Board & Staff Members
Mary Erickson
Mary moved to Teton County from rural South Dakota in 2006 with her husband, Bruce, and two children, Adele and Oscar. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in English Literature, and later went on to get a Master of Divinity from Harvard University. Mary became an ordained Episcopal Priest in 2009.
Mary currently serves as an Associate Rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church. For three years, she was the Executive Director of Coombs Outdoors, and previously served as the Executive Director of One22. She is known in the community as a vocal advocate for social justice, seeking always to come from a foundation of love, respect, and compassion, combined with a healthy dose of righteous indignation. Mary studied community organizing with the Industrial Areas Foundation in Chicago, founded by the father of community organizing, Saul Alinsky, and made famous again for launching the career of a young Barack Obama.
The Erickson family is blessed to own a home in East Jackson, and Mary never forgets what an extraordinary privilege housing security is in Jackson. While at One22, she came to understand that housing insecurity is the primary cause of crisis and instability for members of our community, so she helped to co-found Shelter JH with friends Jorge Moreno and Skye Schell. Shelter JH was founded with the traditional community organizing philosophy that real change can happen through focused, committed grassroots advocacy and organizing.
Nikki Kaufman
Nikki moved to Jackson in 2015 for perhaps the same reason you did: to be a ski bum. Thinking she’d only be here for a year, she was soon drawn to the incredible community of the valley and the passionate advocacy work being done here. She has served on the Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling Board, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance Advisory Council, and is a trained Community Safety Network Advocate.
Six years (and seven moves) later, Nikki now works in Wyoming politics and community organizing with the goal of breaking down barriers to participation and helping create an informed and engaged citizenry. She believes it is imperative that the diverse working class currently keeping Teton County afloat can access one of the most basic human rights: secure and affordable housing.
When not bothering her friends to make public comment at Town Council and County Commission meetings, she can be found taking her dog Molly Parton on backcountry ski or mountain bike adventures.
Whitney Oppenhuizen
At birth, Whitney‘s connection to the Jackson community was given to her, fortunate to have grandparents who first lived in the valley in the mid-1940s. Immediately her love for the place grew, and she followed in her grandfather’s footsteps attending and working for Teton Valley Ranch Camp, hoping to honor the version of Jackson she had heard in stories. She’s since lived in Jackson seasonally (like many) and moved to the valley full-time first in 2010.
Whitney’s background is in non-profit and corporate marketing, having held many management and project development roles over the last decade-plus. She was the Marketing and Development Director of Teton Valley Ranch Camp most recently before moving to the Marketing Director role at The Center for the Arts.
This valley has always been more home than any other place she‘s lived. Since moving back for the second time in 2018, the desire to ensure that Jackson remains accessible for all who wish to live in this beautiful place has taken the forefront in Whitney’s mind.
Her goal is to use her background in marketing and development to continue growing awareness of the housing crisis, share tools available to combat this issue, and create sustainable change to end housing insecurity in Jackson altogether.
In her free time, Whitney enjoys horseback riding, hiking, backcountry skiing, and the occasional board game with friends and family.
Iván Jiménez
Originally from Puerto Rico, Iván grew up in Washington state before moving to Jackson in 2019 with the intention of one frivolous winter. Two years and seven moves later, his time in Jackson has consisted of operating the Tram, running No Cost Grocery Programs at Hole Food Rescue and community organizing.
In 2020, Iván worked as a member of Act Now JH to push the county to launch their "Task Force on Law Enforcement & Public Interaction" and served on the task force representing ANJH. He has been involved with several of ShelterJH’s initiatives including the Northern South Park process, Ordinance 473, the 2020 Candidate Election Forum, and the 2021 Story Slam.
He believes in multiracial, working-class politics to turn the tide on the housing crisis. When not reading the News&Guide, he can be found looking for a parking spot on Teton Pass or on his bike pedaling up Ferrins.
Kelsey Yarzab
Born and raised in Blairstown, New Jersey, Kelsey first found her way to Jackson thanks to an impulsive google search during final exam week of her first semester of college: “summer jobs Jackson WY." That summer, she worked as a reservationist for a rafting company, lived in a room without a door, and, of course, fell deeply in love with Jackson.
By the time she returned to DC to start her sophomore year, Jackson had already made its mark — emotionally, through the palpable sense of community, but also physically, via the chaco tan.
She returned to Jackson in the summer of 2020, following a serendipitous job opening, and enrolled in the Conservation Leadership Institute’s class of 2020 that fall while completing her final semester of undergraduate study online. While participating in CLI, Kelsey was part of a campaign team to repeal town ordinance 473, which spurred her interest in local housing policy as well as her engagement with ShelterJH.
In the two years since, Kelsey has moved 3 times, torn her ACL once, and worked in a handful of service positions while advocating for equitable housing policy as a ShelterJH member. She now works for a local affordable housing developer and looks forward to engaging more meaningfully on local housing issues as a member of the ShelterJH board.
Elizabeth Hutchings
Elizabeth grew up with frequently bare feet and perpetually tangled hair exploring the woods and streams of Southeastern Pennsylvania. She attended Northeastern University in Boston where she started two profitable companies and fell in love with the White Mountains. Later, she spent 10 months living out of a backpack across 7 countries.
When she moved out to Jackson three years ago, she recognized that Teton County is a microcosm of the stressors of affordable housing, land development, and zoning challenges that are playing out across the US. She has been a van dweller, forest camper, Idaho commuter, and housing insecure tenant in East Jackson. She has worked for JHMR, a conservation non-profit, multiple restaurants, local business owners, and families who needed childcare. These experiences have shaped her fierce desire to ensure Jackson is a place that a variety of people can afford to live and build a life long term.
Currently, Elizabeth is a business mentor through Silicon Couloir and an affordable housing advocate. She has driven across the state to testify at a State Senate committee, given numerous public comments, and mobilized locals to give comment and vote. She fights for those who call Jackson home but continue to struggle with a house.
In her free time you can find her swimming long distances, shutting down the dance floor, writing, and enjoying a variety of uphill athletics.
Kelsey Wotzka
Kelsey found her next step in the wilds of Jackson Hole in June 2021. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, she developed a passion for housing issues at a young age, volunteering through local housing organizations for many years. She earned her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and she still has an abiding love for the Gophers, especially the hockey teams!
Her career truly began with interpretive guiding positions in Yellowstone and Denali National Parks, where she gained valuable skill in building meaningful relationships with visitors. Subsequently shifting into program management with the Minnesota parks, Kelsey built multiple programs that removed barriers and created opportunities for underserved communities to enjoy the bountiful natural resources in the area. This allowed her to develop a deep knowledge of accessibility issues and policy pitfalls that cause housing and equity issues in communities all over the country, including Jackson. Prior to joining the National Museum of Wildlife Art as the Development Coordinator, she worked in development at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and was able to fan the flames of her passion for housing issues and community building. As she struggled with finding housing to accommodate her own move to Jackson, Kelsey knew she had to find a way to use her skills and experience to work towards a solution to this issue.
Kelsey spends her time in the summer hiking, paddling, and camping, and she loves various snow sports and playing board games in the winter.
Skye Schell
Skye got involved in housing advocacy in Brooklyn NY in the early 2000s, working first as a case manager in a soup kitchen and then in street outreach, building relationships with people living on the street and working with them to obtain supportive housing through the Housing First model. He later worked on a variety of pro-housing campaigns in the greater Seattle area while working at a land trust and as a volunteer on the Great City non-profit board.
Skye came to Jackson in 2014 to lead civic engagement work at the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. He joined the Teton County Housing Authority board in 2015 and served until it was dissolved by the County Commission. After seeing a severe gap in political will to build homes for all our community members and workers, Skye joined with a few other passionate locals to start ShelterJH - a membership-based 501c4 that can get political.
Skye was executive director of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance from 2017 to early 2022, and now runs his own consulting firm focused on policy change and grassroots organizing. When not working he enjoys being outside with friends, family, and his dog Luna.
Jimmy Rosen
Jimmy grew up and spent most of his childhood in Akron, Ohio. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, he moved to Teton County to pursue a career in community planning.
Exposure to Jackson’s unique outdoor opportunities eventually led him to his passion for outdoor education and therapy. Previously, he worked as a supervisor and wilderness guide with Teton Youth and Family Services.
Jimmy continues his work in mental health as a marriage and family therapist at a local private practice. Jimmy’s passion is improving the quality of life in our community. Providing a therapeutic environment for members of our community enhances the overall mental health of the place we call home and is a part of Jimmy’s comprehensive plan approach to therapy. He believes examining community-wide social and environmental solutions toward mental health, such as housing, will positively impact everyone.
Jimmy is an avid pupil of the mountains and spends most of his time exploring the outdoors by any means possible. He loves spending quality time with people he loves and his dog Banjo.
Anahí Morillon
Anahi (Ana-ee) Morillon is a local bilingual therapist in Jackson. She came to Jackson when she was 5 years old and since then has loved this town; however, she quickly noticed there was a lot to do to make it better for everyone else. For this reason, she pursued a Bachelors and Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Wyoming. During her time there she created a student organization called Forward Wyoming (which is now Better Wyoming) to raise awareness for voting rights. She has also worked with Juntos, an organization that created the "Know Your Rights" training. This training allowed undocumented people to understand their rights and provide legal services, which fostered a hidden appreciation for policy work.
Currently, she is a substance abuse therapist at Curran Seeley Foundation and has created her own private practice called Mountain Peak Therapy which provides lower cost psychotherapy for everyone. In addition, she‘s a mom to three crazy little furry babies (Archie, Louie, & Georgie) and enjoys binge watching the latest crime docuseries on Netflix. She’s humbled to be part of an amazing organization such as Shelter JH.
Clare Stumpf
Clare Stumpf grew up in Oakland, California. For reasons beyond her, she left the sunny West Coast and attended the University of Rochester in upstate New York where she earned a B.A. in psychology and philosophy. She moved to Jackson after graduation for “one fun summer” and has spent every summer in the valley since working as a raft guide.
After a few winter seasons globe-hopping, Clare decided to return to school and moved to Boulder, Colorado. She earned a M.S. in Environmental Policy from the University of Colorado, where she worked on municipalizing Boulder’s energy supply, registering young voters, and interning for a food justice non-profit.
Clare decided to stay one fall for a local grassroots organizing training program and has lived here full-time ever since working in the non-profit sector. She has traveled to Cheyenne to testify in support of housing mitigation, lobbied Town Councilors and County Commissioners to approve developing homes that locals can afford, and gathered grassroots support for a variety of causes in Jackson Hole.
Clare is thankful that she has the opportunity to live in this incredible valley while working on critical issues with great friends and colleagues. When Clare is not advocating for responsible planning at northern South Park or recruiting new ShelterJH members, she is probably on the water or daydreaming about post-COVID-19 international ventures.
Blanca Moye
Blanca was born in Mexico City and has worked in the Jackson area for over 23 years. She has completed different trainings for nutrition, parenting classes, child development, and community needs. She is also a parent educator for a national program called "Parents as Teachers and Abriendo Puertas."
Blanca is a Certified Medical Translator and a National and International CPR and First Aid Instructor of the American Heart Association. She worked for 13 years for the federal Early Head Start program as a health coordinator and home visitor for families in the program and was also the coordinator of events for the Consulate of Mexico and different programs of the Latino Resource Center.
Blanca started her own Innova Systems business in 2014 to provide support and resources to the Latinx community. In 2018, she was the coordinator of the Gear Up program at Central Wyoming College supporting high school students with college preparation.
At this moment Blanca continues running Opening Doors, a parenting class. She is also a part of the Voices JH team and a member of the Competitive Grants Committee for the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole and Education Foundation of Teton Valley.