Jude Schexnyder, a motorcyclist for 48 years and former Texas Department of Transportation Motorcycle Safety Program manager, has been appointed the AMA State Chapter Coordinator for Texas.

And he is eager to get to know his fellow riders and the concerns they share.

“My priority is to meet my fellow AMA volunteers and club members to get a sense of the challenges and issues they may face in their area of the state,” said Schexnyder, who lives in Georgetown, Texas. “Some may not know that motorcycle safety training in Texas will be changing dramatically in our next legislative session, and I would like to get their opinions on those changes.”

Schexnyder held a previous position at TxDOT, and he said that experience has kept him up-to-date on the latest crash research and infrastructure changes. He said he recognizes the need to educate riders on crash causes, consequences and strategies to reduce them.

“And if I manage to get a ride in with some of my fellow AMA members, even better,” he added.

Schexnyder spent most of his adult life in “traffic-safety-related service to my community.”

Since 2004, he has been an MSF RiderCoach, a Total Control instructor and a member of the Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition.

Schexnyder said that in his “countless hours of volunteer work with numerous motorcycle riding and rights organizations,” he found that many were AMA members but could do more to identify with and promote the national organization.

“Given the AMA’s prominence on the national level, I thought a more visible representation in Texas would be beneficial,” he said. “I look forward to the opportunity to work more closely with AMA members and chartered clubs to see how we can help motorcycling thrive in Texas.”

Now the owner of four BMW motorcycles—a 2004 K1200RS, 2008 K1200LT, 2012 R1200GS and a 2015 R1200RT—Schexnyder started riding on a 1970 Honda CL100.

“I must have put 100,000 miles on that little bike, most of it at 35 mph,” he said. “I’ve owned a lot of different brands through the years and never rode a bike I didn’t enjoy spending time on.”

And he has dabbled in different types of riding.

“Almost all my riding now is on the street, although I have spent a little time on the track,” he said. “I do occasionally ride some two-track off-road with my best riding buddies. It’s hilarious—we spend as much time laughing at each other as we do riding.”

Schexnyder takes his role as an AMA State Chapter Coordinator seriously.

“Serving the riding community has just been terribly rewarding for me through the years,” he said. “Working as an AMA volunteer, I get to represent an organization with an amazing heritage that promotes racing, riding and rights. Rights that, as motorcyclists, we should all protect.”

AMA State Chapter Coordinators are chosen from AMA members who have completed the AMA EAGLES program. Each letter of the EAGLES acronym stands for an important element of advocacy: Education, Activism, Growth, Leadership, Expertise, Skills.

The AMA has appointed coordinators for 10 states to help organize and promote AMA-related recreational and advocacy activities.

Coordinators support AMA recreational riding on a grassroots level and stay informed about legislative and regulatory issues that affect motorcyclists.

The coordinators work with AMA staff members, individual AMA members, AMA Commissions and AMA Districts to identify ways to promote riding in their states, as well as how to address threats to riding freedoms.

For information on establishing an AMA State Chapter or how to get involved in your state, email [email protected].