Regina Yan named Chair of East Coast Greenway Alliance Board of Trustees

Regina Yan, a web designer, fiber artist and avid cyclist based in metro Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, began a two-year term as chair of the East Coast Greenway Alliance Board of Trustees in January.

Yan, who has served on the board since January 2023, was elected chair in December 2024. She replaces outgoing chair Brandon Douglass, who recently completed 10 impactful years on the board, including the last two as chair.

“As someone deeply passionate about trails and their transformative power, I’m thrilled to step into the role of board chair for the East Coast Greenway Alliance,” Yan said. “We have many big developments coming up, including a fundraising campaign to help push our route completion toward the halfway mark. Having cycled the route a few years ago, I look forward to collaborating with the incredible board and staff to make the Greenway experience safer and more enjoyable for every future trail user.”

“Regina brings an exceptional blend of leadership and firsthand experience as a Greenway through-rider to her role as chair of the East Coast Greenway Alliance Board of Trustees,” said Executive Director Dennis Markatos-Soriano. “I’m excited to work with Regina as we continue advancing our mission to develop this transformative Maine-to-Florida project.”

A graduate of Dartmouth College, Yan is currently designing vendor management solutions, including AI, at Clarative. Her experience in strategy, user experience and project management will play a key role as the Alliance develops a new strategic plan and website redesign for the organization in 2025.

Inspired to begin cycling during the pandemic, Yan biked the entire East Coast Greenway in October 2021 in a then-record 29 days. She produced a video of her ride, "Not So Scary After All - Biking the East Coast Greenway," which has been viewed more than 120,000 times on YouTube. Her experiences on the Greenway inspired her to become more involved with biking accessibility and outreach. Yan volunteers with local nonprofit bike organizations with a focus on getting people, especially young people of color, outside.

Also an artist, her linocut design depicting scenes from the East Coast Greenway route is currently featured on the Alliance’s latest T-shirt. 

Also joining the board in January was Benjamin Dalley (Washington, D.C.), a marketing leader with more than 15 years in marketing strategy, operations and organizational leadership. An avid cyclist, Dalley is the co-founder and former operations, marketing and development director of Bike to the Beach, a charity cycling event with 2,000-plus participants annually.