Lois Levin is a clinical psychologist who also has training in conservation biology. She has served on the Legislative Action Committee of the LWV of Massachusetts.  Lois founded Bike Newton in 2007 with a main goal of making Newton a bicycle safe city, prompted when the City of Newton had applied for–and received– an exemption from providing state-mandated bicycle lanes on Walnut Street.

By the time Lois resigned her role as President in 2012, when Mayor Warren appointed her to be Newton’s first Bicycle Coordinator and Chair of the Bicycle Advisory Committee, our membership had grown to over 600 families.

Nathan Phillips is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University, and Directs the Earth House Living Learning Community at BU.

Nathan commutes by bike between Auburndale and BU, rain or shine (except when roads are icy)

One of the ways I contribute to Bike Newton is by planning and leading Group Rides.  For me this is a very hands-on way to pull people into the activity and show them how much fun getting from point A to point B can be!  I do believe bicycling is a “win-win-win” activity for people of all ages, and something that can and should be incorporated into people’s daily lives here in America as it is in much of the world. Beyond the purely personal level, I believe that bicycling needs to be part of the solution for our planet’s environmental problems. 

I enjoy working with BikeNewton because of its mission to promote safe bicycling as not only sport and recreation but also as transportation.

Dr. Nedeljkovic is an anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist based at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a major teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. He is the President of the Newton Highlands Neighborhood Area Council and has served on the Newton Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee and the Crystal Lake Task Force. He is a founding member and the Treasurer of the Crystal Lake Conservancy. He has served on Newton’s Mixed Use Task Force, on the Transportation Advisory Committee and Group and is a member of the Arborway Committee in Jamaica Plain.

Bob Jampol has been living in Newton on and off since 1970. He taught English at Newton South High School for 34 years until retirement in 2015, and he coached tennis there from 1982 to 2022. Bob was formerly a columnist for the Newton Tab for many years and under many editors, and he later wrote for Village 14.

Bob co-founded the Friends of Newton Tennis and still serves on its board. He also volunteers his efforts for the Friends of Cold Spring Park. In addition, Bob served three terms on the Waban Area Council, and used to chair the Purim Fundraising Drive of Yad Chessed. He also served a term on the Newton Human Rights Commission. These days he is a commissioner on the Newton Conservation Commission. An avid cyclist, he bikes all over Newton and loves the Garden City!

John Pelletier is a transportation project manager at Harvard University.  He formerly chaired the Bike Advisory Committee which worked on specific city projects or policies to improve bike access around Newton. John didn’t learn to ride a bike until middle school and didn’t start riding for most trips until a study abroad trip to the UK in 2009.  He has been a ride leader for the Tour de Newton since it started and has worked with SRTS on bike trainings for middle school students. 

John and his wife live car-free in Newtonville and he can often be seen carrying something on his bike!

Doug is an year-round bike commuter during the week from his home in West Newton. On the weekend, he loves long bike rides in search of ice cream and donuts. Doug rides the Pan Mass Challenge on Team Kinetic Karma.

In addition to Bike Newton, Doug is on the board of MassBike, the state-wide cycling advocacy organization. He also serves on the Newton Historical Commission.

When he’s not on his bike, Doug is working as the Chief Compliance Officer for a real estate private equity firm in Boston. Doug graduated from Brandeis University and Boston University School of Law. He is also an Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional® and teaches compliance at Boston University School of Law.

Jane Hanser is a former amateur bike racer, the proud owner and rider of a vintage pink Colnago, and a citizen advocate for bicycle safety. She has advocated for bicycle and pedestrian safety along Newton’s portion of the Commonwealth Ave Carriage Road and for the development of the Carriage Road into a safer and more pleasant Bicycle/Pedestrian Priority Roadway, commonly known as “Carriage Road 2-Way for Bicycles”. Jane assisted with the updating of bike route signage along Walnut Street and Centre Street, and (in the future) Beacon Street. She’s gratified to know that the Commonwealth Ave Carriage Road is now on the Massachusetts Priority Trails Network and to see a steady increase in the number of people of all ages more safely bicycling in Newton since 2000, when she moved here.

Jane dabbles in updating the BikeNewton website.

Former City Councilor Andreae Downs loves walking and biking in Newton and surrounding areas for fun and transportation. She has been a member of Bike Newton since its founding and has advanced car-free spaces and car-light living both before and since her stint on the City Council and its Public Safety and Transportation Committee.

Andreae is active in many Newton organizations and coalitions. When not volunteering, she works as Director of the Wastewater Advisory Committee to the MWRA and takes in as much art & culture as possible.

<– Ed is the one in green.

Ed Olhava is a dedicated cyclist and has biked within the greater Boston area for work, errands and fun since he moved to the bay state in 1997. He and his family settled in Newton in 2008. He chose our community in part due to its walk/cycle friendly nature for his kids, and the ability to commute by bike and/or public transport throughout the metro Boston communities.

He served as Bike Newton’s President from 2020 through 2025. Ed remains dedicated to improving bicycle access and safety throughout Newton, particularly for children who cannot drive to and from school! Ed’s goals for Newton are to promote safe cycling to/from schools, make our village centers more bikeable, create more protected bike lanes that connect our villages, and work with surrounding cities and towns to better connect our bike networks.

While not working for cycling access, Ed is a scientist in biotech.

Helen Rittenberg was an elementary school teacher and principal for 29 years who later became an educational psychologist in private practice, specializing in diagnostic evaluations of children with learning difficulties. Helen’s interest in biking began at age 4, when she taught herself to ride her sister’s 20″ Raleigh with hand brakes by riding along the sidewalk balanced on one pedal, since she was too small to reach the pedals from the seat. She biked ever since, with time out while living in NYC (before there were bike lanes). Until Helen’s recent passing, she had been on the steering committee of Bike Newton since its inception and was elected President in January, 2012.

You can read Helen’s obituary HERE.

Please read “Fond memories of Helen Rittenberg,” a tribute to Helen by Srdjan Nedeljkovic, in Fig City News HERE.