Old Bill's 2020: Our Amazing Program Leadership
Coombs Outdoor programs have come a long way in the last three years, thanks largely to our amazing program leadership.
Maggie Shipley, Program Director and Laura Gaylord, Program Manager, have taken our programs from solely winter to year-round opportunities for youth empowerment. Over 250 participants from age 5-18 now ski, hike, raft, bike, and climb in the mountains around Jackson throughout the year.
While Coombs has offered scholarship-type support for kids to join local camps and lessons in the past, Maggie and Laura have developed our own Coombs-grown programs designed to meet the specific needs of our participants and their families.
From the Powder Pals mentoring program at Teton Village to our first-ever afterschool program launching this fall, Maggie and Laura have created a framework for consistent and engaging outdoor opportunities for kids from low-income families in Teton County.
Get to know Maggie and Laura and how working with Coombs Outdoors inspires them.
Maggie Shipley, Program Director
Maggie grew up on the Cumberland Plateau in southeastern Tennessee and migrated to Jackson in 2015. She has been with Coombs Outdoors since 2016 and learned to ski alongside many of the kids in the program. When she’s not in the office or out with kids, Maggie can be found chasing her old dog, Molly, down a local trail or trying to get to the top of a Teton peak before dark. She loves sharing her passions for trails and mountains with the kids and families in the program.
"Working with Coombs Outdoors has not only given me the opportunity to be more connected to the community as a whole, but it also allows me to inspire people through activities that I love to do. One of the most rewarding experiences is that moment when a parent realizes how much fun their child is having skiing or hiking or whatever the activity may be and decides they would like to try it. That’s when I know we are truly making a difference in the lives of our participants."
Laura Gaylord, Program Manager
Laura grew up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, CO where she spent her time ski racing and growing her love for the mountains. At the University of Colorado she studied Sociology and Spanish Literature but was eager to leave the front range for some larger peaks. Laura moved to the Tetons in 2017 to chase powder and was humbly welcomed by the incredible community of Jackson. Working at Coombs has allowed her to combine her degrees (something her parents can’t believe is a reality in a ski town) and her love of playing in the mountains with the community she cares so much about. While most of the summer is spent waiting for snow to fall, Laura can be caught enjoying the sunshine and dipping in high alpine lakes.
"Working with Coombs has given me a connection to a community I didn't know I was missing when moving to a ski town. I came here because skiing was all I really cared about, but working at Coombs quickly taught me it isn't just skiing I have a passion for but sharing that love of the outdoors with others. Participating in the outdoors has made me who I am today and I wholeheartedly believe the outdoors is the ultimate teacher of how to be a genuine, empathetic and caring person. Yet it is not just the wilderness that we learn from, but from the relationships we build in those settings. When people ask me what I do I say I run a mentorship program for middle and high schoolers, but really they are mentoring me just as much as the other way around."
It’s an exciting time for Coombs Outdoors and we appreciate you following along with our progress and growth throughout the years.
This is the last week to make a 2020 Old Bill’s Gift. Thank you to our incredible community for the unwavering support!