NEMBA hires Keyes as executive director

IMBA Trail News
Volume 11, Number 4
September-October 1998

The New England Mountain Bicycling Association (NEMBA) in March hired Philip Keyes as its full-time executive director. Keyes previously served as NEMBA's volunteer president and editor/publisher of the group's excellent, comprehensive magazine, Singletracks.

Krisztina Holly, NEMBA's current president, commented, "We could think of no better person for the job: a trained economic anthropologist-turned-mountain bike advocate, the editor of the Access column in Dirt Rag magazine, a family guy, a hell of a rider (want to be hammered into the ground?), the husband of a physician, and someone who had already been spending a good chunk of his time leading NEMBA." Keyes holds degrees from the University of Chicago and Stanford University.

NEMBA now has 14 chapters in all New England states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Membership is up to 1,600 and the annual budget is around $45,000. During the past three years, the group has experienced annual growth of about 65%. Trail maintenance events have increased from six or seven annually to 50 this year. The Greater Boston chapter alone is performing 18 trailwork days in 1998.

"We had to finally go pro because our own success and growth was putting great stress on the organization," Keyes said. "The sense of purpose within NEMBA is really incredible."

Keyes explained that NEMBA's philosophy emphasizes achievement and development at the local level. He hopes to primarily serve the grassroots chapters, which have the volunteer base. One example of this is a grant he completed in August to obtain TEA-21 funding to institute a region-wide trail building school to be held in the Berkshires next May for all NEMBA chapters. The grant application would have been too complex and time consuming for volunteers, and it stands a much greater chance of acceptance by the state government as a coordinated effort among many groups.

NEMBA's membership fee is $20. The group keeps $15 to pay for the newsletter, office, salary and other expenses. The remaining $5, plus any contributions beyond $20, are returned to the appropriate local chapter.

"Our name is definitely known region-wide," Keyes maintained. He recalled a meeting on Cape Cod this summer where he served on a panel discussion titled "Mountain Bike Frenzy." He had expected some anti-bike hostility and was prepared to defend the sport. But a manager from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management stood up from the audience, turned to his colleagues, and delivered "huge accolades" for NEMBA. "He sung our praises," Keyes said, "It was remarkable."

Keyes said NEMBA strives "to provide a link between recreation and conservation, much like an Appalachian Mountain Club for mountain bikers, a force for environmental good." NEMBA is currently working to support a major open space acquisition on the Charles River in Medford, MA.

Very few other IMBA member clubs have paid staff the Michigan Mountain Biking Association is one example. If ITN readers know of other IMBA clubs with paid staff, please let us know.

Good luck to Philip and NEMBA in this ambitious new venture!

Contact NEMBA at
P.O. Box 2221
Acton, MA 01720;
(800) 57-NEMBA;
web: www.nemba.org