The VMBA Board of Directors has one (1) open board seat to appoint to a three-year term beginning April 1, 2025, with current Board Members Quinn Keating and Tara Mirakian seeking to remain on the Board for a second term. For the open seat and in accordance with VMBA Bylaws, the current Board of Directors has nominated a slate of candidates for Members to consider and vote on before the VMBA Annual Meeting on March 27th.
VMBA’s Board of Directors plays a vital role in guiding the organization’s efforts to strengthen Vermont’s mountain biking community and pursue the implementation of our 5-year Strategic Plan. We’re excited to introduce three candidates, each bringing unique skill sets and perspectives. As we continue to grow, we especially welcome expertise in marketing, fundraising, and outdoor industry connections to help propel VMBA forward.
Please take a moment to review the candidates and vote for the individual you believe will best support VMBA’s vision and future direction. Your voice matters—thank you in advance for your participation.
With the exception of Chapter Representatives, VMBA Board members must be elected by you, the Membership. Below is a personal statement from each candidate and summaries of why we believe Quinn and Tara deserve second three-year terms. If you are a current VMBA member (24/25 and/or 2025), please follow the link below to cast your ballot by 7pm, March 26th!
___________________________________________________________________________
RUNNING FOR OPEN SEAT:
Steve Letendre (Middletown Springs)
Hi, I’m Steve Letendre, and I’m excited to be considered for the VMBA Board of Directors. Vermont has been my home for over 25 years, and I’m deeply passionate about the outdoors—whether I’m mountain biking on Slate Valley Trails, snowboarding at Killington/Pico, or simply exploring Vermont’s natural beauty. I believe strongly in the role of outdoor recreation in building vibrant communities, fostering connections, and supporting Vermont’s economy.
Professionally, I serve as Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs at Fermata Energy, an EV software company focused on accelerating the integration of electric vehicles with the electric grid. With extensive experience in public policy and regulation, I have worked throughout the energy sector to shape policies that advance clean transportation and renewable energy. My engagement with policymakers, utilities, and industry stakeholders has given me a deep understanding of how advocacy and strategic planning can drive meaningful change—skills I hope to bring to VMBA to support its mission and growth.
Beyond my professional work, I have a long history of nonprofit service, including more than five years on the Slate Valley Trails Board, where I serve as treasurer and have helped expand and maintain multi-use trail networks in southwestern Vermont. I have also served on the boards of SolarFest, Renewable Energy Vermont, and my local school board, contributing expertise in governance, policy, and community engagement.
As a board member, I’m particularly interested in representing the middle and southern parts of Vermont, which have incredible trail networks. I want to help strengthen VMBA’s reach in these regions and ensure that riders across the state have access to well-maintained, sustainable trails.
I’d be honored to contribute my experience and enthusiasm to help advance VMBA’s mission, support its chapters, and ensure that Vermont remains a premier destination for mountain biking and outdoor recreation. Thank you for your consideration—I look forward to seeing you on the trails!
Zach Berger (Morristown)
Hi, my name is Zach, and I am excited to be running for a position on the VMBA Board of Directors.
I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and initially came to Vermont for college. Vermont has become home, and I now live in Morristown with my fiancé and our dog.
Professionally, I am an attorney specializing in renewable energy development, land use, and corporate law. Prior to attending law school, I worked for an environmental advocacy group in Montpelier where I gained experience in community organizing, fundraising, and statehouse lobbying. I also serve on the Board of Directors of the Mansfield Backcountry Alliance (a subchapter of the Catamount Trail Association advocating for the preservation and expansion of backcountry skiing opportunities in the greater Mount Mansfield area).
Outside of the office, you will usually find me outdoors — on a bike, backcountry skis, or out fly fishing. I am deeply passionate about the outdoors and the community that comes together around our trails. VMBA plays a critical role in preserving and enhancing these resources. I have been a member since 2016, when I initially caught the mountain biking bug. My primary motivation to join the VMBA Board is to give back and contribute some of my time, knowledge, and passion towards initiatives that expand trail access, foster inclusivity, and strengthen this vibrant community that makes Vermont such a unique and special place.
Sasha Dietschi-Cooper (Burlington)
Hello VMBA community!
As a born and raised Vermonter I have a lifelong passion for adventure in the outdoors, specifically in the woods of Vermont… Riding bikes of all shapes and sizes, hiking, trail running, sliding on snow, etc.
I am also passionate about promoting Vermont’s incredible bounty of unique resources – mountains, trails, communities, products/brands and of course its unique personality & character. Having left and returned to Vermont multiple times in my adult life I understand firsthand how vital VMBA’s mission is to securing a sustainable outlook for Vermont’s small towns and communities that rely on outdoor recreation.
After traveling west to study at Colorado College, I became a Wilderness certified EMT in 1995. I spent several years guiding Mt. Bike trips, teaching snowboarding and bandaging up friends in the backcountry of Colorado and Utah. I began my career in Sales & Marketing in 1998. In 2004 I moved to Seattle to establish the regional sales agency for Burton in the Pacific Northwest. In 2009 I moved back to Vermont to lead Burton’s North American Sales team as the VP of Sales for Western Hemisphere. In 2015 my family and I moved to California where I led global sales for prAna, before returning to Vermont in 2018.
Since returning to Vermont, I divide my time between running Method Outdoor Collective, a Vermont based go-to-market sales agency and serving as a founding board member & Vice President for Burlington Football Club, a community-based, values driven, non-profit soccer club based in Burlington.
I spend my free time chasing my wife Sarah and our 3 children thru the woods, on bikes on snow or on foot and typically with at least a few dogs in tow.
_____________________________________________________________________________
RUNNING FOR REELECTION:
Quinn Keating (Bolton)
Quinn is wrapping up his first term with the VMBA Board and just wrapped two years of service as VMBA’s Board Chair. By day, Quinn is a middle school Tech Ed teacher at Camels Hump Middle School in Richmond where he also runs the after-school mountain bike club On the VMBA board, Quinn has applied his levelheaded decision making philosophy, fair and equitable approach to problem solving, and his passion for mountain biking to help our organization thrive.
Over the past two years as VMBA’s Board Chair, Quinn has helped VMBA navigate post-pandemic uncertainties, our response to climate change-driven storms, and the implementation of our Five Year Strategic Plan. He has also helped grow our annual fundraising efforts considerably, increasing our Annual Fund performance year-over-year and allowing us to direct nearly 90% of Membership revenue to our Chapters while seeing the central office staff grow to four full-time employees. Quinn has constantly applied a level head and a kind heart in his leadership of the VMBA Board, and, if reelected, is excited to return to a ‘at large’ role in his second term so that he can more readily apply his passions for photography, communications, and connecting with people. Quinn began his service with VMBA as an Ambassador and is keen to put more time an energy into growing that program.
Tara Mirakian (Morrisville)
Tara is completing her first term with the VMBA Board, including two years as Secretary. When not out in the woods (or in Board meetings), Tara is a Software Project Manager with Zee Jay Digital + MERGE and also runs her own freelance graphic design business, Brewdog Design. As a Vermont resident of 27 years with a deep love for mountain biking, Tara has brough keen insight of how to keep Vermont the mountain biking mecca it has become in a way that’s respectful to the community we rely on as riders, while preserving the public and private land we ride on.
In her time on the Board, Tara has brough her combination systems management skills and her talents in graphic design to support VMBA’s work, ranging from her operational responsibilities as Board Secretary to helping develop and design numerous VMBA visual assets. Thanks to Tara’s efforts, the Board runs efficiently and effectively, and her meeting minutes are always spot-on in capturing important conversations, decisions, and to-dos. Tara also chairs our Marketing committee, which provides valuable guidance to VMBA staff in the development and implementation of our annual marketing plan, which has helped us grow membership, partnerships, and sponsorship revenue. If elected, Tara is excited to continue bringing her professional talents and passion for graphic design to the Board and VMBA.
The VMBA Board and Staff wholeheartedly endorse both Quinn and Tara to continue their successful track records and encourage the membership to re-elect them both to second terms.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Please cast your vote by March 26th! Your voice is vital to our organizational growth and the pursuit of our mission to ensure the sustainability of mountain biking in Vermont and thoughtfully promote exceptional riding experiences for all through advocacy, education, and community-driven stewardship.