Meet the Idaho Walk Bike Alliance Team

Molly O’Reilly | President | Sandpoint, ID

Molly is a founding member and president of the Idaho Walk Bike Alliance. She founded and chaired the City of Sandpoint Pedestrian Advisory Committee and served on Idaho’s Safe Routes to School Committee. Molly is past vice president of America Walks and served on their board for nine years.

In addition, Molly was a founding member of Sensible Transportation Options for People in Portland, Oregon, whose mission was to stop a proposed freeway and advocate for light rail, bikes, smart growth and pedestrians. She served as a Citizen Member for the Portland Metro Region Transportation Policy Alternatives Committee, and she was Executive Director of Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Oregon.

Molly has an extensive background in sales, market research and management. She has a B.A. from Reed College and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

Molly sailed the South Pacific with her husband for four years in the 1990’s, walking many towns and cities from Ecuador to Adelaide between times at sea.

Nancy Nelson | Vice President | Moscow, ID

Nancy Nelson is a retired elementary school teacher who enjoyed a 10-mile bike commute while teaching second-grade in nearby Pullman. A past member of the Latah Trail Foundation Board, she also served on the City of Moscow Transportation Commission, including as its chair during years in which Moscow expanded accessibility of its sidewalk system. This effort included identifying areas of town without sidewalks and adding snow clearing by city staff along important pedestrian connections.
A graduate of the University of Idaho in journalism, Nancy has lived in Massachusetts and California where experiences in neighborhoods without sidewalks, road shoulders or bike lanes formed her appreciation of infrastructure that supports active transportation. She observed that sidewalks provide some of our first outdoor recreation experiences as toddlers and last opportunities for fresh air and exercise as seniors.
Nancy is a native of small-town Wilbur in eastern Washington and attended the University of Idaho, studying journalism. She worked on papers in Moscow, Springfield, Mass., and Fremont, Calif., before returning to the Palouse 25 years ago where hiking and biking are a daily part of her life.

Mark Pemble | Secretary | Caldwell, ID

Mark Pemble is a native Idahoan and has explored almost every city in Idaho on his skateboard and bicycle.

Mark serves as the president of the Friends of the Caldwell Library, Co-President of the Caldwell Young Professionals, Secretary of the Caldwell Train Depot, and is on the board of MING studios.

Mark has guided regional bicycle and pedestrian path planning for nearly 15 years. Mark also holds the record as the first person to bike the entire Boise River Greenbelt system from start to finish in one day.

Melissa Davis | Treasurer | Idaho Falls, ID

Melissa’s greatest joy is exploring the world on foot. Whether in busy city streets or on a quiet mountain path, she has spent much of her life getting to know the twists and turns of the environments around her. This love of diverse places has given her first-hand knowledge of what makes a space truly pedestrian friendly.

She spent her childhood in rural Utah, received a bachelor’s degree from Utah State University, and has lived in various towns and cities throughout the Intermountain West. She has witnessed firsthand the impacts of rapid growth on the character and development of communities. Accordingly, she is deeply committed to improving the health of her community, serving as the local communications director at Red Cross of Idaho and as a child advocate with CASA in Bonneville County.

Melissa is the owner and operator of a wealth management firm based in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She hopes to use this knowledge to help IWBA achieve their mission to bring active transportation to people across all walks of life in Idaho.

Ted Hallisey | Executive Director

He is passionate about IWBA and our mission to promote healthy, safe and reliable active transportation throughout Idaho, and to Educate, Advocate and Celebrate the creation and expansion of safe pathways to walk, bike and roll in Idaho communities. He is an avid walker and bicycle enthusiast and hikes and walks daily with his two miniature labradoodles.

Ted earned a Master of Education degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. Also known as Cowboy Ted – He has hosted school wellness programs for over 275,000 kids and hosts a weekly online video show for rural kids and families at www.cowboyted.com. Ted previously served as Executive Director for three non-profit programs. He served as an educator too – serving as an elementary school PE teacher, high school coach and college communication instructor.

He has also served as a media personality for radio stations in California, Missouri and Utah and served as a rodeo announcer, journalist and radio host for over 20 years and has covered the National Finals Rodeo and Pro Bull Riders Finals. Advocacy for healthy and inclusive communities is a lifelong passion. He was the National spokesperson for the Tobacco Free Rodeo program and is proud to have helped persuade the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association to drop tobacco sponsorship in 2010. Ted called Utah home for 27 years before moving to Idaho in 2025.

You can contact him at his business number, (208) 870-1633.

Chris Staley | Idaho Falls, ID

“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” So said H. G. Wells. While Chris may not totally share H.G.’s optimism, he is passionate about cycling – any kind! If it has two (or three) wheels and two pedals it’s all good. His bucket list is made up of roads and trails he’s yet to ride. Chris wants to inspire and enable others to re-discover the freedom and joy of cycling, and maybe in the process, save a little of the planet.

Chris was fortunate enough to attend college in one of the premier bicycle-friendly campuses and towns – University of California, Davis. At the time, he didn’t appreciate how far ahead of its time Davis was. The campus was large and closed to cars, so bicycling was a necessity – the campus was laced with multi-use paths and even had roundabouts! It was during those years he got his first decent road bike and became a serious road cyclist. Since then, cycling – all kinds – has been his favorite sport and hobby.

Chris realizes how much work needs to be done to improve active transportation; hence his involvement in pedestrian/bike advocacy. In 2007, he was part of a small group who formed a non-profit called Idaho Falls Community Pathways. Today Idaho Falls is making significant progress in addressing infrastructure needs. Though this group certainly can’t take full credit for their city’s awakening, they most certainly had some impact in nudging the city forward.

Joe Groberg | Idaho Falls, ID

Joseph H Groberg lives in Idaho Falls, where he has emphasized the importance of walkable, bikeable urban pathways, the extension and improvement of the city’s green belt along the Snake River, and non-motorized access to public spaces throughout the city and surrounding areas.  He supports the development of safe pathways throughout the state.

Joe received a BA from Brigham Young University in economics. JD from the University of Chicago, Master of Arts and Liberal Studies from Dartmouth College.  He is a member of the Colorado and Idaho state bars, and served on the Idaho Falls city council for 14 years.