COTA Staff & Board
COTA is powered by a small but mighty team of three full-time and three part-time staff, funded through a combination of grants and generous public support. COTA’s Board of Directors and Chapter Representatives — while all volunteer positions — work equally hard and are the backbone of the organization, providing vital visionary leadership and boots-on-the-ground support. Their responsibilities range from strategic planning and fundraising to social media management and community outreach. They’re a talented and dedicated bunch, and COTA wouldn’t be the same without them.
Staff
Emmy Andrews
Executive Director
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Emmy.Andrews@cotamtb.com
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As COTA’s Executive Director, Emmy Andrews leads the organization’s strategic direction, funding initiatives, and program development. She served on COTA’s Board of Directors from 2016 to 2020 before becoming the organization’s first-ever employee in 2021. Emmy is deeply involved in statewide trail advocacy, serving as Treasurer of the Oregon Mountain Biking Coalition and participating as a member of both the Deschutes Trails Coalition and the Oregon Trails Coalition. Before joining COTA full-time, she worked as a Project Manager at Tetra Tech, where she focused on NEPA compliance and natural resource management. A passionate mountain biker and lifelong trail enthusiast, Emmy brings both professional expertise and personal dedication to her role in stewarding Central Oregon’s trail systems.
Kira Sandiford
Development Director
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Kira.sandiford@cotamtb.com
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Kira brings a deep passion for trails, community, and creativity to her role at COTA, where she leads development initiatives and cultivates meaningful relationships with supporters, sponsors, and volunteers. As a Posse Scholar, Kira earned her bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and Philosophy from Kalamazoo College in Michigan. She is currently pursuing a master’s in Digital Media Management at USC. She brings a diverse background in nonprofit leadership, wilderness medicine, and retail management, including nearly a decade at REI where she served in roles ranging from Operations Manager to Outdoor Programs and Outreach Market Coordinator. Her professional ethos is simple: people first. Whether guiding a team, shaping strategy, or stewarding donor relationships, Kira brings authenticity, energy, and care to every interaction. Outside of work, Kira lives the values she brings to COTA — she’s hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, built her own tiny house on wheels, and tends a thriving garden in Bend, where she lives with her fiancé Tim and their dogs, Penny Lane and Banjo.
Alex Brieger
Trails Program Director
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Alex.brieger@cotamtb.com
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As the Trails Program Director for the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA), Alex Brieger plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of Central Oregon's beloved trail systems. He directly oversees all aspects of trail planning, building, maintenance, and training, ensuring our trails meet the highest standards for quality and sustainability. Alex's deep-seated passion for big backcountry mountain bike rides isn't just a hobby; it's a driving force behind his vision. This personal dedication translates into an intimate understanding of what makes a truly exceptional trail experience. His approach ensures that COTA continues to develop trails that both inspire and endure. Prior to joining our team, he spent five years building and maintaining mountain bike trails for the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance in Leavenworth, Washington and holds a Bachelors of Arts, Physical Education and Outdoor Recreation from Eastern Washington University.
Josh Owen
Trail Maintenance Coordinator
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Josh officially joined the COTA staff in 2023 after volunteering with the organization since 2015. Before that, he spent a decade giving his time to Forest Park Conservancy and the Mount St. Helens Institute. In addition to his work with COTA, Josh helps lead a small but dedicated crew of volunteers behind Bend BMX. Before becoming a dad, Josh was deeply involved in long distance trail running. These days, he spends more of his time on singletrack by bike—something the whole family can enjoy together. When he's not on the trails, you’ll likely find Josh camping with his family or at home playing pinball.
Ryan Ackerman
Trail Builder
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Ryan.ackerman@cotamtb.com
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Ryan Ackerman joined COTA in spring 2025 as a seasonal trail builder, bringing years of hands-on experience and a lifelong love for digging in the dirt. Raised with a shovel in hand, Ryan spent his youth shaping backyard BMX jumps before going on to build professionally for events and competitions. His passion for mountain biking grew later, fueled by friends and a deep-rooted “no dig, no ride” ethos that naturally led him into trail stewardship. Ryan got his start in advocacy with the Colorado River Area Trail Alliance, where he volunteered on trail crews before stepping into the role of Board Chair. In that position, he worked closely with land managers, raised funds for new projects, and—true to form—kept digging in his spare time. In 2020, Ryan followed a dream of moving to the Pacific Northwest and settled in Bend in search of better dirt and more trail access. He quickly found both, along with a strong connection to COTA’s mission. As a member, volunteer, and crew leader, Ryan has continued to give back to the trails he loves. Now, as a seasonal trail builder for COTA, Ryan is helping construct new trails at the Wanoga Sno-Park. When he’s not out building, you’ll likely find him riding the very trails he helped shape.
Katz Tsubai
Trail Builder
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Katz.tsubai@cotamtb.com
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Katz Tsubai is a seasonal trail builder with COTA, bringing a deep passion for trails shaped by years of hands-on experience and a lifelong love of wheels and motion. After rediscovering mountain biking in 2011, Katz found that riding—and later, building—trails gave him the same thrill he once found at racetracks, but with far more freedom and far fewer repair bills. Originally from Arizona, Katz started volunteering on local trails in 2015, driven by a desire to contribute rather than coast on others' hard work. That passion evolved into a professional path, and by 2023 he was building trails with Gravity Logic and expanding systems for the city of Kingman, AZ. His background includes designing and constructing both advanced flow and technical trails. Before trail building, Katz was a long-haul trucker, small business owner, and vintage car enthusiast—careers that gave him the chance to explore trails across the western U.S. with his bike stashed in the cab. Katz joined COTA in 2025 and is currently working on new trail projects at Cline Butte.
Board of Directors
Bill Lynch
President
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Bill.lynch@cotamtb.com
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As the Board President of COTA, Bill combines his passion for mountain biking with deep experience in technology, strategy, and nonprofit leadership. Originally from Iowa, Bill has been riding trails here since 2009 and has been a proud COTA board member since then. Bill works closely with COTA’s Executive Director, leads board and executive council meetings, and helps guide the organization’s strategic direction. He’s also a frequent trail volunteer, always eager to trade screen time for dirt time.
Professionally, Bill is the CTO at HumanTrue, a healthcare and AI startup, and has spent his career building and advising software companies. Bill holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Iowa and lives in Bend with his wife and three children.
Eric D'Orvilliers
Vice President
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Eric has been a COTA Crew Leader for 3 years and has served on the Board of Directors of COTA as the Treasurer since 2024. In his professional life, Eric is a Managing Director at Ernst & Young and has worked in public accounting for the last 19 years. His main focus has been the audit of large, global public companies and working with the regulatory environment of the Securities & Exchange Commission and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Eric previously volunteered as an instructor of avalanche awareness and safety with Friends of Berthoud Pass in Colorado. Eric enjoys all forms of Central Oregon outdoor activities from backcountry skiing and riding the lifts to trail runs, packrafting, bikepacking and, of course, mountain bike rides on the trails maintained by the members and amazing volunteers of COTA.
Luis Ziober
Treasurer
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Mountain biking has been a part of Luis's life since the 80's back at his local trails in Sao Paulo, Brazil, arguably the first group of mountain bikers in the country. After moving to Bend in 2008 he very quickly got involved with MBSEF in their early mountain biking program where he coached kids for 3 years. His first COTA experience was volunteering to work at the lower jumps at The Lair and many more after. Luis holds an accounting degree from Linfield College and professionally he brings 22 years of bookkeeping and accounting experience with 6 years of non-profit accounting, specifically in the preparation of federal and state tax reports. A devoted husband and proud dad of two grown kids, outside of work you can find him riding the local trails or getting through his list of honey-do's at home.
Stacy Maiano
Secretary
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Stacy originally came to COTA through trail work, and over the last few years she's participated in multiple committees including; Outreach, doing social media template design and posting, as well as design and layout for promotional materials; Membership, writing notes to new and renewing members; and Trail Planning, where she created a master trail spreadsheet used by staff to track miles, maintenance, signage and more. After a year as an At-Large Member, she now serves on the Executive Board as Secretary. Holding a Fine Arts degree from George Washington University, Stacy brings decades of experience wearing many hats as a small business owner, and graphic designer. In addition to mountain, gravel, and road biking, she can be found sport climbing, baking, skiing, walking dogs, and fussing in her veggie garden.
Aaron Smith
At Large
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Aaron has been a volunteer with the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) since 2016, serving as a Board Member and Chapter Representative for the past two years. He is proud to have played a major role in the planning and construction of the new Cascade Views Trail System. A lifelong Oregonian and Central Oregon resident since 2013, Aaron is passionate about mountain biking and enjoys exploring trails throughout the region. He is also a husband, father of three, and has worked for the Oregon Department of Transportation for the past 19 years, including the last four years in management, where he has developed a strong passion for leading and supporting employees in their growth and success. Aaron brings that same energy to his volunteer work, with a deep commitment to supporting volunteers and advancing trail advocacy throughout the community.
Dustin Smith
At Large
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Dustin.smith@cotamtb.com
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Dustin has spent the last 14 years working at Mt. Bachelor in various leadership positions with the last three years as the Mountain Operations Director, he has been heavily involved with the construction & development of the Mt. Bachelor Bike Park since its initial construction began in 2012. Mountain biking has been a lifelong passion and is what drove Dustin to move to Bend after graduating from Boise State University. Outside of work you will find him spending as much time with his wife and two young daughters as possible, mountain biking, fishing, and floating in any body of water within reach.
Eddie Edwards
At Large
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Sarah Edwards, also known as “Eddie” has long been passionate about outdoor recreation, accessibility and inclusion. Having grown up in Bend, she was fortunate enough to grow up enjoying the wide range of outdoor opportunities Central Oregon has to offer. In college while studying environmental science and anthropology, she found a passion for riding bikes and has made it her life’s goal to make biking (and outdoor sport in general) a more accessible and fun place for folks to grow both on and off the bike. Her professional and volunteer work in outdoor industry and non-profit media, marketing and events has developed her love for community and the importance of giving different groups visibility and the opportunity to share experiences in the outdoors. Eddie loves a long day out on the bike and finds inspiration in remote deserts or high in the mountains.
Casey Taylor
At Large
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Casey.taylor@cotamtb.com
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Casey has spent the last 20 years helping for-profit companies grow, as a partner at consulting firm Bain & Company. She specializes in marketing and customer engagement and spends her days talking to customers and working closely with executive teams. Outside of work, Casey is passionate about the accessibility of the outdoors and high quality education. She was previously a board member for a charter school in Atlanta, where she served on the finance committee and helped lead a major capital campaign. Casey holds an engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Harvard. She made Central Oregon home in 2020 and just celebrated her 5th year as a COTA member. Casey spends her weekends outside with the best adventure crew around - her wife, her dog (Fixie), and an amazing community of friends and fellow outdoor enthusiasts.
Casey Westbrook
At Large
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Casey.westbrook@cotamtb.com
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Casey is a seasoned strength and conditioning coach with over a decade of experience helping people grow stronger—physically and as a community. She has a Master's of Science in Exercise Physiology and currently runs her own coaching business, where she creates empowering, inclusive spaces and memorable experiences for all levels of athletes. A social media powerhouse, Casey brings energy, creativity, and heart to COTA’s community engagement efforts. She’s especially passionate about connecting people to trails and to each other through events, outreach, and storytelling. When she’s not coaching, you’ll likely find her out walking her dogs, mountain biking with rad folks across Central Oregon, or lifting something heavy—just for fun.
Kate Eng
At Large
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Kate brings multi-level leadership experience to the COTA board. After 20 years of utilizing her negotiation and legal analysis skills in the corporate world, Kate found her next calling as a director for a nationwide non-profit. It was her son’s participation in NICA and the Colorado High School Mountain Bike league that introduced Kate to the mountain bike community. Since then she has been an enthusiastic trail advocate, including a stint at IMBA. Since moving to Bend in 2019, Kate has been a COTA crew leader and co-founded Women of COTA. Kate also leads the Mayfly Project in Bend, mentoring kids in foster care through the art of fly fishing. When she’s not on a bike, you can find Kate fly fishing, paddle boarding, snowshoeing or just enjoying the wonders of Oregon.
Richard Bolt
At Large
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A lifelong mountain biker and retired professional cross country ski racer, Richard brings four decades of trail experience across cycling, running, skiing, and snowshoeing. Richard holds a degree in geography & environmental studies from St. Lawrence University and most recently spent 12 years with the non-profit American Trail Running Association, including Advisory Board and Marketing Director roles. His skills encompass team leadership, trail knowledge, project management and education. Richard also led US teams to world mountain and trail running championships, designed race courses, and created digital trail resources including Google street view of the Western States 100 mile race course in California. He looks forward to building trails as well as supporting strategic planning and committee work, bringing a wealth of trail and sports expertise to the COTA community.
Chapter Representatives
Although Chapter Representatives don’t serve on the Board of Directors, their role is equally vital to COTA’s success. Chapter Reps lead and coordinate local trail work events and projects, organize monthly meetings, and collaborate closely with staff to keep chapter operations running smoothly. They are the hands-on leaders driving impact in their communities.
Nancy Payne
At Large
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Nancy supports organizations and social entrepreneurs to develop as leaders and communicate more effectively about their mission-critical work. As a consultant, she recently helped a large, national nonprofit reposition its brand and create a new communication strategy that coincided with a robust fundraising push. She has experience as a nonprofit COO running operations and programs; a mentor to entrepreneurs; a communications director in a U.S. government agency; and a senior partner in a global communications firm. Nancy brings expertise in strategy, program management, partnerships, proposal writing and communications to her role on COTA’s board and Grants Committee. She holds degrees from American University and the University of Nebraska. She also volunteers at the Humane Society of Central Oregon, is devoted to her oversized dog, and finds any way possible to bike, ski, hike or generally be out on the trails with her husband and two grown kids.
Philip Sarnoff
At Large
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Phil is an experienced operations and nonprofit leader. He is currently the Director of Operations at Foghorn Labs, a digital marketing agency that works with outdoor and active lifestyle brands. He previously served as the Executive Director of Bike Utah, the statewide bicycle advocacy organization. Phil also served as an environmental education teacher in Kazakhstan as a Peace Corps volunteer. He has a Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism and a Nonprofit Leadership credential from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Wendy Patton
At Large
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Wendy Patton is the Assistant Director of the Central Oregon Community College (COCC) Foundation, where she provides strategic leadership to advance the foundation’s mission. With nearly two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, she is committed to community engagement that aims to enhance educational opportunities in Central Oregon. Wendy brings her skills and passion for community development to support sustainable trail systems and outdoor recreation in the region. In her free time, Wendy enjoys biking, hiking, and international travel, all of which reflect her deep appreciation for nature, culture, and community. She is a member of 100 Women Who Care in Central Oregon, a member of Rotary, and volunteers for SMART Reading.
Bruce Schroeder
Bend
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Bruce Schroeder has been a dedicated trail advocate in Bend since 2010 and a cornerstone of COTA’s leadership for over 15 years. During his tenure, Bruce has served as Membership Chair, Treasurer, Board President, and the first Bend Chapter Representative. He is also a longtime trail volunteer and crew leader, contributing thousands of hours to building and maintaining the trails he loves. Often referred to as the “Atlas of COTA,” Bruce has played a vital role in guiding the organization through significant growth while preserving its grassroots spirit. He continues to serve on the Trail Planning Committee and is a member of the Steering Committee for the Deschutes Trails Coalition. Before retiring, Bruce worked as a Project Manager and Subject Matter Expert at CACI. He holds an MS in Business Statistics from the Wisconsin School of Business and a BBA in Finance from the University of Oregon.
Bob Gilbert
Redmond
Steve Brown
South Deschutes County
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Steve Brown is the Chapter Representative for the South Deschutes County (SoDeCo) chapter of COTA. Steve has been active with COTA since 2017 and, after retiring from his college professor career in 2019, became very active with developing the Sunriver trails near his home. Through the mentorship of Dan Youmans, the founding chapter rep for SoDeCo, along with other excellent COTA crew leaders and staff, Steve became a COTA crew leader. Along with his wife Michelle, Steve enjoys traveling and camping with a focus on exploring mountain biking trails throughout the US and abroad.
Michelle Smith
Sisters
Paul Cuddy
Crook County
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Paul.cuddy@cotamtb.com
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Paul Cuddy is the newly elected Chapter Representative for Crook County. Paul has been a member of COTA since the Prineville chapter formed ten or so years ago and is an active crew leader and sawyer. Paul is originally from Rhode Island, and yes, he still Pahks(parks) his car. Paul, after earning a Master of Forestry degree from Utah State in 1981, settled in Oregon. He has lived in Prineville since 1984 where he retired from the Forest Service after 30 years of service. Paul is married and has two daughters and four grandkids. He has been active in the community throughout the years both as a youth sports coach and as a member of the Prineville City Planning Commission . Paul enjoys many forms of outdoor activities including backcountry skiing, trail running (past tense), hiking , and road, gravel, and mountain biking.
