths in the Austin and San Antonio metroplex.
Kathy holds both a BS and MS in Geology from the University of Oklahoma. For a good portion of her career, she cleaned up after the military, disposing of unexploded ordnance. In 2016, she opted for a change and now helps Austinites buy and sell residential real estate.
Robert Foster
Treasurer
Robert is a third generation Austinite who grew up riding his bike to get around town and fell in love with the freedom biking provides everyone, but especially kids. He volunteers with various groups around Austin including Ghisallo Cycling Initiative, ACC’s Green Team, and Austin Parks Foundation.
Robert works for Austin Community College building online tools and free textbooks to reduce the cost of higher education. When not biking or advocating for safer streets he can be found building funky sculptures for Austin’s 37th Street Lights.
Hill Abell
Hill owned and operated the Bicycle Sport Shop in Austin for over 35 years. Sharing his passion for cycling, both on-road and off-road, has been a labor of love since he discovered mountain biking in 1983. After decades of mountain bike advocacy, he’s now most excited about helping to create space and safety for transportation cycling for every member of our community.
Heyden Black Walker
Heyden Black Walker (CNU-A) is Director of Planning for Black + Vernooy Architecture and Urban Design. Together with Sinclair Black, she co-founded Reconnect Austin, a community-based call to lower the main lanes of I-35 through Austin’s urban core. Reconnect Austin envisions a reconnected city fabric which provides multi-modal access to housing, jobs, medical facilities, and transit. With the goal of equity in transportation, increased safety, and access for all, Heyden also serves in leadership roles with the Congress for the New Urbanism - Central Texas, the City of Austin Pedestrian Advisory Council, Cap Metro’s Project Connect, Austin Outside, and Walk Austin. Heyden is a 2016 fellow and mentor for the National Walking College.
Chris Riley
Chris gets around in Austin mainly on his bike; he’s been car-free since 2008. He’s currently working on developing a small multifamily infill project in Downtown Austin.
From 2009 to 2015, Chris served on the Austin City Council. He has since earned a master’s degree in Urban Placemaking & Management from Pratt Institute. While working as an attorney, Chris co-founded the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association and served as its president for five years. He also served on numerous city boards and commissions, chairing both the Planning Commission and the Downtown Commission.
Tom Wald
Tom is a long-time advocate for walking, bicycling, ADA mobility, transportation safety, transit, parks, and public space. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Red Line Parkway Initiative supporting the 32+ mile trail and linear park from Downtown Austin to Leander, and on the boards of People United for Mobility Action (PUMA) and Austin Outside. He was the first Executive Director of Bike Austin, served on the board of Walk Austin, co-founded Orange Bike Project at the University of Texas at Austin, and served on the Austin Pedestrian Advisory Council & Austin Bicycle Advisory Council. His other past community service includes serving on the Wheatsville Co-op board, and neighborhood associations including the Cherrywood Neighborhood Association and the Upper Boggy Creek Neighborhood Planning Contact Team.
Alexis Sheehy
Bio forthcoming.