About Us - Friends of Pathways

About Us

OUR MISSION

Friends of Pathways supports a vibrant community by promoting sustainable transportation and healthy recreation in Jackson Hole.

OUR TEAM

Katherine Dowson Sam Petri Margaret Thompson Chris Owen Michael Piker

Katherine Dowson

Executive Director

Many 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. Email Katherine >

Sam Petri

Communications & Advocacy Director

Originally 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. Email Sam >

Margaret Thompson

Operations Director

Margaret has spent her life hiking and cycling and has a passion for wild places. She’s lived, worked and played in Jackson Hole for 20 years, and believes strongly in community building, sustainability, affordable housing and alternative transportation. She enjoys and appreciates Jackson Hole’s pathways and trails every day while commuting and recreating and loves being a part of the Friends of Pathways team. She feels fortunate to own a home through the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust.

Margaret is from Billings, Montana, has a B.A. in Finance from the University of Oregon, is fluent in Spanish and loves to travel throughout world and explore wild places with her husband Matt. Email Margaret >

Chris Owen

Trails Program Director

Chris 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. Email Chris >

Michael Piker

Pathways Stewardship Director

Mike 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 heads up the Ambassador program to promote responsible pathway & trail use. In addition, he helps with trail construction/maintenance and miscellaneous pathway projects. Look for him out on the pathway talking to folks under the FoP tent or on the local trails riding his mountain bike with a chainsaw on his back. Email Mike >

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Julie O’Halloran

President

After enjoying the wonderful natural resources of Jackson for over 16 years, Julie and her husband, Hugh, completed a full transition in 2015. Prior to her relocation, Julie enjoyed an active legal practice in Wisconsin for more than 25 years, and she continues her family law practice in Jackson and throughout Wyoming. For many years, Julie and Hugh were members of a “weekend warrior” cycling team that raced throughout the upper Midwest. That experience exposed her to many hours of riding on busy roads shared with traffic. She values the incredible pathway system in Jackson and appreciates how it improves safety as well as community spirit. Julie strongly believes that our bond with nature through cycling, skiing and hiking promotes a richly-connected community.

Jeff Rice

Vice President

Jeff has lived in the valley for 25 years. His passion and love for the outdoors and mountain culture drew him to Jackson Hole where he began working at Colter Bay Village in Grand Teton National Park in 1985. After graduating from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration he moved to Jackson. His career life evolved into an entrepreneurial one and he has been involved in several businesses. Jeff co-founded, developed and sold a regional Internet Service Provider, OneWest.net, in the early 2000’s and today owns and operates our local community market, Jackson Whole Grocer. Jackson Whole Grocer proudly supports many community causes and initiatives including social services, education, sustainability, wellness and local food production. Jeff serves on the FoP Board as a means of carrying on the good work of maintaining a high quality of life in our community through further creation and stewardship of our pathways, trails and transportation systems. Jeff and his wife Darcy have four boys: Ellis, Mason, Alden and Ansel.

Don Gervais

Treasurer

Don loves the outdoors and spending time with family and friends on the trails or paths. He started coming to Jackson in 2004 and moved here full time with his family in 2016. Don graduated from Franklin & Marshall College and has spent the past 25 years in the investment management business working with some of the largest institutional investors in the world. Don began his career working for the GE pension fund and progressed on to work at JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Allianz Global Investors. Most recently, Don launched his own firm here in Jackson, Gervais Capital Management to bring Institutional tools and techniques to individual investors and smaller businesses. Don is excited to be a part of the FoP to help further the strong work which the organization has done since its inception. Don and his wife Susan have two boys, George and Campbell, and all four believe in contributing to the community to preserve the mountain culture of Jackson.

Katie Wilson

Secretary

Katie is a Licensed Architect who possesses a unique ability to work with a wide spectrum of people; facilitating and synthesizing different perspectives into projects. She holds great respect toward the power of place and the need to connect people’s lives and livelihoods to the landscape.

Katie serves on several Boards, including the Town of Jackson Planning Commission & JH Land Trust’s Open Space Council. She has also taken on multiple local volunteer roles in Jackson, holding the belief that the connection to community helps her better understand the physical, human, political, historical, economic and cultural factors that affect people, natural environments and design.

Katie loves any excuse to connect with nature – you can find her playing in the mountains by foot, bicycle, or skis.

Amberley Baker

Amberley Baker was born in Houston, Texas. She attended Southern Methodist University and then earned her J.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. She moved from Texas to Jackson, Wyoming in 2006, where she fell in love with the trails on the Bridger-Teton National Forest. After practicing law in Jackson Hole for eight years, Amberley opened the Wylie Baker law office in January of 2016. When she isn’t working, you can find her out on her mountain bike or commuting to work on her ebike with her daughter, Ada, and husband, Shroder.

Libby Hall

Libby grew up in Connecticut and Vermont and attended Middlebury College where she met her husband-to-be Taylor Hall. When Taylor moved to Jackson in 1990, Libby started dipping her toes into the Teton life and upon graduation in 1992, moved out west for good.

Libby lived the typical 1990’s Jackson Hole lifestyle of outdoor pursuits and restaurant gigs before landing positions at the Teton Science School and Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. In 1997, Libby became the Executive Director of the Newton Family Foundation, and in 2004 transitioned to a Board member of the Foundation on which she still serves.

Libby is currently Head Teewinot Coach for JH Ski & Snowboard Club’s Nordic Program, a level 100 USSS (U.S. Ski and Snowboard) Certified Nordic Instructor and a USSS Alpine Official. Libby is owner of PIKA*MADE, and along with her husband Taylor, owner of Skinny Skis, are both passionate about supporting and giving back to the community.

Libby is a full-time parent to kids Whit, Elsie and BB and their three dogs Junie, Gambler and Wiggins. She enjoys traveling, Nordic skiing, hiking and foraging with her family. Libby is passionate about preserving the character of our backcountry experiences. She finds joy in intimately getting to know a place—such as discovering where chanterelles grow or what flowers are blooming when the huckleberries are ripe.

Jim Hunt

Jim presently consults and invests from Tournament Capital Advisors LLC and is non-Executive Chairman of Hunt Companies, Inc., a Texas based diversified real estate business. Jim recently served as the managing partner and CEO, middle market credit at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, LLC, an alternative investment firm in the areas of energy, real estate, credit and specialty growth capital.

Jim served as non-executive chairman of the board of THL Credit, Inc., was founder and served as CEO and chief investment officer of THL Credit, Inc. and of THL Credit Advisors. He was CEO and managing partner of Bison Capital Asset Management, LLC, was the president of SunAmerica Corporate Finance and executive vice president of SunAmerica Investments. Jim is Lead Director of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. Additionally, he serves on the boards of Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund Inc. and CION Ares.

In addition to Friends of Pathways, Jim is President of the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, the board of START (South Teton Area Rapid Transit) and the National Forest Foundation. Jim is married to Maggie Fellner Hunt and has two adult daughters.

Kim Kernan

Kim grew up in Seattle and remained a northwest girl for many years. Her mother’s side of the family had homesteaded near the Henry’s Fork in Ashton, Idaho, and as a girl she spent summers visiting cousins there and getting a taste of the mountain life. In 2010, she followed the classic Jackson Hole storyline of planning to spend a year in the Tetons with her husband Bill Mulligan, which has turned into a decade and counting.

Kim has practiced law for 30 years in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. She has a LLM in Environmental Law and her career has focused on land use, development, environmental and natural resources law. She is dedicated to advocating for alternative transportation and for making human-powered travel accessible to all.

Kim and her family love Jackson Hole’s pathways and trails. She and Bill started their kids Anya and Daniel backpacking at 6 years old, and as a family they never miss a summer of these excursions. In her free time, you can find Kim enjoying a good book, fly fishing, skiing, biking or hiking around the valley.

Amy Puccia

Originally from Guilford, Connecticut, Amy received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Lynchburg College in Virginia in 2006. Shortly thereafter, Amy moved to Jackson on a whim in 2007 and fell in love with the landscape and the community.

Amy and her husband AJ live in town in a TCHA Employment Based house at The Grove. They are both avid trail runners and mountain bikers, lovers of the Bridger-Teton National Forest trail system and frequent commuters on the town pathways.

With experience in community design & development, and a great appreciation for our trails & pathways, Amy joined the Friends of Pathways Board in order to focus her energy and passion into action with a group that is impacting the daily lives of Jackson’s residents and visitors alike.

Brian Remlinger

Brian has seen the Jackson Hole Pathways and Trail system grow tremendously since he first arrived in Jackson Hole over 20 years ago. He has participated in the design and environmental mitigation of the South Park Loop, WY22, Broadway, and Wilson to Stilson pathways through his consulting business, Alder Environmental LLC. Cycling is a passion of Brian’s and he has logged thousands of miles in numerous ultra bikepacking races including the Tour Divide and Winter Fat Pursuit. He is an avid, year-round cycle commuter and ebike advocate. Brian has three school aged children who benefit significantly from the pathway system both for recreation and commuting. Pathway safety, connectivity and user experience are a high priority for Brian when contributing his experiences to the FoP Board. He believes pathways and trails are truly multi-use for recreation, commuting and for general benefit of the people. His wife, Maddy, is happiest hauling kids around the valley on her cargo ebike.

Julie Walker

Julie Walker was born a beach girl, raised in Newport Beach, CA and attended college at University of California at Berkeley. A chance trip to Jackson changed things and she and her family made a decision to trade the beach for the beautiful mountains of Wyoming. Julie, her husband Darrick and two kids have made the valley home since 2008.

One of the main things that drew Julie to this valley was the opportunity it presented to recreate in its wild, beautiful spaces. The pathways, trail systems, rivers and mountains are where Julie goes to recreate, connect with friends and get away from it all. She is proud of her work with Friends of Pathways and loves supporting an organization whose values are so aligned with her own.

If Julie is not working on a house renovation, she can be found riding her bikes, hiking trails, skiing or fly fishing with friends.

Celia Wallace

Celia grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and received degrees in English and Communications from Tulane University in New Orleans. Her first job took her to Washington D.C. as a Special Assistant to Louisiana Senator J. Bennett Johnston, the chairman for the Senate Energy Committee. Celia later worked on energy and environmental legislation for Wyoming Senator Craig Thomas. She began coming to Jackson in the 90’s with her Wyoming native husband Rob, and eventually made the Tetons her permanent home.

Celia is passionate about her service and support of nonprofits and has served on several Boards including the Deans Advisory Committee of the School of Arts and Sciences of Tulane University in New Orleans; the Brinton Museum Advisory Group in Big Horn, Wyoming; and locally, the Grand Teton National Park Foundation Board and Resource Council.

Celia also loves being a St. John’s Episcopal church member and occasional volunteer or traveling with her family. You can find her walking or cross country skiing every day on the pathways with dogs Molly and Rudy, or hiking or biking on one of our many local trails with husband Rob and daughters Morgan and Ella.

Andrew Whiteford

Andrew grew up in New England and studied business at the University of Vermont before following the call of the mountains to Jackson Hole in 2006. Previously working within the outdoor retail industry, he now provides guests of Amangani Resort with private naturalist tours of the region, highlighting the history, geology, and ecology of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Outside of work, he can be found exploring the mountains by foot, bicycle, and skis. Representing a number of companies as a sponsored athlete, Andrew shares his adventures through various media outlets and has a knack for putting a GoPro to good use. He and his partner Courtney can be found enjoying the trails & pathways, as well as playing with their three dogs.

Board of Advisors

Fred Arbuckle
Len Carlman

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No connected account.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to connect an account.

Friends of Pathways

Friends of Pathways supports a vibrant community by promoting sustainable transportation and healthy recreation in Jackson Hole.

PO Box 2062
610 W Broadway Avenue, Suite 204
Jackson, WY 83001

307.733.4534
info@friendsofpathways.org

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES | PRESS & RESOURCES