Bikes Belong has just added two new full-time staff members to its Colorado headquarters team. Paul Orbuch was selected as deputy director, and Kate Scheider fills the role of research and statistics coordinator.


As deputy director, Orbuch will help lead Bikes Belong’s membership development, government affairs, and administration. He brings a strong background in foundation fundraising, high-level government relations, and nonprofit management.


An attorney, Orbuch worked for the Western Governors’ Association for 13 years, including a stint as acting executive director. Most recently he served as assistant director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, where his responsibilities included policy oversight of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Colorado Department of Parks and Recreation, and Great Outdoors Colorado. He is an avid cyclist who has lived in Boulder for 15 years.

Scheider is our first fulltime research and statistics coordinator-a position that is funded by the Bikes Belong Foundation. She is helping compile powerful, concise statistics and clear, irrefutable research to make the case for bicycling with government leaders, foundation funders, the media, and the public.


Scheider is a 2007 graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts. Since then, she has worked as a research assistant at Harvard University and as a cartographer at Geologic Data Systems in Denver. Her senior thesis in geosciences included a stint at NASA. Scheider is a strong road, mountain, and cross racer.

“Now is an exciting time for Bikes Belong,” said Tim Blumenthal, Bikes Belong’s executive director. “We’re expanding our areas of expertise and our mix of important projects that make bicycling better in America.”


Bikes Belong works to increase federal bike funding, awards grants to support innovative bike projects, promotes bicycling and its benefits, and backs crucial national efforts such as Safe Routes to School, Bicycle Friendly Communities, and the National Bike Summit. The affiliated Bikes Belong Foundation focuses on improving bicycle safety and enhancing children's bike programs.