Staff

Karen Daubert - Executive Director

Karen took the helm of Washington Trails Association in 2011 after serving on WTA's Board of Directors for a year. She brings more than 15 years of experience in trail and open space policy, advocacy, and funding. As Founding Director of the Seattle Parks Foundation, she led the organization from a start-up to one that is recognized as a national leader in parks philanthropy and advocacy. Karen has served as a member of the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board and on the Seattle Parks Board. Prior to this, Karen worked as King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney where her focus was on real property and environmental issues. She is an avid hiker, with more than 70 hikes under her belt in 2011 alone, and is thrilled to be leading WTA. Email: karen@wta.org

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Arlen Bogaards - Northwest Washington Crew Leader

Arlen has been leading WTA work parties in the Bellingham and Mt. Baker areas for the past several years. After growing up in Lynden, he spent many years working in the construction field. He rediscovered the wonders of nature after making a career change that afforded him more time to wander the many trails in the North Cascades. A good friend introduced him to WTA and the rest is history. If out hiking off the Mt. Baker Highway, you might find him in one of his favorite haunts, Yellow Aster Butte.

Email: arlen@wta.org

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Eli Boschetto - Editor, Washington Trails

After three years as a feature writer, gear team member and photographer for Washington Trails magazine, Eli Boschetto took on the editor position in November 2011. He's an avid backpacker and outdoor photographer, with an education in journalism and geology, and comes to WTA with a strong publishing, design and marketing background. Adding to his outdoors resume, Eli has also a been a Trail Correspondent for Backpacker magazine since 2008. While his hiking range is far and wide – from California's Sierras to the Canadian Rockies - his favorite hikes in Washington are Maple Pass in the North Cascades and the Snowgrass Flats in the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Email: eli@wta.org

Lauren Braden - Communications & Outreach Director

Given her passion for hiking trails, Lauren jumped at the chance to join the staff at Washington Trails Association as the Communications and Outreach Director in 2003. Lauren coordinates WTA’s media relations, messaging, program communications, and publicity. Lauren enjoys hiking, gardening, birdwatching, and traveling with her husband and son, and runs a travel blog in her spare time. Her favorite areas to hike are North Cascades National Park, Marmot Pass, Umtanum Canyon, and anywhere with lots of Ponderosa Pine.  Email: lauren@wta.org

Kim Brown - Membership Assistant

Kim goes by many titles: Crazy Tree Identifier; Forest Service Gadfly; Honorary Citizen of Darrington. She brings a knowledge of ecology, a passion for hiking in the rain and many bookkeeping skills to WTA. In fact, she was WTA's bookkeeper from 2001-2004. Now Kim returns to the development team where she is working with WTA members. When she is not working at the office, you'll find Kim on the Mountain Loop Highway with her camera, in the Kettles of Eastern Washington or studying the history of the hiking trails she travels on. Her favorite hikes are Circle Peak and Thirteenmile. Email: kim@wta.org

Kara Chin - Membership Manager

Kara has spent her life playing in the diverse bio-niches of the Pacific Northwest. Kara first came to WTA as a trail maintenance and TrailsFest volunteer, then as an administrative intern in 2000 while pursuing her graduate degree. After a brief interlude in New York, she returned in search of evergreens and moss. She now takes care of “all things membership” at WTA. Although trained as an artist, choreographer, and costume designer she has always found inspiration in her extended backyard. If you’re lucky, you’ll run into Kara on trail - or catch her in the WTA office next time you’re downtown.  Email: kara@wta.org

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Krista Dooley - Youth Programs Manager

Krista is a Washington native who has been working at outdoor youth programs since 2001 in various regions of the US and Switzerland. Since 2007, Krista has been organizing and guiding WTA's youth programs. Before joining WTA, Krista spent two years as Program Director for Camp Highland Outdoor Science in Southern California, but she decided she missed the seasons and big trees of the Pacific Northwest and returned to Washington to pursue graduate studies in Environmental Education at IslandWood and the University of Washington. Her love for the outdoors keeps her working and playing in the woods year round. Krista enjoys hiking anywhere in the Goat Rocks Wilderness.  Email: krista@wta.org

Susan Elderkin - Web Editor

Susan has worn many hats at WTA, first as a volunteer, then as a board member and president, and most recently on staff as the Web Editor. She took over website duties in 2007 and is the primary architect of wta.org. After a year break to spend time with her young kids, she happily returned in October 2009 to write content and keep the website engine working smoothly. Susan comes from a non-profit policy, fundraising and communications background with more than 20 years at various environmental organizations in Washington state and Washington, DC. Her favorite hike is Bear Creek Mountain in the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Email: susan@wta.org

Jonathan Guzzo - Advocacy Director

Jonathan joined WTA in 2001 after working for Minnesota PIRG and other non-profits for seven years. As Advocacy Director, Jonathan charts the policy course at WTA, working with politicians and National Forest and Park Service staff to make sure that the decisions they make are good for Washington's hikers. He spends most of the winter months in Olympia and visits Washington, DC at least once a year to make sure that our state and federal representatives and senators hear from hikers. Jonathan has hiked all over the Northern Midwest and Washington. His favorite hike: Juniper Ridge in the Dark Divide Roadless Area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Email: jonathan@wta.org

Deb Hemingway - Finance and Administrative Manager

Deb Hemingway’s love of numbers and mountains began in high school in northern Indiana. After a trip to the Rockies and college accounting and geology courses, she headed west. After years of homeschooling, accounting in small business and an international nonprofit, and most recently, development work on annual and capital campaigns for the Arboretum Foundation, Deb is very pleased to be a part of the greater outdoor community. Though partial to the Skyline Trail in early summer, any trail along water or a beach is a favorite.

Email: debh@wta.org

Alyssa Kreider - Volunteer Coordinator

After serving for three years as WTA’s Mennonite Volunteer, Alyssa joined
the permanent staff in 2005. She manages more than 2500 volunteers each year, taking them through the entire volunteer process from recruitment to recognition. Alyssa grew up in Ohio and learned to love hiking through an annual trek to the Great Smoky Mountains, where she summited the Chimney Tops multiple times as a youth. She graduated from Goshen College in Indiana in 2002. Her favorite hike is the Weden Creek Trail in the Darrington Ranger District. Email: alyssa@wta.org

Rebecca Lavigne - Development Director

Rebecca joined the WTA staff team in 2008, thrilled that her love of hiking was considered a job qualification. Before landing at WTA, she gained donor relations, grant management, and communications experience while working on land conservation in the Northwest and local food system efforts in Chicago. Her appreciation for Washington's mountains and saltwater started early in life. These days she looks forward to any opportunity to explore the North Cascades or go goat packing. She is a graduate of the University of Washington.

Email: rebecca@wta.org

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Alan Carter Mortimer - Field Director

Before joining WTA's staff in 2007, Alan served as a volunteer crew leader for nine years. As WTA's Field Director, he oversees the planning and implementation of trail construction and maintenance projects. He also trains  volunteer crew leaders for the trail maintenance program. In addition, he brings to WTA important expertise in computer mapping through his previous work as a GIS technician for tribes and an environmental consulting firm.  Alan's favorite hike is the Copper Pass - Twisp Pass loop on the Okanogan National Forest.  Email: alan@wta.org

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Ryan Ojerio - Southwest Washington Regional Coordinator

Ryan grew his passion for trail work at Northwest Youth Corps, where he managed projects and crews operating in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. During this time he also worked to engage hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers in volunteer trail projects and helped to develop a community trails plan for the communities of Oakridge and Westfir, OR. Ryan has also been an instructor for the Outdoor Pursuits Program at the University of Oregon and has recently earned a Masters in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon. Since 2008, he has been based in Vancouver, helping support members and volunteers in Southwest Washington. Ryan's favorite hike is the PCT between Elk Pass and Snowgrass Flat in the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Email: ryan@wta.org

Mike Owens - Chief Crew Leader

Mike leads mid-week trail maintenance crews throughout the year and has a strong following of volunteers who come back time and again because of his fun work parties. Mike led 161 crews in 2007 and has over 2000 days on the trail under his belt. Chances are you'll see him if you sign up for a work party Tuesday through Friday on the Mount Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest. And you're sure to have a good time.

Kindra Ramos - Engagement Manager

Excited to put her personal passions and professional experience together educating and engaging hikers, Kindra came to WTA in December 2006. She helps trail enthusiasts better understand their connection to parks, forests, and policy, what WTA’s role is, and what hikers can do to make a difference. Prior to coming to WTA, Kindra worked in Washington, DC doing outreach and advocacy for several non-profits. Her favorite hike: (mid-week during huckleberry season) Heliotrope Ridge in the Mount Baker Wilderness.  Email: kindra@wta.org

Sarah Rich - Program Assistant

Sarah moved from the cornfields of northern Indiana to the mountains of Washington through Mennonite Voluntary Service, with whom she is doing a yearlong volunteer stint. She graduated from Goshen College in 2011 with degrees in English and journalism—and with a hankering to be outside. Sarah has backpacked and canoed in the Appalachians and the Boundary Waters but is eager to explore the yet-unknown turf of Washington. She is putting her writing skills to work throughout WTA, but especially in the trail maintenance program. Email: sarah@wta.org

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Tim Van Beek - Project Coordinator

Tim spent far too many years stuck inside office buildings keeping track of things. Mercifully, he was laid off February 2003. Having run across a WTA crew on Tiger Mountain and learning what they were up to, he went on a few day trips and fell in love with trail work. After a year of volunteering, he was asked to work for WTA helping out in the Gifford Pinchot NF and the Skykomish Ranger District. In 2005 he began crew leading Volunteer Vacations around the state. His favorite hike is High Divide by Mt. Baker or anywhere in the Enchantments.  Email: tim@wta.org