Management Team

Vanessa Hauswald, Executive Director

Vanessa graduated from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO in 1998 with a B.A. in English as well as a great education in the sport of mountain biking. She eventually went on to receive her secondary teaching credential in English from Sonoma State University and in 2008 she was nominated “Teacher of the Year” in her school district. After teaching English at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, CA for a few years, she started a high school mountain bike team, which is competetive within the NorCal League. In addition to coaching, Vanessa was a NorCal board member for three years, and board president for one year. Vanessa races for the Soulcraft Bicycles team, and she and her husband Yuri enjoy both mountain and road cycling. Vanessa is now running the NorCal League full time as Executive Director.

Lauren Haughey, Operations and Accounting

Lauren’s love of bicycles started early on in her life as an 8 year old wheelie popping, bigwheel skidding, log jumper. She spent much of her childhood summers trying to out perform her siblings in the art of tricycle and bigwheel log jumping – and on steep, fast descents in the neighborhood streets. After a few broken bones, she decided to move onto safer sports and spent her high school and college years competing in long distance running, swimming and soccer. It wasn’t until after she finished college, married a cyclist and had a couple of kids that she started racing and riding bikes again.

Lauren comes to the league after a 16 year career stint in ecommerce, a few years at local cycling magazine, Cyclocross Magazine – and most recently a year at local cargo bike company, Xtracycle, directing fulfillment operations.

Mike Cruz, Technical Services

Mike graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA (go Steelers!) with a B.S. in Decision Science in December ’07. Originally, he began college as a cello performance major, but quickly decided that wasn’t his calling. After he transferred majors, he needed something else to occupy his free time, so bike racing it was. By his senior year, he was elected president of the Carnegie Mellon Cycling Club. That year they experienced tremendous growth as well as won the mountain bike conference title. Currently, he races for the Wells Fargo Cycling Team on the road and works for Trips for Kids in San Rafael, CA leading at-risk youth on mountain bike rides all over Marin County.

Chris Spencer, Programs Manager

After Graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Global Economics, Chris got back to his roots and started working at the NorCal League. Starting in 2002, Chris raced in the League for three years as an independent for Roaring Mouse Cycles. In 2004 with the help of his coach, Dario Fredrick, Chris took his success in the League as encouragement to race the NORBA National series. He placed 3rd in the Junior Expert National Finals at Durango, CO and in the National Championships at Mammoth, CA. While taking a sabbatical from competitive racing at UC Santa Cruz, Chris stayed involved by coaching high school athletes. Chris says, “My current interest in racing is expanding opportunities for all high school athletes.”