About Melissa Balmer - Editor/Initiative Director
A proud native of Long Beach California, Melissa lives a mostly car free life. She is even prouder to live in Long Beach – a city where riding a bike and taking public transportation is quite easy to do. A summer spent in Como Italy at 19, and year abroad in Florence at 21 as a language student, laid the groundwork for her to understand that transportation does not always have to be about the car.
Melissa is a writer, project manager, and media specialist. She has served as the editor of Long Beach Magazine (now Live Long Beach), and placed clients in such media outlets as KABC Channel 7 News, MTV, Univision, KCET, Modern Bride, Los Angeles Magazine, The Orange County Register, The Daily Breeze, The Press Telegram, The Long Beach Business Journal, The Gazettes and more. She keeps up an active blog and social media presence from her own website Maitriquest - Creative Conscious Connecting.
In the non profit realm Melissa has served as the Vice President of Fundraising for the "Friends of the Neighborhood Youth Association" of Venice and Mar Vista, created themed friend + fundraisers with Leanna Rodgers for WomenShelter, Food Finders, W.I.N.T.E.R. Women and the "Miss Morry's Vintage Pin Up Contest" for the Historical Society of Long Beach.
Melissa collaborates frequently with Georgia Case and Idea Group. She is a team member for the upcoming “Share Our Streets” bike safety marketing campaign for Bike Long Beach in winter of 2011 and handles the marketing and media relations for bike and pedestrian advocate Charlie Gandy. She is a special media consultant for the California Bicycle Coalition, the Long Beach based Bikeable Communities and is a member of the Host Committee for the Pro Walk Pro Bike Conference in Long Beach in September of 2012.