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 both a camper and staff member at Teton Valley Ranch Camp gave Katherine a deep appreciation for the mountains and this region. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1988, she moved here permanently. Since then, she has built a career in the nonprofit sector, serving on several boards, including Teton Valley Trails and Pathways, and working with organizations such as the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Teton Regional Land Trust, Teton County Education Foundation, and the Center of Wonder.
Sam Petri
COMMUNICATIONS & ADVOCACY DIRECTOROriginally from upstate New York, Sam grew up skiing, biking, and exploring the mountains of the Northeast. After graduating from St. Lawrence University with a degree in English Writing, he moved to Jackson Hole and began his career as a local newspaper reporter. He later became the first web editor of TetonGravity.com before bringing his writing and communications experience to the outdoor industry as a public relations account executive. Sam has served on the boards of 89.1 KHOL Jackson Hole Community Radio and the Teton County Pathways Task Force. He advocates for safe, connected pathways throughout Teton County.
Sam Wilmot
DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONS DIRECTORSam moved to Jackson in 2009 to ski for a year after graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in History. One year turned into two, then three, and the rest is history. Since then, she has worked many of her dream jobs in the valley, from Lift Ops Lead at JHMR to bookseller at Valley Bookstore and JH Book Trader, and on the Bridger-Teton National Forest Backcountry Trail Crew. There, she was introduced to Friends of Pathways and later served as Youth Trail Crew Lead. She’s happy to be back at FOP.
Chris Owen
TRAILS PROGRAM DIRECTORChris first visited Jackson at age 14 on a backpacking trip and knew he wanted to return. After earning a B.S. in Recreation Resource Management from Clemson University, he made his way back, working for the National Outdoor Leadership School and living in Jackson between courses. He later joined the Jackson Trail Crew, spending eight years working on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in partnership with Friends of Pathways before joining FOP full time. An avid biker and climber, Chris spends as much time on trails outside of work as he does on the job.
Sarah Soper
TRAIL PROGRAM ASSISTANTSarah grew up in Teton County, Idaho, and first worked for Friends of Pathways at age 14 on the Youth Trail Crew. She graduated from Westminster College in Salt Lake City with a B.S. in Outdoor Recreation and Quantitative Analysis before returning to Jackson to pursue a career that lets her work outside while giving back to the community where she grew up. Sarah is passionate about the outdoors and enjoys trail running, backpacking, and skiing in her free time.
Harlan Hottenstein
DOWNHILL TRAILS TECHNICIANHarlan Hottenstein loves riding and jumping bikes, whether dropping into rocky chutes, pumping through forested turns, or sending high-speed step-ups. He believes more people would love the sport, too, if they had access to quality trails. Harlan is a founding member of Teton FreeRiders, the nonprofit trail-building organization behind the freeride trails on Teton Pass. Now that Friends of Pathways manages those gravity-oriented trails, Harlan has joined the team as Downhill Trails Technician, focused on maintaining and improving the Teton Pass downhill trails he helped create.
Jim Rooks
BIKE SAFETY COORDINATORJim Rooks is a Jackson native, former Town Councilor, and longtime Teton County School District educator. He supports Friends of Pathways’ in-school bike safety and bike skills programming at Jackson Hole Middle School and helps create new opportunities for bike safety education throughout the community. Jim’s passion for teaching, youth, and bike safety is a great benefit to FOP and to the broader Jackson community. Look for him out on the pathways this summer.
Michael Piker
PATHWAY PROGRAM ASSISTANTMike grew up in New Orleans and spent summers on his family’s farm in the Ozark Mountains, where he developed a love for the outdoors. After earning a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, he worked in field service across the western U.S., including Jackson. In 1996, he moved to Jackson for a more outdoor-focused lifestyle. An avid cyclist and former mountain bike racer, Mike works seasonally for FOP, coordinating the Memorial Bench Program and helping with trail construction, maintenance, and pathway projects. Look for him on local trails with a chainsaw on his back.