Michele Fox
At a young age Ms. Fox had an interest in fast cars, and a special attraction to Corvettes. This attraction became an obsession at the age of six, when a ride around a suburban New Jersey parking lot in a shiny black 1975 Corvette showed her (almost) how it felt to be behind the wheel of one of these rides. This experience, as well as the influence of her Mom and Dad’s years of restoring classic cars, inspired her to become the owner of a 1968 Camaro at the age of 17. She bought her ’68 from the original owner just a few weeks before getting her driver’s license, and has been the only owner ever since.
Not long after making this important purchase she and her Dad undertook this car’s first restoration. This experience taught her many important lessons such as how to rebuild an engine, how to reupholster seats, and how to grind away rust. But there were also life lessons in patience, persistence, and problem solving learned during this process. This experience helped shape her not only as a car enthusiast, but as a young person during an important time in her life.
Since completing this restoration she’s driven the Camaro over 150,000 miles and met countless other classic car enthusiasts on these rides. Recognizing the strength and reach of the classic car culture, Ms. Fox was inspired to do more with this network. She wanted to create a way for the classic car community to inspire the next generation of car enthusiasts, while giving young people access to the lessons she learned as a young person restoring her first car. As a result she established The Riding With Us Foundation in 2012.
Prior to creating this Foundation Ms. Fox volunteered with The Seeing Eye and served as Chief of Staff at the National Museum of Hip-Hop. In addition to her charitable work she has worked as a project manager in the design and construction industry for over 20 years. Her education and practical knowledge, coupled with her passion for classic cars and community service, equip her to lead this Foundation to success.
Kostanty Lebiak
As a child Kostanty Lebiak learned the value of working with his hands. The son of a television repairman, he often went on calls with his father and helped him perform repairs in his shop. These experiences fueled a love of learning and endless curiosity about how things work. As an adult he has his own workshop where he builds a variety of projects, and enjoys restoring historical collectibles such as an original Edison Phonograph. He is also helping his son build his very own 1984 Chevy K5 Blazer monster truck, passing the skills he’s learned onto the next generation.
After graduating high school Mr. Lebiak pursued a degree in marketing at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he received his MBA. While attending school he worked as a student councilor, providing guidance to underclassmen while they made decisions about their education and the associated finances. This experience provides Mr. Lebiak with an insight into the challenges students face when pursuing a higher education and helps him weigh in on decisions concerning the Foundation’s scholarship program.
After college Mr. Lebiak went on to work in the food industry in various executive merchandising and marketing positions. Mr. Lebiak’s work at an executive level has not only required him to cultivate knowledge specific to his industry, but has also required him to be a strong leader within his company and among his peers. His experience working with and managing various groups of people is also valuable when working with other Board Members, in both the larger group and smaller sub-committees.
He is currently an executive specializing in major marketing campaigns and strategies for Krasdale Foods. Mr. Lebiak’s many years of business and marketing experience help him provide valuable insight when guiding decisions for the Foundation.
Jason Fox
Jason Fox works professionally as a building engineer where he is responsible for making sure thousands of pounds of heavy equipment run smoothly and steadily. But his involvement with heavy machinery began many years ago with an intense interest in how all things mechanical work. As a boy he took anything and everything apart as a hobby, and was able to reassemble these items successfully and without help. As he grew so did the size of his projects, and eventually he gravitated toward building custom off road trucks. Through this interest he became a skilled welder and custom metal fabricator, as well as an excellent mechanic.
After high school he worked professionally as a mechanic, and still holds eight automotive and truck certifications from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. His experience working as a mechanic provides an important perspective to the Foundation’s Board. His practical knowledge of the automotive field allows him to advise the team when decisions on the vehicle restoration approach need to be made, and provides important insight into the automotive service field.
With over ten years experience as an automotive repair technician under his belt he transitioned his career to become a building engineer. His experience working on a variety of vehicles old and new, foreign and domestic, as well as his knowledge of diesel engines, proved a valuable foundation to working on larger more complex machinery.
In his spare time he still builds off road trucks, and enjoys off roading adventures through all kinds of landscapes. Mr. Fox’s technical knowledge, as well as his experience in the automotive industry, allows him to bring an important real world perspective to our Board of Directors.
Lenny Shiller
Lenny Shiller is often referred to as the Jay Leno of Brooklyn, and with good reason. He is the owner of about 70 cars, with models both foreign and domestic dating as far back as 1912. Mr. Shiller began collecting cars with the intention of having one original, unrestored vehicle from every year where the vehicle is considered an antique. In 1986 he had six cars, and since that time his collection has grown to include more than one of some years. When asked if they all run he will reply, “I’m sure they all run, but I’m not sure if they all stop!”
Although located in urban Park Slope, Brooklyn, Leonard Shiller is one of the leading owners of collectible vehicles in New York State. As president of the Antique Auto Association of Brooklyn, he is often asked to appraise antique cars for insurance purposes where the value exceeds $20,000. His two garages house 70 old cars and trucks, 7 motorcycles, 4 motor scooters, 5 mopeds, and innumerable bicycles, tricycles, and kids’ scooters.
His years of collecting, examining and appraising classic vehicles has turned Mr. Shiller into a walking encyclopedia of automotive knowledge. He enjoys tinkering with his car collection more than driving most of them, resulting in an intimate knowledge of the workings of cars as common as a Chrysler and as unique as a Hudson.
In addition to serving on the Board of this Foundation he also serves as the president of the board of The Brooklyn Free School, an alternative school located in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. His knowledge of classic automobiles is a valuable asset during the process of selecting and restoring vehicles for the youth restoration program. In addition, his many contacts in the antique automobile world serve to strengthen the network of car collectors who can be involved with the activities of the Foundation.