Vickie’s devotion to animals began in her Pennsylvania childhood backyard, rescuing orphaned bunnies and songbirds and welcoming adopted pets from shelters into her life. Her passion for animals extended to the natural environment and grew into a life-long commitment that eventually led her to Jackson in 2011. Through a career with the National Park Service, she arrived at Grand Teton National Park as the Chief of Interpretation and Partnerships, and soon after her move, she became a foster—and proud foster-fail—volunteer with the Animal Adoption Center. With 25 years of leadership in government and non-profit sectors, including senior roles at Grand Teton, Yosemite, Theodore Roosevelt, and Cuyahoga Valley national parks, Vickie’s superpowers are partnership building, strategic planning, team development, and crafting exceptional visitor and volunteer experiences. In 2022, she launched her independent consulting practice, Team Mates Ventures, specializing in multi-partner collaboration, strategy and facilitation. She simultaneously built the National Park Friends Alliance into an independent non-profit and served as the first Executive Director. Vickie holds a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from Allegheny College, an M.S. in Resource Interpretation from Stephen F. Austin State University, and in addition to her work with the adoption center, sits on the boards of The Teton Music School and The Grand Adventure, an organization that builds nature-based experiences for cancer patients and survivors.