About Us
Improving Conditions for Bicyclists and Pedestrians
Our Mission
The mission of the Lowcountry Bike/Walk Advocates is to improve conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians in Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton and Hampton Counties and their communities. We believe that biking and walking are not only sustainable and healthy modes of transportation but also contribute to the livability and vitality of our neighborhoods.
Vision and Principals
The mission of the Lowcountry Bike/Walk Advocates is to improve conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians in Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton and Hampton Counties and their communities. We believe that biking and walking are not only sustainable and healthy modes of transportation but also contribute to the livability and vitality of our neighborhoods.
Join Us in Our Mission
Become a Member
By becoming a member of the Lowcountry Bike/Walk Advocates, you can support our efforts to make biking and walking safer and more accessible in the Lowcountry. Join us and be a part of the positive change!
David Baker
Vice President
David Baker, Vice President, is an avid bicyclist who has been riding throughout his life. He enjoys road riding, but any sort of bicycle riding gives him joy. As a member of the Kickin’ Asphalt Bike Club, David is a ride leader and a member of the safety committee. Although he lives in Hardeeville now, he previously lived in Michigan, where he advocated for the creation of the Rails-to-Trails Air-Line pathway, a key segment of a 270 mile cross-state pathway. David strongly believes safe riding and walking infrastructure is key for a healthy, equitable, and vibrant community. On personal details, David is a retired certified cyber-security professional, married to his frequent ride partner Isabel, and has two adult children; both who commute to work by bicycle.
Ray Cipollini
Treasurer
Ray Cipollini has had an interest in riding a bike since age five, when he learned to ride a 2-wheeler. His activity in the sport of cycling began at the age of 14 when he accepted a job working in a local bicycle shop near his hometown of Maplewood, NJ. At the age of 15 (1975) he witnessed his first bicycle race (the Tour of Somerville, NJ), cementing his lifelong passion for competitive cycling and has been racing since then.
Administratively, he has held various licenses/positions within the sport including Team Director Sportif, Race Promoter/Organizer, Coach, and racing Official at the International level.
Ray has served on the USPRO Board of Trustees as the Trade Team Trustee/Representative, and briefly served on the USA Cycling Board of Trustees. Ray has served on the U.S. Bicycling Hall Of Fame Board of Directors since 1999 and is a former Board Member of the NJ Bike & Walk Coalition and currently serves as a founding member of the Lowcountry Bike/Walk Advocates.
David Kimball
President
Within a short time after moving to the Lowcountry in 2000, I rode my first bike/camping trip from Sun City to Myrtle Beach and loved every mile of it. However, this trip made me aware of the dangers of riding in South Carolina and with friends we began investigating ideas of how we could contribute to improving bicycle/pedestrian safety. I served on
the Board of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, attended state trail meetings of the East Coast Greenway and state-wide transportation conferences. Other advocacy efforts were in locating roads requiring Share the Road signage and serving as president of our bike club. In 2019 Beaufort County created a bicycle task force and we identified bike/ped infrastructure for the next 20 years. The recommendations were published as the Beaufort County Connects Plan(BCC) and were adopted by the municipalities in 2021. In 2022 we formed Lowcountry Bike/Walk Advocates (LBWA) as a 501 C-3 non-profit organization with the goal of implementing the BCC plan.
Chuck Valentino
Secretary
Chuck Valentino is originally from Washington, PA where he was active in bicycling, in fact in 1972 as a Boy Scout, his first merit badge was bicycling. He is a 1982 graduate of the then California State College located in California PA with a BS degree in chemistry. While in college he was selected to be in the US Navy’s nuclear power program. After serving for 5 years in the USN submarine program, he continued to his service to the country as a United States Navy reservist, when in June 2009, he retired as a Captain. In January 2021 he retired from a successful 30-year career as an Environmental, Health, and Safety professional. His passion for implementing safety and environmental systems has led to him passing all the requirements necessary to be certified as a Certified Safety Professional® (CSP®). Chuck joined LB/WA to advocate for better and safer connectivity for users of the pathways in Beaufort County. He resides in Shell Hall with his wife, Shelly of 40+ years and when he is not spending time with his two grandchildren, you can most certainly find him out riding his bicycle on the pathways.
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