Board & Staff
OUR TEAM
Dodson Harper - Board President
Dodson started spending summers in Colorado in 1997 as a raft guide in Buena Vista. He quickly found mountain biking in Colorado to be far superior to the short single track rides back in Arkansas and has never looked back. He quickly made the transition over to the Gunnison Valley and put down roots. He is a local business owner and loves to get out and explore Gunnison Country (and everywhere else that beautiful) with his wife Krista. While living at the base of Hartman Rocks for six years, he fell into working on trails with Wiens and jumped at the opportunity to become a part of Gunnison Trails. Dodson loves the fact that biking is such an integral part of our valley, whether its riding your townie to work or the bar, or riding out your front door on your days off-bikes just seem to be everywhere and that is AWESOME!
Lyndsey Ruehle - Treasurer
Originally from Montrose, Lyndsey grew up backpacking, camping and skiing/ snowboarding on the Western slope. In 2003 she came to Gunnison to attend Western State. While earning her degrees in business and accounting, Lyndsey fell in love with the Gunnison Valley and all of the outdoor fun it has to offer. She decided to stay and found her passion for mountain biking as well as backcountry skiing, skate skiing, trail running and paddle boarding. Lyndsey still finds time to play between her accounting practice, Elevation Accounting, and raising three kids (Sage, Knox and Bracken) with husband, Joel. She is happy to be able to support and continue trail advocacy and stewardship.
Gary Pierson - Board Member
Roanne Rouse Houck
Jefe Branham
Joel Scott - Board Member
Dave Wiens
Staff
Tim Kugler - executive director
Growing up just outside of Washington, D.C., Tim’s passion for trails began while exploring the Shenandoah mountains in central Virginia on bike and foot. After receiving a degree in Biology from the University of Virginia, Tim moved to the Gunnison Valley in 2008 to pursue new adventures in even bigger mountains. He served on the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association board of directors for 5 years before returning to school to earn a Masters in Environmental Management degree from Western Colorado University, focusing on recreation and environmental stewardship. He was fortunate to take the reigns of Gunnison Trails in 2017 and feels incredibly lucky to pursue his passion for trails and public land advocacy right here in the Gunnison Valley alongside his wife and two wild daughters.
Jennifer Swift - creative design
Having previously lived all over the state of Colorado, Jennifer settled on Gunnison for its vast outdoor opportunities. She is raising her adventurous daughter among these hills and couldn’t think of a better place to call home. The area allows for a perfect mix of work/life balance; as Jennifer not only works for Gunnison Trails in a creative & management role, she is also a local business owner of Swifthaus Design digital creative services, and sits on the Gunnison Parks & Recreation Advisory Board and the gO Initiative Board. Her mission is to continue to make Gunnison a rich environment. A healthy life, physically and mentally, is a life worth living. She believes she struck gold upon moving to the Gunnison Valley.
Ciera Freson - events
Having previously lived all over the state of Colorado, Jennifer settled on Gunnison for its vast outdoor opportunities. She is raising her adventurous daughter among these hills and couldn’t think of a better place to call home. The area allows for a perfect mix of work/life balance; as Jennifer not only works for Gunnison Trails in a creative & management role, she is also a local business owner of Swifthaus Design digital creative services, and sits on the Gunnison Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. Her mission is to continue to make Gunnison a rich environment. A healthy life, physically and mentally, is a life worth living. She believes she struck gold upon moving to the Gunnison Valley. You can find her on the trails (between work projects of course!) on one of her many bikes, skis, or random outdoor equipment.
Josh Eberly - website
Having previously lived all over the state of Colorado, Jennifer settled on Gunnison for its vast outdoor opportunities. She is raising her adventurous daughter among these hills and couldn’t think of a better place to call home. The area allows for a perfect mix of work/life balance; as Jennifer not only works for Gunnison Trails in a creative & management role, she is also a local business owner of Swifthaus Design digital creative services, and sits on the Gunnison Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. Her mission is to continue to make Gunnison a rich environment. A healthy life, physically and mentally, is a life worth living. She believes she struck gold upon moving to the Gunnison Valley. You can find her on the trails (between work projects of course!) on one of her many bikes, skis, or random outdoor equipment.