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Undriving Team


Undriving™ runs primarily on creativity, resourcefulness, and volunteer energy.  We are building our team to grow this movement and take Undriving.org to the next level. If you are interested in contributing your energies, contact us.

JULIA FIELD – Founder/Program Director
Julia’s diverse professional background includes art, graphic design, creative direction, editing, publishing, interactive media, non-profit management, grantwriting, coaching, and facilitation. All of these come into play with Undriving.™ Her trusty 1987 Civic was good for another 100K miles when it was totalled in 2004 – offering Julia the opportunity to discover the joys of living without a car, much to her surprise. (Read her story here.) A few years later she found her true calling, coining the term Undriving™ and inventing the Undriver License™ to spark curiosity and drive behavior change in others.
Current Pledge: Loan out my bike trailer (so someone else can see how handy it is!)
Walk Score: 92

MIKE SCHACHTER – Director, Undriving 2.0
Mike is kind of a “catalyst” for small companies, start-ups, and non-profits like Undriving.  A former Vice President at Nintendo of America with over 20 years of broad business experience in the USA and around the world, Mike sparks the imagination, creativity, and resourcefulness within our organization, and helps us identify new opportunities, properly allocate resources, and build strategic plans to spread the Undriving message.  Through his travels across the USA and internationally, Mike has seen first hand the deleterious effect of the car culture, so he understands the importance of the Undriving message going global!
Current pledge: Spread the Undriving message across the U.S. – and beyond!
Walk Score: 83

CYNTHIA LEVINE - President, Board of Directors
Originally from a small fishing village in Alaska, Cynthia had an early education in the awesome power of nature. As a resourceful jane-of-many-trades, she has since put her energy and versatility to work in several diverse industries. From Fortune 100 to non-profits, she’s worked domestically and internationally as a production coordinator, project manager, and business owner.  Currently working on a commuting start-up in her favorite city of Seattle, Cynthia regularly undrives by walking, busing, biking and generally using the car as little as possible.
Current Pledge: Spearhead first major fundraiser for Undriving. Join with others that love Undriving (as a verb and a proper noun!) and raise $31k in October, 2011!
Walk Score: 80

LAURA VEITH – Communications Intern
Laura brings with her a background in visual and communication design, graphic art and photography. She is currently studying Whole Systems Design with a focus on Communication at Antioch University Seattle. Laura runs her own company called Creative Nudel Studio, a creative design studio.  At Undriving, she is involved in helping to develop the communication strategy as well as design individual communication pieces. When she is not studying or working Laura likes to explore her surroundings near and far, usually with camera in hand.
Current Pledge: To figure out how to undrive to dragonboating.
WalkScore: 94
NICOLE FALLAT – Board of Directors
Nicole has been helping companies choose the right words for more than 10 years. She has helped share stories about sustainability through her work at REI, Starbucks, Environmental Priorities Coalition, and Scoville PR, where she now directs public relations for green companies. Nicole first came across Undriving when the founder gave a presentation at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. After living in New York City and moving back to her hometown, Nicole became an Undriver because she never really figured out which rules of the road Seattleites follow, if any.
Current Pledge: Extend dog walks to include errands nearby.
Walk Score: 82

JENNY HEINS – Board of Directors
Jenny currently serves as President of Sustainable Ballard, where Undriving was conceived. A Seattle leader in sustainability, Jenny serves as part of the leadership team of SCALLOPS (Sustainable Communities ALL Over Puget Sound) and as Regional Director for the Seattle Green Festival.  Jenny’s favorite form of Undriving is “Skip the Trip.” Working from home and growing her own food have saved countless miles.
Current Pledge: Use the bus for every trip downtown.
Walk Score: 85

PAULA JENSON – Licensing Station Lead
Some threads running through Paula’s rich and diverse life spanning six decades include deep family connections, cross-cultural experiences, and contributing to her community. She brings a spirit of adventure to everything she does – teaching English as a second language, world travel, growing food, and licensing Undrivers – since the very beginning. While Undriving Paula relishes her time for reading on the bus, and the fresh views of gardens and houses she passes on foot and bike.
Current Pledge: Use the bus for every trip downtown.
Walk Score: 85

DAVID LEVINGER, PhD, PE – Strategic Advisor
David brings over 20 years experience in transportation policy, research, education, and program management to the Undriving™ advisory board. He has a background in both engineering and organizations, so his approach attends to both the technical and the social sides of a problem. From 2003-2007, he worked as Executive Director of Feet First. In 2007, he established The Mobility Education Foundation, with a national mission to improve transportation education for 21st century generations. He has worked as a consultant and served in an advisory capacity for a variety of local, state, and national transportation, health, and sustainability initiatives, and is currently research director for Rails to Trails Conservancy in Washington, DC.
Current Pledge: Meet by Skype as much as possible.  (Why? Because of this: Walk Score: 38)

VIC OPPERMAN – Strategic Advisor
As Sustainable Ballard‘s Founding President, Vic’s mentoring and creative energy played a key role in Undriving’s birth.  SB wanted to do something to help get people out of their cars – and after much stewing in the creative cauldron of SB that Vic was stirring, Undriving™ emerged. An experienced activist, community organizer, and founder-of-nonprofits, Vic also “activated” many unsuspecting community-leaders-to-be in her role as co-founder of SCALLOPS, Sustainable Communities ALL Over Puget Sound.  She works as an architectural designer focusing on green building through her business Opperman Design. Vic’s office overlooking Shilshole Bay provides workspace for Undriving, and her mentorship fills our sails daily.
Current Pledge: Talk up sail transport as a viable post-peak solution.
Walk Score: 60

JACK TOMKINSON – Executive Director, Urban Sparks (fiscal sponsor)
As director of Urban Sparks, Jack helps community groups launch and successfully accomplish projects for the public good.  Urban Sparks is Undriving’s 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor and is presently leading the creation of Service House, affordable housing for nonprofit workers.  He thinks Undriving could sweep the world with an online licensing system that other organizations can tap into, and invites others to join in to make that happen.  A home office, email and phone help Jack avoid travel.  When required, it’s bicycle, walk, or motorcycle – or when hauling stuff or people, maybe a car.  He loves biking in the quiet of night.
Walk Score: 82