Mike Pfeil
President
A western Washington native, Mike has frequented Teton Valley’s fishing, hunting, snowboarding, and hiking offerings since 1990. He and his wife, Annette, split their time between the “two best places in the west,” Teton Valley and the Olympic peninsula in Washington State. Mike spent his formative years in Washington and western Colorado, where he developed deep appreciation and keen understanding of western lands issues.
As the former Vice President for Communication and Public Affairs of Philip Morris International and Altria Group, Mike has traveled around the world, with a most recent international stint living in Switzerland. He and Annette settled in Teton Valley not only to continue enjoying the mountain lifestyle, but to create a home base for their family, most of whom live in the area.
Kate Koons
Vice President
Kate grew up in New Jersey and despite it being the most densely populated state, she spent much of her childhood hiking and camping throughout the garden state. She received a BA in Anthropology from Skidmore College and upon graduation, moved west to explore and live in the Rockies. She ended up in the Teton Valley in 2002 when she was working as a NOLS instructor. What started as a temporary winter stop became her home. Kate has worked in the education field for the past 23 years for a number of organizations. As any good Teton Valley local, Kate has held a number of jobs within the valley, from catering for Bill Boney, working at NOLS Teton Valley, gardening at Full Circle Farm, to guiding for Teton Backcountry Guides. Today, Kate works for the American Avalanche Association as a program manager for the pro avalanche education program, ski guides for Teton Backcountry Guides, teaches avalanche courses and works as a risk management consultant for the US Antarctic program. When not working, you can find her running, biking, skiing or traveling somewhere in the world. Kate and her husband Kevin, along with their two dogs live in Victor and enjoy all Teton Valley has to offer. Kate is very excited to join the VARD board to continue to work toward making the Teton Valley the best it can be.
John Prentice
Treasurer
Linda Unland
Secretary
Linda and her husband, John, have been part-time residents in the Valley for over 25 years. Their other ‘home’ is Edwards, Colorado. Linda’s love of the natural world, Master’s in Environmental Education, commitment to land and resource preservation and passion for this Valley are what brings her to VARD’s board. She is interested in fostering good development practices and land use planning in Teton Valley. She is an avid outdoor enthusiast, teaching Nordic skiing in Beaver Creek, Colorado in the winter, while biking, hiking, running, and bird watching in the Tetons throughout the summer and fall. Her previous career was in advertising with Outside and Audubon Magazines. She also has been a partner in her husband’s marketing strategy consulting business.
David Axelrod
Board Member
David was born in California’s San Fernando Valley, which was known for growing walnuts, citrus, and corn. In ten short years, he watched the agricultural valley of his childhood become subdivided into 7,000 lots, thus giving rise to his interest in smarter, more sustainable growth.
He earned his BA in political science/economics from the University of California Los Angeles, and later earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Davis School of Law. He currently works out of Portland, Oregon and Victor, Idaho doing class action and intellectual property litigation. David thinks VARD is the most important non-profit supplementing critical government functions in the Valley, because without a protected environment the Valley’s charm will be a thing of the past.
Don Roth
Board Member
Don and his wife Leslie discovered the grandeur of the Teton Valley over 30 years ago on a vacation from the wind-swept plains of Laramie, WY where Don worked at the University of Wyoming. At UW, Don was a professor of molecular biology, Director of Biomedical Studies, Dean of the Graduate School, and Associate Director of the School of Energy. He also worked with the Idaho National Lab as the Associate Director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies. He is the founding president of the JMT Group, an energy strategy enterprise. Throughout this time, the pull of the valley grew stronger and, in 1996, they began building a log cabin, finally “settling in” after retirement. Don and Leslie enjoy and appreciate all the activities possible in the Valley; from outdoor opportunities to arts, music, and community solidarity. They are deeply appreciative of the unique and magnificent environment and people of the Valley. Blending, balancing and sustaining this complex ecosystem in the face of development demands community engagement; and, thus support and commitment for VARD.
Jeri Thomson
Board Member
Jeri and her husband, David James, came to Teton Valley nearly 16 years ago after having a home in Summit County CO for almost 20 years. They were drawn to the pristine beauty of our valley, the small town atmosphere and the abundant opportunities for outdoor activities. Both were originally from the West, but careers kept them in the East. After a 36-year career in the US Senate (where she was elected by all 100 Senators as the 30th Secretary of the Senate-the Senate’s chief legislative, financial and administrative officer), Jeri turned to her long-standing interest in philanthropic work.
She served as co-chairman of The Fund for Peace where her initiative, “The Use and Purpose of American Power: A National Dialogue on US Leadership in the World” was inaugurated as part of the Fund’s 50th anniversary celebration.
She chaired the board of OUR TIME, a non-profit corporation whose mission was to enhance the economic interests and civic life of young Americans ages 18 to 29. OUR TIME subsequently became the for-profit “attn.” which continues this mission.
She served as a trustee for:
- The Washington International School which incorporates a world perspective in its International Baccalaureate Organization authorized curriculum where she served as chairman of the Strategy Committee which oversaw the development of the Student News Action Network and summer institutes affiliated with the Global Issues Network;
- The Center for Civic Education where she has focused her efforts on developing a national movement to increase and enhance the teaching of civics in schools;
- The Congressional Award Foundation, the only charity of the U.S. Congress, which honors the accomplishments of America’s youth; and
- The Fomunyoh Foundation, which promotes democracy development in Africa.
Ms. Thomson also served on the Advisory Committee of Justice Sandra Day O’Conner’s Campaign for the Civic Mission of the Schools.
Ms. Thomson consulted (as Senior Advisor for Strategy and Development) for the No Child Left Inside Coalition, a coalition of over 2000 member organizations representing nearly 50 million people who worked to ensure that every child is environmentally literate. After 5 years of effort, the provisions of the No Child Left Inside Act of 2015 as passed by the US House of Representatives (H.R.882) were incorporated into elementary and secondary education law. Subsequently, this effort was turned over to the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Dave Work
Trustee Emeritus
David’s love of the outdoors started during his teenage summers spent in the high Sierras helping run his uncle’s fishing retreat. Hunting and birding on the Great Salt Lake marshes reinforced that love. Working as a geologic field assistant in South Eastern Idaho he began his love for geology. David was employed as an oil and gas geologist in southern Wyoming during the early 1970’s gas boom. He managed oil and gas exploration in North America and in the rest of the world in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Dave and his wife Susie retired to the Teton Valley in 2000; they have three children and eight grandchildren. They spend their free time fishing, skiing and birding.
He is on the board of the Teton Regional Land Trust (Idaho) and The Nature Conservancy of Wyo. He is also a member of the Pesident’s Council of The Land Trust Alliance.
David is currently a director for a resource company in Salt Lake City.
Susie Work
Trustee Emeritus
Susie is the mother of 3 grown children whom she raised while traveling around the world following her husband’s career. In her free time she has been a stalwart volunteer for numerous organizations both in the United States and abroad. While living in Egypt, Susie co-founded the Friends of Children with Cancer Foundation, which provides funds to cover health care expenses for children with cancer. When Susie returned to the United States, she founded a U.S. based foundation to help support the Friends of Children with Cancer. Both foundations now provide nearly all the medications required for Egyptian children with cancer. Susie and her husband, David, moved to Teton Valley in 1999. They were attracted to the valley by its natural beauty and quality of life, which they are both committed to conserving. When Susie is not volunteering for one of the many organizations in Teton Valley that treasure her dedication, she enjoys fly fishing, skiing, birding, hiking, and just being out in nature.