Betsy Nelson
Director

Betsy grew up skiing in Washington State, she graduated from USC with degrees in International Relations and Environmental Studies and moved to Tahoe two days after graduating and began her career in the ski industry in the Winter of 95/96. She spent the winter of 96/97 in Chamonix, France which greatly expanded her backcountry and alpine climbing skills. After returning from abroad she spent the next few winters in Bellingham/Mt. Baker working for the American Alpine Institute before taking a job for Outward Bound as a mountaineering instructor in Mazama, WA. She began Ski Patrolling at Mt. Bachelor in 2000. She holds Level I/II/III avalanche and WFR/Wilderness EMT/EMT-B certifications. She began working as a Technical Representative for BCA in 2005 promoting avalanche awareness and education. She has been the Assistant Snow Safety Administrator at Mt. Bachelor since 2006.
 
Jon Tapper

Vice President

Jon Tapper has been a front/side/backcountry enthusiast since 1994, and has lived in Central Oregon since 2003.  Having also lived in Telluride, Big Sky, and SaltLake, Jon has been exposed to the ski/backcountry community for over 2 decades as well as various terrain and snowpacks. Jon partnered with Trevor to bolster the mountain safety culture within Central Oregon. AIARE Level 1 certified, Jon’s interests have carried him toward backcountry photography. Jon's day job is in Sales, Marketing, and Operations, providing a good background to apply towards business aspects of COAA. 

Kevin Grove
Director

Kevin is an Engineering Professor at Central Oregon Community College and has been an avid backcountry skier and climber for the past 15 years.  He grew up in Montana, attended college at Montana State University in Bozeman, and has called Bend home for the past 12 years.  He is passionate about snow science and loves to share this passion with COCC students and with the Central Oregon outdoor community.
Lauren Miller
Treasurer

Lauren is an avid backcountry enthusiast that grew up primarily on cross country skis in the New England woods. After moving west to Idaho and Utah her skiing took on a more vertical component. She holds a AIARE Level 1 certification. A fire ecologist by trade, her systematic and thorough approach lends itself well to COAA’s financial accounting needs.
Trevor Miller
President

Trevor arrived to central Oregon in the fall of 2007. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, he grew up skiing in the Wasatch Range while being exposed to some of the finest avalanche forecasting personalities and organized efforts to promote snow safety and backcountry ethics. Trevor served as a member on The Brighton Resort (Brighton, Utah) pro patrol, he is AIARE Level 1 and 2 certified. Trevor had the idea of organizing Central Oregon backcountry users as a result of the increasing size of the Central Oregon backcountry community, lack of free community based awareness efforts, and minimal geographically relevant forecasting tools. His focus has been on establishing a proactive organization to support and organize the community to champion for increased avalanche education and forecasting in our region.