Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia names Sarah Clark Stuart its new Executive Director

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia announced today Sarah Clark Stuart can drop the “acting” from her current title, “acting executive director.” Stuart is now the bicyclist advocacy group’s executive director, effective as of Monday night. 

Stuart takes over for Alex Doty, who left the Bicycle Coalition in October after 13 years to run the League of American Bicyclists, a national advocacy group. Before assuming the acting executive director role, Stuart was the Coalition’s longtime deputy director and policy director. Stuart first joined the Bicycle Coalition as a board member in 2006, before working as a consultant to the organization and then joining the staff in 2009.

As deputy director, Stuart was instrumental in a number of high-profile victories for the Bicycle Coalition, including the award of a $23 million TIGER grant, development of Philadelphia’s Complete Streets policy. Stuart also oversaw research and analysis for several reports on bicycling in Philly.

“With Sarah’s leadership and the support of our very dedicated, talented, and hard working staff we look forward to a bright and promising future for our organization,” said Board Chair Lelyse Silver in a post on the Bicycle Coalition’s blog.

Stuart’s appointment ends a three month search for Doty’s replacement. 

Stuart also serves on the steering committee of the Circuit Coalition, which advocates and plans for the creation of a 750-mile interconnected trail network across Greater Philadelphia’s nine-county region. So far, over 300 miles of the Circuit have been built. 

Prior to joining the Bike Coalition, Clark held positions at the Pew Charitable Trusts and Environmental Defense Fund. She also consulted for the Conservation Law Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council. She holds a Master’s of Forest Science from the Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College.

DISCLOSURE: Stuart has been an occasional contributor to PlanPhilly, and currently serves on the PlanPhilly Advisory Board.