BikeWalkNC

We’re honored to welcome Ken McLeod, Policy Director at the League of American Bicyclists, as one of our keynote speakers at the 2025 NC BikeWalk Transportation Summit, taking place this September in Hickory.

Ken is a leading national expert in bicycle policy, design standards, and advocacy. Since joining the League in 2012, he has worked to advance legislative and regulatory reforms that prioritize safety and expand access for people who bike. He manages the Bicycle Friendly State program, oversees the League’s data platform at data.bikeleague.org, and provides strategic guidance to local and state advocates across the country.

A licensed attorney in Virginia, Ken earned his J.D. from William & Mary Law School and a B.A. from Pomona College. Outside of policy work, he serves as Chair of the Roanoke Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee and enjoys riding (and climbing) in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

At the Summit, Ken will lead two sessions:

Monday, Sept. 8 – Headwinds and Tailwinds in National Cycling Policy
With a change in administration there have been many changes to federal policy related to bicycling. The League of American Bicyclists is working hard to ensure that bicycling continues to receive federal investment and that our national crisis in traffic safety is addressed. In this plenary session, the League’s policy director will provide an update on all that is happening in DC and discuss how the bike movement can weather turbulent times.

Tuesday, Sept. 9 – Manuals, Acronyms, Design Guides, Oh My!
Over the last two years, three major technical manuals and guides that impact how streets are designed have received updates. For the first time ever, protected bike lanes are included across the board and numerous other changes reflect the normalization of planning, designing, and building for safer bikeways. Attend this session to learn how these technical changes can lead to better biking in your community.

Don’t miss your chance to hear from one of the foremost voices in bike policy. Register now for the 2025 NC BikeWalk Transportation Summit!

The 2025 NC BikeWalk Transportation Summit is proud to welcome Dennis Markatos-Soriano, Executive Director of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, as a featured keynote speaker.

Since 2009, Dennis Markatos-Soriano has served as executive director of the East Coast Greenway. He and a staff of 16 work alongside volunteers, partners and elected officials to complete the 3,000-mile, Maine-to-Florida Greenway and promote its use.

Under his watch, the East Coast Greenway has grown from 18 to 37 percent complete, adding more than 500 new miles of Greenway. Markatos-Soriano has quadrupled the organization’s funding through his cultivation of foundations, corporations and individual donors. And he has conceived and led ambitious programming for the Alliance, from regional conferences that gather and energize thought leaders to the recent East Coast River Relay, a two-month series of public events that marked the organization’s 25th anniversary, while also strengthening its partnerships throughout the corridor. 

Markatos-Soriano holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead and Byrd Scholar; and a master’s in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University, where he received the 2008 Bradford Prize for Academic & Civic Achievement in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy. Prior to joining the Alliance, he served as executive director of two nonprofit organizations he co-founded: Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE) and Sustainable Energy Transition.

A native of rural Chatham County near the town of Pittsboro, N.C., he now lives in Durham, N.C. Markatos-Soriano enjoys basketball, soccer, riding his bike and time outdoors with his wife, kids, extended family and friends.