2024/2025 OMBA Board Election – Candidate Statements
Overland’s Board of Directors plays a crucial role in guiding the direction of the organization and ensuring we’re working in the best interest of our members and mountain biking community. Each off-season, Overland’s Board holds elections to fill the open positions on the board and also has the option to appoint a board member to meet the required number of board members.
This year, there were three open positions and three candidates stepped-up to run for those positions, Ethan Billingsley, Tami Perrin and Amber Scott. Because there were three candidates and three positions to fill, an election was not necessary and all three will be joining the Overland Board starting February 1, 2015. For background, their statements about why they wanted to join the Overland board are below.
Ethan Billingsley
I’d like to express my interest in joining the OMBA Board of Directors. As a longtime member of OMBA who has benefitted from the work of the organization, I’d like to assist in the work for the benefit of our mountain biking community.
My relevant background includes academic and professional pursuits. For the last 25 years I have worked in natural resources education. Early on, this included roles as an environmental educator, outdoor guide and trail builder. My time with the Southwest Conservation Corps building trails and completing other public infrastructure projects is especially relevant. For the past 15 years, I have taught courses at Colorado State University in adventure tourism planning and outdoor leadership. Currently I teach a Mountain Bike Leadership course. Additionally, I possess a B.S. in Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism and a M.S. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources from CSU. I’ve also completed a 3-year term on the City of Fort Collins Natural Resource Advisory Board. And finally, I’ve been an avid mountain biker for about 20 years who has ridden all over the state and nation, from IMBA epics to in town singletrack.
I hope the board and the organization will benefit from my experience as it relates to public land management, education and communication skills, history of trail development, and general love for biking on our public lands. Paramount to all of this, I believe I work well with others to contribute and to make space for others to contribute. I believe solid and healthy relationships underpin the ability of OMBA to accomplish its goals. This includes between board members, donors, organization members, land agencies and other external partners.
Thanks for your consideration.
Tami Perrin
With a lifelong passion for the outdoors and a strong commitment to sustainable trail development, Tami brings over 20 years of experience in mountain bike advocacy, trail stewardship, and outdoor recreation. As an avid mountain biker, racer, coach, and member of both Northern Colorado Grassroots, and Team B.O.B, she understands the importance of fostering a welcoming and inclusive community while also balancing the environmental impacts of trail use. In addition to riding and advocating for responsible trail access, Tami has been a member of the Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol and OMBA for 18 years, including 2 years of service as the Assistant Director of DPMBP.
As a potential board member, Tami is eager to contribute to the strategic direction of OMBA, with a focus on expanding and improving the trail network to meet the growing demand of mountain bikers while ensuring environmental stewardship and sustainability. She is dedicated to helping create an outstanding trail system that benefits both the local community and the broader mountain biking community for years to come.
Tami grew up riding horses on the same trails she mountain bikes on today! She shares her passion for the outdoors with her husband Joe, and 3 sons, Tyler, Easton, and Jake, and their German Shepherd named Charlie. She works full time at Poudre Valley Hospital as both a Circulating Nurse and Scrub Nurse in the Operating Room. In her free time she enjoys playing golf, home improvement projects, rafting, watching sports, and of course, mountain biking!
Amber Scott
I moved to Fort Collins with my partner in 2020 to attend grad school. We’ve both been surprised by how
much we love living here—we bought a house this past spring and we’re planning to stick around. Our
decision to call Fort Collins home was largely influenced by the community and the trails we found in and
around Northern Colorado. I’m interested in joining OMBA’s board because I’m ready to actively
contribute to both.
As a board member, I’d bring enthusiasm for all things bikes and trails, a background in land management
and outdoor recreation, and an assortment of skills useful to a small nonprofit. Unsurprisingly, I’m of the
opinion that any day is better when time is spent on a bike. As such, I’m an avid mountain biker and
riding friends form a cornerstone of my social life. My love for trails extends to running as well, and I
have close ties to the Fort Collins trail running community. Much of my professional life has revolved
around the outdoor industry—I’ve worked with and volunteered for various stewardship organizations,
I’ve conducted academic research on outdoor recreation for land management agencies, and I spent a
couple of years as a content editor for MTB Project and REI. This has provided me with a strong
understanding of federal, state, and local land management practices, processes, and dynamics. In
addition to these experiences, I’m a skilled writer and editor, I’ve managed roughly a dozen different
organizational social media feeds over the past decade, and I’m no Ansel Adams but I know my way
around a camera and editing software.
I would also bring a set of specific skills and experiences to the OMBA board. I currently work as an
Operations Manager for a small tech/research startup doing human resources, business operations, and
communications. This means I’m the person who gets inordinately excited about things like reorganizing
files and discussing topics like bylaws and job descriptions (yes, I was genuinely fascinated by Jon’s
Board Structure 101 at last week’s meeting). I’m also well versed in federal and state labor laws,
interviewing and hiring, and performance management and evaluations. As OMBA grows and changes
over the coming years, I’m interested in ensuring that the organization functions in a way that benefits
OMBA’s employees and board of directors, and therefore best serves OMBA’s members and Northern
Colorado’s trail users.
It’s an exciting time to be a mountain biker in Fort Collins—there’s a palpable momentum around
improving trails and increasing access. I would be thrilled to play a role in this progress as an OMBA
board member.
Thank you for your consideration.