The Portland Society

If you are a woman who loves cycling (or if you know a woman who loves cycling) then the Portland Society is a perfect fit! I stumbled upon this nonprofit cycling organization a couple of weeks ago and immediately thought this is the perfect group for me!  Here’s the blurb on its website:

The Portland Society is a nonprofit business alliance of professional women who are passionate about bicycling in Portland, Oregon. We work together to support each other through referral, education, and community. We grow our businesses and careers while making Portland a better place to live and ride.

O.K.  Sign me up!

An Interview with Co-founder, Ellee Thalheimer

I tracked down co-founder, Ellee Thalheimer, and asked her to give us some background on the organization and how to get involved.

Membership and Monthly Meetings

The Portland Society is the perfect way to network with other women cyclists. The group gathers the first Wednesday of the month from 8-9am at Western Bike Works.

Each meeting features introductions, announcements, and a guest speaker on a professional development topic. Food and coffee are provided. They also hold evening happy hours once a month which offer an informal networking and socializing opportunity. Their Holiday Happy Hour (Ugly Sweater Party) is coming up on Thursday, December 15, 2011.

You can sign up for membership by opting for either a monthly or annual sliding scale fee.

More About Ellee

In addition to her work with the Portland Society, Ellee is also a yoga instructor and an accomplished writer. Her book, Cycling Sojourner, is a guide of the best multi-day bike touring in Oregon. Order a copy now.

I’ll be posting an interview with Ellee on her book shortly.  In the meantime, you can read some of her bike touring adventures by checking out her blog on Cycling Sojourner.