David Cowan
Dave Cowan serves as program manager for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. During his time at the National Partnership, he has managed and advised the contract leads of five lower-income school projects, administered a comprehensive, year-long study of students' trips to and from school, organized and presented the SRAM bicycling and Safe Routes to School webinar series, as well as written and produced reports and resources for the Safe Routes to School community. Dave continues to work on similar projects as part of the Technical Assistance department while providing training and support for local, regional and state Safe Routes to School projects through the Communities Putting Prevention to Work and Community Transformation Grants.
Before joining the National Partnership, Dave served as education director at Bicycle Colorado. During his time at Bicycle Colorado, he managed Safe Routes to School projects and teams throughout the state of Colorado, served as the curriculum committee lead through the Safe Routes to School state network, collaborated to revise the Colorado Driver's Manual and worked in partnership with BC staff on important legislative and policy advances. A League Certified Instructor for the League of American Bicyclists, Dave has individually educated more than 30,000 students ono bicycle and pedestrian safety, worked with scores of schools to improve policy, boost program participation and garner parent involvement in Safe Routes to School activities.
Dave graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor's in Communication and minor in Spanish and began his career as an educator and organizer, first teaching in Venezuela, then Central America and ultimately landing in Denver, Colorado where he worked hands-on with special needs students iin crisis and their primarily Spanish-speaking families.