President – Don MacKinnon
Don was born in Juneau and grew up in Hoonah and Cordova before returning to Juneau as a teenager. A graduate of Juneau Douglas High School he also has a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. He grew up hiking, hunting and skiing in the woods of Southeast Alaska. Don worked as a volunteer instructor for the Juneau Youth Sailing Foundation. He also has been a swim coach, swimming instructor and skiing instructor. Don operated his own tour boat business from 1993 to 1995. For the past 11 years he has worked as a telecommunication tech for Jeffus & Williams CO. Inc. He moved to Sitka in 2001 when Juneau became to big for him. While in Sitka he has continued to be an avid hiker and back country skier while learning to surf. He can be found most days on one of the trails around Sitka walking his dog.
Vice President – Dawn Johnson
Dawn moved to Sitka in 2010 from the sunny beaches of Florida. She currently works as Operations Manager for Northline Seafoods. Dawn graduated from the University of North Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and minor in Photography. She’s dabbled in everything from working for a major television network in New York City to instructing SCUBA Diving in Honduras. Passionate about the outdoors, Dawn can be found in her off time exploring the trails and backcountry of Sitka, fishing or paddle boarding.
Secretary – Maegan Bosak
Originally headed to Southeast for a one-year adventure, Maegan has been a resident of Sitka for the last eight years and has enjoyed exploring the expanding trail system. She currently works as the Director of Lands and Property Management at SEARHC. Originally from Oregon, Maegan attended the University of Oregon and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Most days, Maegan can be found on the cross trail enjoying nature with her family and dog.
Treasurer – Roslyn MacKinnon
Ros is an avid hiker and has lived in Sitka since 1981. She is CFO for Samson Tug and Barge Co, Inc. and spends most weekends hiking, biking or running on the Sitka trail system. She holds a BA in Economics from Williams College in Williamstown MA. “I think the improvements in the local trail system are of the best things that has happened in Sitka over the past 10 years. I am very pleased to be a part of the board of the organization that has made so much of this possible.”
Board Member – Mike Jones
Mike recently returned home to Sitka be with family and is eager to support the community through his years of experience in management and sales and sales after a career in Portland. As a manager at Alaska Seaplanes, Mike is actively involved in helping people get around and to the outdoors in Southeast Alaska.
Board Member – Lee House
One of Lee’s main passions is getting up into the mountains of Sitka. Originally from Massachusetts, with a brief stint as a trail-building crew leader for high schoolers in the PNW, Lee has now found a home in Sitka where he loves to go hiking, snowboarding, hunting, running, or exploring a creative route along the ridges and valleys of the island. When Lee is not getting out, he is working as the Owner and Creative Lead at House Creative. Lee is also a certified wilderness first responder that volunteers with Sitka Mountain Rescue — he cares deeply about the safety, accessibility, and well-being of Sitkans enjoying the outdoors.
Board Member – Lione Clare
Lione was born and raised in Sitka and is an avid hiker, trail runner, and biker who grew up on our trails. As a nature photographer and the Wilderness & Community Engagement Coordinator with Sitka Conservation Society, Lione brings a deep connection to the Tongass and the skills to support Sitka Trail Works in developing better communications.
Board Member – Doug Osborne
Doug Osborne M.A. works as a Health Educator at the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium and is President of the Sitka Cycling Club. Since 2003 Doug has lived, worked, walked, and biked in Sitka. Before that he lived in Anchorage where he attended Alaska Pacific University. Originally from Illinois, Doug has a Bachelors Degree in Social Work and currently is a League of American Bicyclists League Certified Instructor. Current interests include preventing injuries promoting physical activity, and creating a transportation system that is healthy, equitable and sustainable.
Board Member – Jessika Beam
Jessika has lived in Sitka for most of her adult life. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in History, a Master’s in Public Health and works as a Project Coordinator in Health Promotion at the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. Jessika has had a lifelong passion for adventure and love for being outdoors. She considers herself lucky to live in such a beautiful community with trail access minutes from the home she shares with her husband and dog. She loves to spend her time hiking, running, biking, and practicing yoga.
Project Director – Lynne Brandon
In November 2021, Lynne stepped into a project management role to oversee the finishing of the Phase 6 expansion of the Cross Trail. Previously, Lynne was hired as the Executive Director in September of 2015. Prior to joining STW, Lynne was City and Borough of Sitka Parks and Recreation Manager for fourteen years. Other positions Lynne has held in Sitka include work as an Alaska State Park Ranger, for the Forest Service, National Park Service and running her own pottery business while her two sons, Gavin and Kevin, were little. While at the City, Lynne collaborated with Deborah Lyons, former executive director of STW, on all trail projects on City lands including all phases of the Cross Trail, Thimbleberry-Heart Lake Trail, Sawmill Creek Road and Indian River Road separated multiuse paths and Herring Cove Trail.
Lynne’s professional skills include work with government entities, community outreach, and the development, funding and permitting of recreation projects. Her priorities are creating accessible walking opportunities that provide benefit for the greatest number of Sitkans and attracting new walkers to Sitka’s trail systems. Other priority issues for Lynne include developing a stronger state and local outdoor recreation economy through investments in recreation infrastructure and promoting the important health benefits and quality of life that outdoor recreation brings communities and visitors.
During her career, she is proud of helping to develop the Cross Trail, Starrigavan Trail system, the Turnaround skate park, the Kimsham Athletic Fields and improving greenspace and landscaping around many of Sitka’s parks and public buildings. Recently she worked with other volunteers to create the Sitka Community Playground, a million-dollar, accessible playground that was 95{abf465c19454c250f574557adc626a2e06d1cd01c0781f16298455748ce24614} built and funded through volunteer efforts.
Lynne has a Bachelor of Science degree, in Park and Outdoor Recreation Management, from Colorado State University. Outside of work, Lynne loves spending time with family, fitness, dance, artwork, gardening, wild beaches, hiking to mountain tops and snorkeling in tropical water.
Executive Director – Ben Hughey
Ben launched his career in natural resources right here at Sitka Trail Works as a crew member in 2006. The vocation suited him and he spent college summers working for the local US Forest Service, before joining the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust to build trail in the Cascades. Ben traded the Pulaski for the pen at the Greenway Trust, supporting regional land management planning and public lands advocacy at the local, state, and federal level for six years. A post-Master’s degree environmental policy fellowship took Ben to the other Washington in 2019, where he served as legislative staff for Senator Cory Booker. In 2020, Ben returned home to Sitka and directed the Sitka Conservation Society’s CARES Act funded transitional employment program, leading out-of-work Sitkans on recreation and restoration projects with lasting community benefit.
Ben joined Sitka Trail Works as staff in December of 2020 and was hired as the Executive Director in November 2021.
Administrative Assistant – Mel Beadle
Mel Beadle is originally from the Black Hills of South Dakota and found her forever home in Southeast Alaska in the Spring of 2019. She brings a strong combined background in nonprofit management and bookkeeping, Mel is focused on supporting nonprofit operations including bookkeeping, human resources administration, communications, and fundraising. Mel is excited to bring her experience to assist in the growth of STW.
Mel joined Sitka Trail Works in February of 2022.
Youth Program Coordinator – Lilli Garza
Lilli (she/her) is a proud Mexican American from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She moved to Sitka in the spring of 2022 after completing the RAY Fellowship in Chicago, Illinois. While attending Colby College in Waterville, Maine, she took a deep interest in Outdoor Education and Leadership through the school’s Outing Club and by leading Outdoor Orientation Trips. Lilli is passionate about community led movements and uplifting communities of color. After interning at Latino Outdoors, she has been focused on increasing access to outdoor spaces for marginalized communities. She is excited to bring these combined experiences to Sitka Trailworks as the Youth Program Director.
Lilli joined Sitka Trail Works in January of 2023.
