Meet the 2019 Bike Tour Leadership Committee!

The Branch Out Bike Tour has a ton of moving parts. Each year, we wrangle up a group of passionate Branchies to help us pull it off.

March 21, 2019

The Branch Out Bike Tour has a TON of moving parts. From setting up the route to collecting timing chips to gathering silent auction items. Each year, we wrangle up a group of passionate Branchies to help us pull it off. We have another GREAT Leadership Committee this year, and we’d love to introduce you to the team behind the scene!

Introducing the 2019 Bike Tour Leadership Committee (in alphabetical order)!

Natalie Alexandre
For her second year running, Natalie is the Bike Tour event planning lead. She is our rock. Our calm before the storm. She spends her nights dreaming of contracts and linens and safety and food and all the little details that make Bike Tour such a success! We couldn’t do it without her.

Thomas Cherney
While he might look stoic and ponderous, just thinking about the Branch Out Bike tour makes Tom giddy with glee. When he’s not running his baller content creation business or climbing mountains, Tom handles the super important timing component for our riders. If you spy a drone at the Bike Tour this year, his company, Maven Media Group is ALSO helping us create a memorable video!

Matt Chilvers
By day, Matt is a neuroscientist using video game applications to help individuals with strokes. By night, Matt plans all the safety logistics for the Bike Tour from start to finish. While he may seem like an introverted guy, give this bloke from the UK a pint or two, and he’ll talk your ear off about safety vests and pylons.

Chris Duszynski
Not only does Chris love being a Branch Out funded Ph.D. neuroscientist in the critical field of concussion research, he ALSO loves volunteering and taking charge of the Bike Tour Rest Stops. From tents to trail mix, Chris ensures our riders and volunteers are taken care of at each of the stops along the route. Oh… plus he loves dogs, so he’s automatically a winner in our books!

Meagan McKenzie
Meg is Crystal’s partner in crime and Branch Out’s Marketing guru. If you see or read anything from Branch Out, it most likely came from this gal. While she’s not one to brag, Meagan is the official champion of the Leadership Committee’s salsa competition. What can she say? She makes a mean dip. Meg has taken a short hiatus (to give birth), but you’ll be sure to see her at the Bike Tour with her camera phone and brand new baby in tow!

Crystal Phillips
You know and love her. Crystal is Branch Out’s fearless leader and the original commander in chief of the Bike Tour Leadership Committee. When she’s not strategizing or hustlin’ for Branch Out, she’s busy forming partnerships and seeking new connections and sponsors for the Branch Out Bike Tour.

Ashley Poffenrof
While she’s an expert in her field and works as a Registered Nurse, Ashley is a newb when it comes to the Branch Out Bike Tour! She’s active in dance, volleyball and LOVES to travel. This year, Ashley is helping round up the troops and coordinating our invaluable volunteers! As it’s her first year, let’s help make her job easier. If you know anyone interested in volunteering, tell them to head on over to the Bike Tour website and sign up TODAY!

Courtney Pommen
Do you know anyone seduced by danger and forces for the unknown? Well… we do! Last year, Courtney faced a Bike Tour conundrum first: A train. Acting quickly, this superhero rounded the troops, temporarily changed the route, and got our riders safely and successfully around the barricade. She’s back for another year and ready to take on the next thrilling eventuality!

Trevor Seeger
Trevor, Trevor, Trevor. What can we say about this fellow? To start, if Branch Out needed a helping hand, an extra volunteer, or had a flat tire, Trevor would be there to the rescue. As another brainiac neuroscientist Committee member, Trevor’s #1 job is the Bike Tour signs. From building to painting to installing, Trevor’s goal at the Bike Tour is to ensure our riders and vehicle passerbyers never miss a turn.

Jamie Upton
She’s brand new, baby! Jamie is rocking it as a business student at SAIT and working part-time for Concorde. This year, she was looking for ways to give back to the community and contribute to a great cause – in came the Branch Out Bike Tour! She’s a mad snowboarder and loves getting out to the mountains whenever she can.

Saara Vassi
Saara is our spunky Aussie that overflows with positivity. She’s also mega A-type, which we love. Saara heads up the Registration portion of the Bike Tour – from the moment you register online to when you’re handed that sweet, sweet swag bag the night before the ride.

Danielle Vickers
Danielle is our Gala Gal. If you say ‘banquet’ to her face, she might just throw a piece of décor at you. While originally from the USA and doesn’t know what a ‘toque’ is, we don’t hold that against her. She’s one of the friendliest faces at the Bike Tour and ensures the silent auction and your experience at the evening Gala are juuuuuust right.

Nick White
Even though he’s never heard of Jann Arden or Alanis Morissette, this whippersnapper knows A LOT about hustle and business. As a bonafide, serial entrepreneur, Nick was featured on Dragon’s Den and is the co-founder of Burgundy Oak Group. This year, he’s hitting the pavement hard to help us establish new connections and partnerships.