NICA Welcomes Dr. Francine Luce, Imelda March and Robert Saffell Join NICA Board of Directors
BERKELEY, Calif. - The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Francine Luce, Imelda March and Robert Saffell to the NICA Board of Directors.
As NICA continues to expand across the country the strategic addition of leadership professionals to its Board of Directors is key to helping guide the organization and its portfolio of youth development programs as it develops to serve a broader customer base.
Steve Matous, NICA President, states: "NICA's expansion into new regions and continued development of programs for student-athletes, coaches and volunteers has sustained the growth of our community. . Even during the pandemic, we have continued to experience growth in numbers of student-athletes and coaches. As our organization expands, it is crucial that we have the support of a strong and talented Board of Directors. Currently, we are supporting 29 leagues and serving close to 23,000 student-athletes and 11,000 licensed coaches. NICA has made incredible strides towards our vision of having every youth empowered to be part of a thriving and engaged cycling community."
NICA is thrilled to welcome the following professionals to our Board of Directors:
Dr. Francine Luce, Secretary, NICA Board of Directors
Dr. Francine Luce is currently a District Director at the Jersey City Board of Education in Jersey City, New Jersey where she oversees the Office of Grants Development for the Jersey City Public School District. Prior to her current position, Dr. Luce served as a Principal in the Jersey City School District. Dr. Luce's collaboration with the New Jersey State NICA representative provided her school and district with a curriculum for mountain biking that was created in an educational format that allowed the sport of mountain biking to be approved as an activity for middle school students.
"My life's work is to serve and educate students of all backgrounds and economic statuses. Being part of the NICA Board of Directors provides me with an opportunity to assist in a national effort to promote an enhanced supplemental educational experience for all youth with a lifelong activity of biking." states Dr. Luce.
Imelda March, NICA Board of Directors
Imelda March is a Digital Designer and UX Strategist from Chicago, Illinois. She has previously served on the Board of the Northbrook Cycle Committee and regularly rides in Chicago for recreation and work commutes, giving her a front-and-center view of two-wheeled commuting issues. Imelda has a keen interest in transit-related mobility issues and growing cycling in the youth segment. She has raced bikes for over eight years, both regionally and nationally competing in track, road, gravel and criteriums. Follow Imelda on Twitter @hcram1 and on Instagram @imelda.march.
On joining the NICA Board, Imelda states: "I am passionate about cycling and am looking forward to reaching out to local youth communities to spread the word about NICA programs. I believe that cycling teaches our youth a healthy lifestyle and provides discipline that can be applied to multiple aspects of their lives."
Robert Saffel, NICA Board of Directors
Robert "Bob" Saffell is the Director of Content Operations and Management at Wolters Kluwer Health Learning, Research and Practice and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Utah High School Cycling League. Bob, a lifelong cyclist, learned to ride in his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, and began his relationship with mountain biking after racing 24-Hours of Moab. He has led the Scalded Cats Cycling team, currently known as the Bingham Cyclery-Peak Fasteners for 16 years and was a partner with the Utah State Championship Series. Bob recently ended a 2-year term as a member of the USA Cycling Board of Directors in December 2020.
"Cycling has brought me so much joy, it has introduced me to amazing people and places. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the NICA Board. I hope in my time here I can be of service to continue building sustainable expansion, equity, and inclusivity to build strong minds, bodies, character, and communities," states Bob.
About the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA)
The National Interscholastic Cycling Association's (NICA) mission is to build strong minds, bodies, character, and communities through cycling. Founded in 2009 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, NICA develops interscholastic and community-based cycling programs for student-athletes and coaches across the United States. NICA provides leadership services and governance for local leagues to produce quality mountain bike events. NICA has served almost 64,000 student-athletes since 2009. Currently, NICA has 29 state and regional leagues and over 13,000 registered volunteer coaches who are working annually with over 23,000 student-athletes from over 1,100 high school and middle school teams in the USA.
