COTA Staff & Board
Meet the people behind the mission
COTA is powered by a small but mighty team of five 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
Casey Andrews
Executive Director
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Casey brings 15 years of experience in public lands management, including roles with the National Park Foundation, National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service. During her tenure with the Forest Service, she worked closely with Central Oregon Trail Alliance on trail planning, grant development, project management, and project implementation, building a strong foundation of collaboration and trust over many years. Her professional background includes managing complex, multi-partner projects; overseeing grant-funded trail work; and coordinating across agencies, nonprofits, and volunteer groups to deliver durable, on-the-ground trail development and maintenance.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, exploring Central Oregon’s trail systems. Trails hold deep personal meaning for her as places of connection to nature, to community, and to stewardship. She values the role they play in supporting both individual well-being and shared responsibility for the places we all love and enjoy.
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. In 2025 she completed a Masters of Science 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.
Gavin Orleans
Seasonal Trail Builder
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Gavin is passionate about trails, recreation and community. He completed his B.A. in Outdoor Leadership at Warren Wilson College and has worked for several trails organizations, including Forest Park Conservancy, Washington Trails Association, and Pacific Crest Trail Association, to build and maintain trails throughout the Pacific Northwest. He is excited to join COTA and will be focused on new trail construction of the Pine Drops Extension and Swampy Dutchman Trails. When Gavin is not working you will often find him hiking, kayaking, or soaking in a hot spring.
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.
Andres Velez
Trail Maintenance Coordinator
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Andres joined COTA at the start of 2026. Since 2016 he has worked all over the country in service of public land management. From removing invasive tree species in central Arizona to building timber trail structures in the Alaskan wilderness. He was most recently working for the State of Maine, helping to run an AmeriCorps trail program where he trained new Team Leaders and supported the new conservation generation. In addition to his work with COTA he is an avid bikepacker and a white water enthusiast. He is excited to be in a new place with new trails, new people, and new opportunities to make a difference in sustainable outdoor recreation.
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.
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.
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.
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
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Bob.gilbert@cotamtb.com
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Bob Gilbert has been a trail advocate in Redmond since 2010 and a part of COTA’s leadership off and on for over 15 years. Getting his start as the Redmond Chapter Rep when the Radlands trail network was conceived. He is also a longtime trail volunteer and crew leader, contributing thousands of hours to building and maintaining the trails around Redmond. Trail accomplishments so far include the Radlands, Dry Canyon east trails, and Cascade View trail systems. As a lifelong Redmond native, Bob enjoys seeing the growth and opportunity that the trails bring to the community. He currently serves as the Redmond Chapter Rep and can be found hosting meetings, trail builds and local group rides along with his wife (Kodi) and son (Lincoln). Bob is the store manager for Trinity Bikes in Redmond and is more than happy to talk trails if you stop in. Besides bikes, other passions include; camping, hunting, traveling, wrenching on his classic truck and a cold pint with friends.
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.
Cody Gardner
Sisters
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cody.garnder@cotamtb.com
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Cody Gardner is the chapter representative for Sisters. He previously served on the COTA Board of Directors. Cody has been a COTA member for over a decade, getting to know the organization while mountain biking on leave from his position as a boat captain in Alaska, Mexico, and Hawaii. After permanently settling in Oregon, Cody has become committed to increasing access to and quality of trails and community bike resources in the region. His current passion project is teaching his two sons to mountain bike and explore the great trails of Central Oregon and beyond.
Paul Cuddy
Crook County
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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.
DeWayne Weaver
Madras
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DeWayne Weaver is the newly elected Chapter Representative for Madras. DeWayne has been a member of COTA since moving to Madras in 2021 from the Willamette Valley, where he did trail work for SATA at Silver Falls State Park and on the OTT. After moving to Madras he worked on the local trails and with the Dirty (Freehub) Roads crew briefly before injuring his back in 2023. Swamping was his favorite role but has had to give that up to preserve the back. DeWayne retired in 2025 after 40 years of service with the state of Oregon as an IT administrator. He is married and has 6 kids between him and his wife, and 4 grands with one on the way. He has been active in the community throughout the years as a youth soccer coach and serving in his church along with volunteering to support bicycle races. DeWayne enjoys many forms of outdoor activities including hiking, overland camping, and gravel and mountain biking. His wife sometimes accompanies him on their gravel tandem bike. He competed in a few mountain bike races and several gravel bike races in the last decade, mostly racing from aid station to aid station to enjoy the snacks!
Leslie Zimmer
At Large
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Leslie.Zimmer@cotamtb.com
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Leslie and her husband Rick first purchased property in Prineville in 2004 as a vacation getaway. They quickly fell in love with Central Oregon’s clean air and 300 days of sunshine. By 2013, with their six kids out of high school in Hillsboro, they packed up a ranch full of animals and four dogs and made the move to Prineville, eventually settling permanently in Redmond in 2017.
A COTA member since 2020, Leslie has focused her energy on mountain biking, trail building, and maintenance in Redmond. She’s also passionate about growing COTA’s membership and helping the community understand the organization’s impact.
Her love of the outdoors runs deep—throughout her life she has skied, whitewater rafted, hiked, biked, backpacked, camped, and ridden horses. In retirement, Leslie dreams of traveling Oregon and the West Coast in a van with Rick, their dogs, kids, and grandkids—always in search of new trails to ride and hike.
Michael Bird
At Large
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Michael.Bird@cotamtb.com
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Michael Bird, who simply goes by "Bird" joined the COTA Board of Directors with a passion for community and a drive to modernize the organization's digital footprint. His mountain biking journey started in Florida after buying the bike his coworker told him to get before ever trying as he knew in his bones he was going to thrive with the sport. He fell in love with Central Oregon's trails after moving to Bend in 2017 and quickly got involved with with the community, participating in a COTA build day shortly after his move.
Bird holds a degree from UCF and professionally he has passionately worked on software for medical devices.
A curious learner, he brings high energy to a wide variety of pursuits. Outside of mountain biking, his recent endeavors include 3D printing, building a six-foot kaleidoscope, baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and learning partner dance styles as well as other outdoor pursuits that include climbing and backcountry skiing.
Truett Shilling
At Large
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Truett.Shilling@cotamtb.com
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Crisp Flagline mornings, long Mrazek miles, flowy mountain singletrack, and the hum of tires on dirt aren't just hobbies for Truett, they're part of his DNA. COTA trails have been his classroom, therapy office, church, and proving ground, especially after earning not one, but two titanium shoulders!
Originally from Arkansas, with roots in Bentonville "MTB Capital of the World" (hahaha), Truett has spent the last three decades riding trails across Arkansas, Colorado, and for the past nine years, his favorite here in Central Oregon. Some PNW folks still say Truett has an accent, but he doesn't believe them.
After a long career in teaching and pastoring, Truett leads the Jefferson County Faith Based Network as their CEO in Madras, Oregon, helping bring hope, support, and free resources to those experiencing extreme poverty in Jefferson County Oregon.
Truett is passionate about building sustainable trails, connecting people through outdoor recreation, and just bragging about CO dirt everywhere he goes. Whether at a meeting, work party, or ride, he believes the best trails are built by communities that show up together.