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Board and Staff
As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Missoula Mountain Bike Coalition is run by a whole lot of volunteers and four staff. We have an all-volunteer Board of Directors that oversees the direction of the organization, and seven volunteer committees that detail and assist with operations. Many Board members first get involved through one of those committees. Thanks, team!
If you're interested in learning more, please contact us here.
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Board of Directors
Andrew Sullivan, Board Chair
Andrew grew up just about everywhere, jumping around South Africa, Germany, Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Washington but is absolutely stoked to call Missoula home. Having spent many summers rock and alpine climbing, once he picked up a mountain bike, those pasttimes rapidly fell to the wayside. To be totally honest, Andrew misses some of the dedicated biking trails in central Washington and is hoping to help get more of those types of trails out here in Missoula. When not on a bike or skis Andrew spends his time doing software product management, dabbling in homebrewing and woodworking, and taking care of a small menagerie of animals with his wife.
Sara Smith, Treasurer
Sara grew up in the shadow of the Beartooths in central MT. Living in the middle of a system of backroads led to long bike rides at an early age. Sara moved to Missoula in 1993 with a mountain bike in tow and has never looked back except for a brief stint in Colorado. Sara raced all over MT and ID in the early 90s, racing for the UM Club Team. She has dipped her toes in triathlons, RATPOD, gravel races, the Butte 50, and now is obsessed with bikepacking. In addition, Sara has been a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America and is a Level 3 certified instructor. To support her recreational habits, Sara is the CFO at ALPS, a nationally based insurance carrier that focuses on lawyers. She is married to a ski nut and has a golden retriever named Blaze.
Andy Althauser, Board Member
Andy grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where he had to travel one hour to reach the nearest single track and ten hours to reach the nearest mountains. He knew there was a better way. He moved to Missoula in 2004 to be able to access mountains and trails on the daily not yearly basis. “Moving in the mountains with family and friends is my criteria for a life well lived and there is no better place to do that than Missoula, Montana.” He enjoys moving by bike, foot, and ski on the trails of Missoula and in the mountains of Montana with his wife and two daughters.
Cory Sobin, Board Member
Cory Sobin grew up in New Jersey and headed out west as quick as possible, chasing a snowboarding and mountain biking dream life. He found it in Missoula, MT where he has lived since 2001. He has ridden the trails around the state for years, and was looking for a way to give back to help grow and support a sport that he loves. Cory works as a mortgage lender at Opportunity Bank and is excited to contribute his financial expertise as the new treasurer of MTB Missoula.
Matt Radlowski, Board Member
Matt got into mountain biking his early 20’s and learned to mountain bike on a late 90’s hardtail with v-brakes and questionable suspension. He’s been a dedicated backcountry rider since 2008, when a ride on the Gallatin Crest Trail showed him a whole new challenge of traveling through remote places. When this trail was closed to biking, Matt decided it was time to get involved to advocate to maintain MTB access to backcountry trails. Matt coaches and organizes trail work days for high school athletes on the Missoula Mammoths NICA team, is a certified sawyer for MTBM, and has been a member of MTB Missoula’s advocacy committee for 6 years prior to joining the Board. When not actively advocating for MTB access, Matt loves riding the local trails with his kids - both of whom shred way harder than he does.
Rika Wishcamper, Board Member
Rika grew up in Western Montana as a ski bum and did not discover mountain biking until she was living in Colorado, post undergrad. Over the years she has also discovered a love for gravel riding and trail running. While Rika may be mediocre in mountain biking skills, she's advanced in her passion for nature, conservation, equality and community engagement.
Shane Balgaard, Board Member
Shane grew up racing BMX around Wisconsin. He and his sister both won the state BMX championship the same year. On his 16th Birthday, he received the best present he could have ever asked for -- a job as a mechanic at his Uncle’s bike shop in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Shane loves everything about mountain biking and the mountain biking community in Missoula – coaching, trail building, riding with friends, racing enduro and downhill races … even just talking to people about bikes and biking at the trailhead parking lot. He is excited to join the Mountain Bike Missoula Board and help share the mission with as many people as possible!
Chase Callen, Board Member
Chase moved here from Seattle for college in 2008 for the love of proximity to the mountains and recreation quickly falling in love with Missoula and calling it home. He loves all outdoor recreation and is passionate about growing and sharing his love for mountain biking. Chase has been supporting and volunteering with Missoula Mountain Bike Coalition (formerly MTB Missoula) since 2018 and is stoked to serve on the board.
Russel Blessing, Board Member
Russell holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Sciences and has a strong interest in ecological planning and environmental conservation. He currently works as a data analytics consultant and co-manages a no-till tree farm. Russell has been mountain biking off and on for over 20 years and enjoys all types of riding—from XC and downhill to gravel. When not on two wheels, he’s usually behind a camera, on a trail, fly fishing, or tending a BBQ smoker. He’s excited to bring some of his skills in cartography, data science, and technical writing to support and strengthen Missoula’s mountain biking community.
Jason Newcomer, Board Member
Somewhere between St. Louis, DC, and Denver, biking evolved from an urban escape and movement-based therapy to a life-long passion for Jason. Since moving to Missoula in 2018 with his wife and two boys, he’s embraced the riding opportunities unique to a mountain town with a long history of trail advocacy. Bringing 20+ years of fundraising and nonprofit experience in mission-driven organizations to the board, Jason’s excited to use his skill set to expand trail access and riding opportunities for the community he’s proud to call home.
Staff
John Stegmaier, Executive Director
John and his family have been benefiting from the legacy of Missoula's trail stewards since arriving for grad school in 2012. He's honored to be standing on their shoulders, alongside a passionate board, to advance all forms of mountain biking in Missoula and surrounding. Prior to coming on at Missoula Mountain Bike Coalition in 2021, John worked for Missoula County's Parks, Trails & Open Lands Program where he helped manage a system of 80 parks and 50 miles of shared-use pathways. John is eager to leverage his public-sector experience and lifelong love of singletrack to expand Missoula's riding options for current and future mountain bikers. Since his early riding days in the Midwest, John will forever be working on a clean, well-timed bunny hop and welcomes any suggestions for improvement!
Nic Hertzler, Field Program Manager
After graduating with a degree in geoscience into a pandemic job market, Nic moved from his
hometown in Pennsylvania to Prescott, Arizona to work on trails in the Prescott National Forest.
Having previously done trail work in the woods of western Massachusetts, he rediscovered how
wonderful working outside could be. This brought him to western Montana in 2021 to work in
the Kootenai National Forest, eventually settling in Missoula. After working as a mechanic at
Missoula Bike Source for a little over two years, Nic joined [previously known as] MTB Missoula as Field
Services Specialist in 2024 and moved into the role of MMBC's Field Program Manager in 2026. When
he’s not working, you can find him (or maybe you can't...) riding Missoula’s local trails or wishing that he was doing so. No, he still can’t wheelie but he’s trying so cut him some slack.