Krissa Corbett Cavouras joins SF Bicycle Coalition as Director of Marketing & Communications

Where are you from? How did you hear about the SF Bicycle Coalition?

I moved to San Francisco from Brooklyn in December 2022 for my husband’s work – we relocated our two young kids and our cargo e-bike “Tess” (who is like a member of the family) and settled in southwest Bernal Heights. 

For my first few months here, I was consulting in digital marketing and engagement strategy for Brooklyn Public Library, where I’d been on staff as Director of Digital Engagement for eight years. Believe it or not, I had the Bicycle Coalition on an actual wish list of organizations I would jump at the chance to work for; as soon as I saw the role open for Director of Marketing & Communications, I couldn’t believe my luck. If there’s one thing I love more than public libraries, it’s bikes. 

Tell us a little about what you do at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.

As head of our marketing and communications strategy, it’s my job to translate the mission and vision of our organization, and the values of our staff and board, into the story we tell San Franciscans about the sustainability, viability and joy of the bicycle as a transformative machine for everyday transportation. As a small but mighty organization, we have to be creative with our resources and persuasive in our message, specific and strategic in how we talk about our work and bicycle advocacy in the city.

What aspect of your new job are you most excited about?

I believe in the power of creative communications and an authentic voice to show people who you are and what you can do, and to bring them into the work. I’m excited to listen to and learn from our membership and people who bike (and people who want to start biking!) – to hear what drives their passion and their advocacy, so that our message amplifies their experiences and brings more people, and more power, to the work we’re doing every day. 

Selfishly, I’m also thrilled that this job means I’ll get to know San Francisco, block by block, on my bike – truly, what better way to bond with my new home? 

What’s your favorite thing about San Francisco, as a new resident?

My favorite thing about San Francisco is the sense of character and community I find in each neighborhood I explore; they are each so different, and joyously and completely themselves. Plus, every time I stumble on something completely unexpected like the Esmeralda Slide, I’m reminded that this city is chock full of municipal whimsy, and I love that.

What do you do when you’re not working at the SF Bicycle Coalition?

My chief role in life is being a mama to my two sweet and funny kids, so when I’m not working or biking them to school and daycare, I’m usually building legos, making snacks, or chasing them around a playground – SF has so many good playgrounds! But when I’m not working or parenting, I’m usually listening to a podcast and scanning through one of my many cookbooks, wishing I had time to throw elaborate dinner parties, or curled up on the couch reading a novel about complex women. Sometimes I also like to go birding!