Years in Winona: 11
Must see place: The City lights from Wildwood Trail high above the West Lake while riding fat bikes in the darkness of winter.
Recommended activity: The miles of bike trails in and around Winona. Also, the Winona Area Mountain Bike club’s “Tuesday Night World Championships,” a fun-themed, weekly, timed cycling event.
As the assistant recreation director for the city of Winona, I am here to serve: My work with the City is centered on implementing a citywide recreation strategy that includes leadership, park expansion, and project development.
Bicycling has always been a way for me to foster relationships and keep me focused on the future. It even got me started on my career path in recreation as a volunteer skatepark ramp builder at the Mankato YMCA. That led me to Utah where I was a program coordinator for Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation and now ultimately, with the City of Winona.
I am the Chuck Woolery of Parks and Recreation: one of my favorite things is to connect people’s interests to opportunities and then link them with others who share similar passions.
Fun fact: I met my wife-to-be while studying Spanish for a semester in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Favorite bike quote: “You can’t buy happiness but you can buy a bike and that’s pretty close.”