Staff and Board

TAYLOR JONES

Executive Director. Taylor Jones joined Bikes for the World in 2014 as Operations Manager and Business Development Officer. In February 2016 Taylor’s role expanded to encompass oversight and management of Bikes for the World’s international and domestic programs and partnerships. Taylor became Chief Operations Officer in September 2017 and Executive Director in January 2018.

He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Appalachian State University and a master's degree in International Affairs from the School of International Service at American University.

A longtime cyclist, Taylor has worked extensively in the bicycle industry for over 20 years in various capacities. Away from Bikes for the World he dedicates time to supporting a successful junior cycling team, catching as many Washington Nationals games as possible and exploring the DC area by bike.

YVETTE HESS

Outreach Coordinator. Yvette Hess joined Bikes for the World in March 2010 as part-time Office Manager and later joined us full time as the Outreach Coordinator. Before leaving a career in television she took a vacation to the Philippines where she visited our newest bike project created to keep students enrolled in school. After meeting our bike beneficiaries, visiting their schools, and riding with them through their communities, she came back energized to expand our program to affect more lives through bikes. She has also visited our programs in Costa Rica and Barbados.

Yvette believes in the power of volunteering and enjoys introducing what she hopes will become a lifelong activity to our youngest volunteers. She has volunteered at Children's National Medical Center, the Kennedy Center, the Pan Mass Challenge in Provincetown RI, and cross country for the Race Across America. She currently walks dogs at Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center and occasionally borrows a 'shop dog' to liven up the warehouse. She holds a B.A. in Communications from Salisbury University. 

TODD McDONALD

Operations Manager. Todd McDonald joined Bikes for the World in March 2021 as Operations Manager. Prior to joining the team, Todd was the General Manager in Washington DC for Revel Transit, an electric-powered, shared mobility company. He previously spent over a decade working in the bikeshare industry as a training and operations manager, helping build capacity, operations and assist expansion in over a dozen cities. Todd also worked on Tour d’Afrique, a trans-Africa bicycle tour. It was on this trip where he was able to see first-hand how donated bicycles serve their end user and the powerful difference they can make in a person’s life.

KEITH OBERG

Executive Director Emeritus. Keith Oberg has led Bikes for the World since its founding. Prior to that, he served as Vice-President and Washington DC Area Coordinator of Pedals for Progress, following a career in international development culminating in 13 years with the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an independent U.S. Government agency providing grant support to private grassroots development in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1999, Keith took a leave of absence from the IAF to work with Pedals for Progress and ultimately Bikes for the World, to put into practice some of the insights he gained as a funder, to test the potential of used American bicycles to serve as a catalyst and resource for domestic community volunteer work and community-led development overseas. Keith’s interests in cycling range from the local to the global. A long-time bicycle commuter dating to his early years in Washington DC as a non-car-owning graduate student, he is a former board member of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and co-founder and past secretary and executive board member of Phoenix Bikes, a youth bike program in Arlington VA. Between 1986 and 1998, Keith served as a member (and chairman, 1992-97) of the board of directors of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, an advocate for environmentally and economically sustainable transportation policies worldwide. Keith holds an M.A. in International Studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. in Political Science and History from Middlebury College. He currently lives in Arlington VA with his wife, Jessica Mott; they have two grown children, Kathryn and Alexander.

KAREN HENDRIXSON

Board Chair and board member. Karen Hendrixson joined the Bikes for the World board in April 2012. She is an independent international development consultant specializing in Africa and is the author, co-author, or editor of over 40 reports and publications on a variety of technical subjects. She has lived in Ghana and Liberia, and has worked or traveled in another eleven African countries. She served six years on the board of The Langley School in McLean VA, where she chaired the Governance Committee and served four years as Vice-Chair/Treasurer, and currently chairs the Social Action Committee and sits on the board of Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church VA. Karen holds a PhD and MA from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, has studied international relations at the London School of Economics, and is a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, graduate from Brandeis University. She lives in Arlington VA with her husband and has three grown children.

PETER BAILEY

Board member. Peter joined the Board in 2019. Peter has been a volunteer at local bike collections and sales events since being introduced to Bikes for the World at a local networking event. Peter is a strategy executive at J.P. Morgan, where he is currently the Head of Product Strategy for J.P. Morgan Payments. An avid cyclist, and former competitive triathlete, Peter greatly enjoys serving on the Board and helping Bikes for the World achieve the mission making affordable, good quality used bicycles available to low-income people in developing countries. In his free time, Peter loves spending time outdoors with his family- Amanda, Taylor, Mateo, and Lola.

Peter has a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from Virginia Tech (2004) and is an alumni of the American Bankers Association (ABA) Stonier Graduate School of Banking, an executive education and leadership program delivered in partnership with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Peter is on the Advisory Board of the Stonier Graduate School.

MICHAEL P. CARSON

Board member. Michael is a non-profit executive who has devoted his career to social and economic development. He is currently the Executive Director of the Women’s Institute for Secondary Education and Research (WISER) International. Michael’s technical assistance and strategic advice as an executive and consultant has helped transform small businesses, community-led health clinics and schools, and agriculture enterprises in conflict settings and emerging economies. Under Michael’s leadership in Senegal, Africare transformed its development program by spearheading Africare’s successful return to the Casamance region, which was recovering from a twenty-five years old civil war, by starting agriculture, natural resource management and health initiatives. Michael has a certificate in non-profit management from Stanford University’s Social Innovation Review, and a mid-career Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

CARLOS IVAN DAVILA

Board member. Carlos does mountain biking, road cycling, and he bikes to work every day. Carlos is a New York attorney; he is the Director of Global Partnerships at the International Law Institute (ILI) in Washington, D.C.; he is also an independent legal consultant and arbitrator. He is a delegate observer to the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), Working Group on Dispute Settlement. He is an Adjunct Professor at Universidad La Salle Noroeste. Carlos was a Legal Counsel for FINCA International, a microfinance company based in Washington, D.C. with affiliates in Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Before moving to Washington, Carlos worked in litigation in Mexico for seven years.

Carlos has an LL.M. from Georgetown University (2006); LL.M. from the I.T.E.S.M. Graduate School of Public Policy (2005); and a Bachelor in Law degree (Licenciado en Derecho) from the University of Sonora, in Mexico (2003).

PETER HARROLD

Board member. Peter Harrold joined the Board in early 2018, having been a supporter of Bikes for the World since discovering the organization when he wanted to find a good use for a surplus bike. He was an economist and later Country Director at the World Bank for many years, having lived and worked for them in China, Ghana, Sri Lanka and Eastern Europe. In these countries he saw the power of bikes to transform lives by enhancing access to markets and services. Like others, he was a bike commuter (when in Washington) and in semi-retirement he enjoys the increased time for biking, both in this area and in his beloved France. He is a part-time adjunct professor at GWU in International Development Studies, and devotes significant time to theatrical activities on and off stage.

CAROLINE HERMANN

Board member. Caroline is the import-export program manager for the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau where she works with importers, distributors, and customs brokers to ensure compliance with U.S. law. Previously, Caroline was a federal enforcement attorney for over a decade in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Civil Enforcement. She has also served as general counsel to an environmental nonprofit, and worked as a litigation associate in private practice.

AREND KOUWENAAR

Board member. Arend joined the Board in September 2023. He is a macro-fiscal economist who has worked in academics, at the IMF, and as independent advisor, focusing on low-income developing countries in Africa, while his PhD was on basic needs policy modeling for Latin America. He works currently as advisor for several ministries of finance in Africa, including Rwanda, focusing on capacity building in economic projection/planning and policy analysis.

Arend has served as a volunteer in DC-area NGOs providing support for homeless, immigrants and asylum seekers, including as Board member/treasurer at Luther Place shelter. He has a passion for environmental sustainability and is a decades-long bike/commuter and avid runner and swimmer. He is driven by Bikes of the World’s mixture of environmental concern, development aid, and healthy living and the support it gives to partner organizations becoming ‘models’ in their countries.

JOHN KOWALCZUK

Board member. John recently completed a long career in JPMorgan Chase’s investment bank where he held numerous positions, most recently as head of investment grade risk for the bank’s technology, media and telecommunications portfolio. In that capacity and in prior roles in Leveraged Finance and Credit Portfolio, he executed capital markets, derivatives and acquisition financings for the bank’s largest clients globally as well as for its emerging tech clients. Prior to joining JP Morgan, John worked at the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. Since retiring, John works as a finance manager at disaster relief sites for the American Red Cross.

John is a cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of George Washington University with a BA in Economics and a MBA in Finance and International Business from NYU’s Stern School of Business, where for many years he also appeared as a guest lecturer in Risk. He’s a former mountain biker and lifelong bike commuter starting in D.C. and continuing through his years living in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester and Texas. John has four grown children who are also avid cyclists.

JOE LEITMANN

Board member. Joe Leitmann has been a volunteer, financial supporter and bike donor with BFW for several years. Joining the Board in April 2018, he brings experience and skills in project and program development and management, resource mobilization, international development networks, urban transport, and corporate social responsibility. Joe is currently Lead Disaster Risk Management Specialist at the World Bank, heading teams on Resilient Recovery and Urban Resilience at the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. Previously, he spent four years managing the $400 million Haiti Reconstruction Fund which supports post-earthquake recovery in partnership with the Government and the international community. Joe also developed and managed the $650 million Multi Donor Fund to help rebuild after the tsunami in Indonesia. Joe has over 30 years of development experience with the World Bank in disaster risk management, climate change, natural resource management, urban development, forestry, and clean energy. He has worked in over 40 countries and held long-term assignments in Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia, Haiti, and the South Pacific (the latter as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer). Joe holds a PhD in city and regional planning from UC Berkeley and a Master’s from the Harvard Kennedy School. He is the author of a textbook on urban environmental management (SUSTAINING CITIES), co-author of the World Bank’s INVESTING IN URBAN RESILIENCE and numerous articles. And he enjoys biking to work as well as recreational rides with WABA and the Sierra Club.

THOMAS McCARTHY

Board member. Thomas McCarthy has been a Financial Advisor for over 26 years, is an Executive Financial Advisor with Raymond James Financial Services. Previously he was Associate Director of National Youth Work Alliance which established and assisted programs for at-risk youth across the country. His long-term and extensive volunteer work includes Board membership on several non-profit organizations. He is a founding member of the Coordinating Committee of the Cyprus Friendship Program and served in a similar capacity for the Children’s Friendship Project for Northern Ireland for over 15 years. He has been a collection manager for Bikes for the World (and before that Pedals for Progress) every year since 1995.

EVAN McDONNELL

Board member and Treasurer. Evan joined the Board in 2023 after many years of supporting the organization. Evan brings substantial business knowledge and experience from helping to lead rapidly growing software companies. He also has experience in private equity and business strategy consulting. His longest role was at Appian where he helped grow the company from 150 to 1,500 people and got to be on the floor of NASDAQ when the company went public. Evan’s love of cycling began when he was a teenager with a long and hilly paper route. He started bikepacking (before it was called that) with two different three-week bicycle trips, one from Missoula, Montana to Jasper, Alberta and the other from Seattle to San Francisco. Evan has lived in the DC area for nearly 30 years and has almost always been able to commute by bike to work. Evan holds an undergraduate engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon and an MBA from Harvard. He lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife and has two grown children.

WOLFGANG McGAVRAN

Board member and Secretary. Wolf is an experienced attorney practicing in the area of commercial litigation with an emphasis on technology, energy, and business disputes. He is an avid cyclist who has participated in multiple 150-mile fundraising rides between Austin and Houston, where Wolf lived prior to relocating to DC approximately two years ago. He earned a B.A. in History from the University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. from Tulane University.