After 21 years at the helm of Safe Routes to Schools in Marin County, Program Director, Education, Gwen Froh is retiring. During her tenure, the program grew to serve nearly 60 elementary, middle, and high schools across Marin, reaching over 25,000 students each year through a coordinated approach that combines encouragement, education, and infrastructure improvements.
“Gwen has been at the heart of this program,” says Anne Richman, Executive Director, Transportation Authority of Marin. “She brings such true passion and care to kids and the importance of active transportation for young students. We truly appreciate her many years of teaching safe and healthy habits to so many children and families in Marin.”
Safe Routes to Schools is fundamentally about changing daily habits—helping families shift from driving to walking or biking to school. Gwen understood both the ambition and complexity of that goal, recognizing that lasting behavior change requires sustained effort, consistency, and community-wide engagement. Thanks to her leadership, Marin saw a significant shift in commuting habits, with 33% of students now walking or rolling to school, compared with 11% nationally. That figure places Marin as one of the most physically active communities in the country.
Wendi Kallins, Task Force Coordinator for Safe Routes to Schools Marin County, says, “When I decided to relinquish my role as program director for Safe Routes to Schools I wanted to make sure there was someone to carry on the mission – preferably someone who would be better at it than I was. With her marketing background and a long history of organizing events at her kids’ schools, I knew that Gwen was the right person for the job. She proved me right.”
“For 21 years, I’ve had the privilege of calling Gwen both a boss and a friend,” says Lou Goodwin, Instructor & Teen Coordinator, Safe Routes to Schools Marin County. “She has led with kindness and empathy, always truly understanding our work because she has never hesitated to step in and do it herself. Her constant drive to improve our program has helped Marin County students build confidence, stay safe and discover the joy of walking and biking to school.”
Gwen’s leadership also extended well beyond Marin. Since the program’s founding in 2000, she helped position Safe Routes to Schools as a national model and launched one of the nation’s first teen-focused initiatives to expand programming for teenagers, and became a leading voice on emerging safety challenges, including e-bike safety.
Before joining the Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC) and Safe Routes to Schools, Gwen Froh served as a senior training manager for a national Fortune 500 computer retail company. She holds a degree in biology and mathematics from Mount Holyoke College. While raising her family in Marin, she remained deeply engaged in the local school community, serving on the YES Foundation board, leading school fundraising efforts, and managing a local children’s theater organization.
As Gwen steps away from her work with MCBC, the organization is looking ahead to its next chapter. MCBC is now seeking a new leader to serve in the role as Program Director, Education. This is an opportunity for an experienced, dynamic professional to build on the strong foundation Gwen helped create and lead the program into the future. The role will play an important part in inspiring the next generation of walkers and rollers while continuing to advance safe, active transportation throughout Marin County.