In Memory: Peter Harrold

Here in the DC region when attending a local performance, whether it's an outdoor summer concert series or community theatre production, one often finds themselves wondering where do these performers spend their day jobs? Is the lead actor a lobbyist on the Hill or is the guy shredding on guitar actually a specialized heart surgeon? It's a common pitfall at parties in this area to open with, "so what do you do?" as if that leading question defines us. 

At Bikes for the World our motto is 'we accept all types' and that goes for bikes and people. When you walk through our door as a volunteer we are going to offer you a pair of gloves and a wrench, no questions asked. We already know you're awesome, you fought afternoon rush hour traffic to come volunteer with us. For our volunteer Board Members, however, we dive a little deeper into their backgrounds and expertise to ensure we have a strong, diverse backbone to support our mission our staff, and you our volunteers. 

Bringing Peter Harrold onto our team back in 2018 was a no brainer. Peter retired from the World Bank amassing decades of experience, including serving as Country Director in some of the countries where we actually support projects with our bikes. Peter had a long-career in international development and a background as an economist. 

Peter found us when he was looking for somewhere to donate an old bike. Having spent many years living and working overseas he saw the power of bikes which transform lives by enhancing access to markets and services. We re-found Peter when we were looking to expand our board. He hoped to turn his bike into an international tool of empowerment, but in turn empowered Bikes for the World.

Peter was particularly invested in ensuring that our work reached those who are most vulnerable and most in need. He was always 'that guy' at Board meetings saying that it was imperative that the Board and BfW raise more money to support expansion of our work in places like Burkina Faso and Rwanda rather than trimming support due to the high cost of getting bikes there. He felt we should focus on places where our support and bikes could make the biggest impact, such as landlocked countries in Africa.

We unexpectedly lost Peter last month and his absence from our Board leaves a void in the organizational leadership of BfW. Peter had taken the lead on updating and revising our Strategic Plan to make it more strategically focused and goal-oriented, as well as adding various graphics to turn it into a document worthy and exciting to share with the public. 

Taylor Jones, as Executive Director, worked with and knew Peter best on our team. He does not define him by his accomplishments but rather as the person he truly was. "Peter was just the best. He was such a warm, friendly and approachable person. He truly had a passion for what we want BfW to do and how we want to impact people." 

Peter was an economist and a retiree of the World Bank, that's what he 'did'. But we will remember him as a cyclist, a mentor, an ally, and yes, an actor who performed locally in several community theatre productions. We will remember his sparkling smile and his sarcastic British wit. He was one of our most valuable assets on the Board and we can think of no better way to honor his memory than to carry his passion and vision forward.