Our Mission
Friends of Pathways champions a safe, connected system of pathways, trails, bike lanes and sidewalks that encourage active transportation and healthy recreation in our Jackson Hole community.
OUR TEAM
Katherine Dowson
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORMany years as a camper and staff member at Teton Valley Ranch Camp gave Katherine an appreciation for the mountains and this area. She moved here permanently after graduating from the University of Virginia in 1988. Since then, she’s been working in the nonprofit arena, serving on several boards including Teton Valley Trails and Pathways, as well as working for the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, the Teton Regional Land Trust, Teton County Education Foundation, and the Center of Wonder.
Sam Petri
COMMUNICATIONS & ADVOCACY DIRECTOROriginally from upstate New York, Sam fell in love with the outdoors growing up skiing, riding bikes, and exploring the mountains in the Northeast. After graduating from St. Lawrence University with an English Writing degree, he moved to Jackson Hole and began working as a local newspaper reporter. Soon after, he became the first web editor of TetonGravity.com, the most trafficked snow sports website. Sam later took his writing and communication skills to the business world and for the last seven years has worked as a public relations account executive, helping grow brands in the outdoor industry. Sam has served the Jackson community by volunteering on the board of 89.1 KHOL Jackson Hole Community Radio, as well as the Teton County Pathways Task Force. He is an advocate for connecting every neighborhood to the pathway system so all people can travel safely through Teton County without the use of a car.
Sam Wilmot
DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONS DIRECTORSam moved out to Jackson to ski for a year in 2009 after graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in History. One year turned into two, which turned into three…and the rest is history. Sam has gotten to work all her dream jobs in the Valley, from Lift Ops Lead at JHMR, Bookseller at both Valley Bookstore and JH Book Trader and as a member of the Backcountry Trail Crew for the BTNF. It was at the BTNF where Sam was first introduced to Friends of Pathways and eventually worked as their Youth Trail Crew Lead. Sam is happy to be back working for FOP and believes heartly in our mission. You can find Sam out on our surrounding rivers, trails and mountains with her husband Ryan, their two young kids and golden retriever.
Chris Owen
TRAILS PROGRAM DIRECTORChris first visited Jackson when he was 14 on a backpacking trip and knew he had to move there. After earning a BS in Recreation Resource Management from Clemson University he found his way back working at the National Outdoor Leadership School and living in Jackson between courses. He shifted to the Jackson Trail Crew and spent 8 years working on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in partnership with Friends of Pathways before coming to work for us full time. Chris is an avid biker and climber and spends about as much time on the trails on his own time as he does during the work week. So look for him working along with the Youth Trail Crew and Trail Ambassadors next time you’re out on an adventure.
Sarah Soper
TRAIL PROGRAM ASSISTANTSarah grew up in Teton County, Idaho and first started working for Friends of Pathways at the age of 14 on the Youth Trail Crew. She graduated from Westminster College in Salt Lake City with a BS in Outdoor Recreation and Quantitative Analysis and returned to Jackson to pursue a career that would allow her to work outside while contributing to the community that she grew up in. Sarah is passionate about the outdoors and in her free time enjoys trail running, backpacking and skiing.
Harlan Hottenstein
DOWNHILL TRAILS TECHNICIANFrom nearly free-falling down a rocky chute, gliding and pumping through dips and turns in the woods, or sending a 35 mile-an-hour step up, Harlan Hottenstein absolutely loves riding and jumping bikes and thinks a lot of other people would, too, if given the opportunity to ride quality trails. Harlan is a founding member of Teton FreeRiders – a nonprofit trail building organization responsible for creating the freeride trails on Teton Pass. Now that Friends of Pathways has assumed management of those gravity-oriented trails, Harlan has joined our team as our Downhill Trails Technician, focused on maintaining and improving the Teton Pass downhill trails that he helped create. Friends of Pathways is lucky to have Harlan join our team and with his help, we look forward to progressing the downhill trails on Teton Pass.
Jim Rooks
BIKE SAFETY COORDINATORJim Rooks is a Jackson native, former Town Councilor, and Teton County School District educator. Jim helps with FOP’s in-school bike safety and bike skills programming at JH Middle School. He also helps to create new opportunities for bike safety education. Jim’s passion for teaching, youth and bike safety is of great benefit to FOP and the greater community. Look for Jim out on the pathways this summer.
Morgan Cotter
PROGRAM ASSISTANTGrowing up exploring the Texas Hill Country instilled Morgan with a love of the outdoors from an early age. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Geography and the Environment, she deepened her passion for working and playing outside and encouraging others to do the same. She’s spent 9 seasons working on Trail Crews all over the country, most recently in Grand Teton National Park, where she led the Youth Conservation Program for three seasons. With over a decade of working in the outdoor education field, she is excited to continue her journey of getting folks outside with Friends of Pathways in Jackson. When not working, you can find her paddle boarding, hiking, skiing, biking, swing dancing, and playing music with her friends.
Michael Piker
PATHWAY PROGRAM ASSISTANTMike grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana but spent his summers on the family farm in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas where he developed his love of the outdoors. Upon graduating from the University of Arkansas with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, he took a field service position that included extensive travel across the western U.S, including Jackson. In 1996, after several years of power plants and industrial settings, he moved to Jackson to pursue a less stressful lifestyle in the outdoors. Mike is an avid cyclist who spent years racing his mountain bike and recently discovered how much fun riding can be without worrying about intervals and heart rate monitors. Mike works seasonally for FOP and coordinates the Memorial Bench Program and helps with trail construction/maintenance and miscellaneous pathway projects. Look for him on the local trails riding his mountain bike with a chainsaw on his back or putting the final touches a new pathway or trail bench.
Nancy Weeks
FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANTNancy, born and raised in Austin, Texas, lived in Jackson for 13 years and for many years worked for Friends of Pathways as our full-time Office Manager. She and her husband Jamie moved to Stanley, Idaho in 2018. Friends of Pathways came calling again and in 2021 Nancy rejoined the team in a part-time administrative role. Nancy misses the JH pathway system but has found plenty of recreational pursuits in rural Idaho. She is also happy to be working again with her FOP family.