Old Spokes Home is excited to announce that Jon Copans has begun service as the organization’s new Executive Director. The nonprofit has a mission to build community and opportunity through access to bicycles and is pleased to welcome Copans to their team.
Copans comes to Old Spokes Home from the Vermont Council on Rural Development, where he directed climate and leadership programs. Previously, he worked at the Vermont Department of Public Service, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and served for eight years in the Vermont Office of Congressman Peter Welch.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join the great team at Old Spokes Home,” noted Copans, “As a lifetime rider and home mechanic, I know firsthand the power bicycles have to transform lives and communities. Becoming part of an organization that promotes and supports two-wheeled transportation, recreation, and adventure is a dream come true. I can't wait to connect with the shop’s many volunteers, supporters, customers, and partners in the coming months as I settle into this role.”
"We are immensely proud of our staff for their hard work to fulfill our mission in the communities we serve during these difficult and trying times,” said the organization’s Board President, Ted Berg. “Thanks to their efforts, we are elated to be in a great position to begin a new chapter for Old Spokes Home with Jon Copans as our next Executive Director. We look forward to a bright future of continued success as an organization.”
Copans joins Old Spokes Home during a time of vision and change for the organization, building upon ongoing strategic planning sessions and an increasing demand for bikes. Now established as a nonprofit, the organization hopes to continue expanding its presence in the community through initiatives such as its Everybody Bikes program, in which eligible customers receive subsidized pricing, as well as youth workshops that resumed for the first time this past year since the pandemic began.
Copans succeeds Laura Jacoby, who oversaw the organization’s start as a nonprofit and served as Executive Director for five years before stepping down to spend time with family.
Original press release can be found by visiting the Old Spokes Home website.
