About Us

Drew leads SCMTS' trail planning, construction and maintenance activities. Drew was hired as SCMTS' first employee back in 2013 to build the SDSF Flow Trail. His background in natural resources management (particularly watershed science) helps him see future trails through the eyes of land managers and limit the environmental impacts of trail development. Drew loves riding and hiking trails with his 1-year-old; she teaches him the importance of having a variety of trail difficulty and distance options in local trail networks.

Matt leads the SCMTS team to make sure the organization is executing its mission of improving and enhancing trail access the best that it possibly can. Matt first joined SCMTS as a volunteer on the Emma McCrary trail, then worked as a trail builder before taking leadership and building out a professional organization. He's done it all at one point or another and brings a holistic understanding to everything SCMTS does.

Emma Ussat is the Senior Community Engagement Manager at Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS). With the org, she is building trails and communities. She first started volunteering for SCMTS in 2014 and has been lucky to wear many hats ever since. Emma moved to Santa Cruz in 2007. She has a passion for mycology and botany, is a certified California Naturalist, and hardcore homesteader. When she’s not running or riding her bicycle, Emma enjoys spending time exploring with friends, family, and her deaf best friend Sonny the Dog and his little brother, Rusty.

Katy leads all external communications and marketing initiatives for SCMTS. With a background in sustainability PR and a passion for anything outdoorsy, she's proud to help expand eco-minded trail networks in the Santa Cruz Mountains. In her free time, you can find Katy mountain biking, cooking, or crafting.

Jacob (Cob) Hyde leads day-to-day trail building and maintenance in the field. He's always loved spending his time building and maintaining trails, and is proud to have turned his passion into a career and giving back to the trails he's spent his whole life caring about. When he's not out on the trails, you can find Cob surfing, skating, fishing, playing guitar, or hanging out at home eating snacks.

Maddie facilitates sponsorship, fundraising, and an occasional event. Growing up in Santa Cruz, Maddie developed an adoration and appreciation for the environment and nature. She is thrilled to share these passions through her role at SCMTS. In her free time, you can find her surfing, hanging with pals, or sampling every last Central Coast brewery via bicycle.

Jack leads SCMTS' day-to-day communication with the community. He also spends a lot of time on our Instagram - so if you want to badmouth him, just DM us. Jack has spent time outside building trails for about as long as he can remember - so a chance to blend a lifelong personal interest while supporting the local community is a no-brainer. Beyond being in the woods, Jack enjoys exploring the coast in search of an empty surf lineup.

Katie works happily behind the scenes to keep the SCMTS office running smoothly. She loves hiking and running trails all over the Santa Cruz Mountains, as well as swimming, surfing and sailing on the ocean. She is excited to be a part of a team making more trails and outside spaces available to the community.

Ever since Bruce was young, he's enjoyed mountain biking, hiking and running along trails. He feels extremely fortunate to live in Santa Cruz County, surrounded by an incredible landscape of Pacific ocean beaches, majestic trees and beautiful mountain vistas, and above all, beautiful trails. He loves working outdoors in the local forests, building and maintaining trails, and working with others who share the same passion. The creative challenges and variety that trail building involves are really cool and extremely rewarding. When he's not working, Bruce loves riding his mountain bike or hiking here and elsewhere. He also likes to work on home and art “projects”, enjoy photography, travel, meditation, and spending time in his garden.

Tim brings many years of trail crew experience and volunteer trail work to the team. Tim earned a BS in Natural Resources Management with an emphasis in landscape analysis and a GIS Certificate from Oregon State. What started out as a hobby mapping potential bike routes turned into a real significant interest in trail-related planning, layout/design, and analysis. Tim is a certified SCMTS Trail Crew Leader and was part of the original Flow Trail build in 2014. Find Tim riding bikes, hiking, exploring, or playing the drums in his free time.

Travis brings an incredible amount of trail-building experience and volunteer leadership as he has been advocating for, building, and maintaining trails for over a decade. Travis was also part of the original Flow Trail build in 2014 and is an SCMTS Trail Sage. If you’ve been to one of our volunteer events, you probably recognize him! In his free time, Travis is hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, spending time with his family, or indulging his sweet tooth at the nearest chocolate or candy shop. He also volunteers as the Scoutmaster for his daughter's scout troop, Troop 2799 in Morgan Hill.

Mariano grew up in Amatitan Jalisco Mexico where he worked growing agave plants with his family and discovered his passion for the outdoors and teamwork. He moved to California in 2020, to work with the California Conservation Corps on the firefighter hand crew. Mariano is now a student at Cabrillo College and spends his free time playing cello, hiking, doing homework, camping, and staying in touch with family in Mexico. His favorite part of trail work is being able to help enable access to some amazing places, where without trails we wouldn’t be able to get.

Bronwen grew up in the Pacific Northwest and naturally had an intrigue for outdoor stuff. Moved to Santa Cruz recently to chase the sun. Bronwen started working on trails as a wee teenager and stuck with it since and now is on our professional trail crew. Bronwen enjoys climbing, skateboarding, playing soccer, and backpacking. Free time is spent in my garden and a fun fact about me (coolest thing i've ever done) was hitchhike the whole of Patagonia, bottom to top.

Marcel was born in Paris and moved to London where he qualified as a chartered accountant, before settling in Felton in March 2020. He joined SCMTS in May 2023 as the Director of Finance and Operations. His experience in the not-for-profit world includes addressing homelessness, mental health, healthcare, vocational training, and education. Marcel misses riding his Brompton folding bike but is hopeful to start again soon in Santa Cruz. He enjoys his time off discovering trails, local and abroad with his partner and their two French bulldogs.

Mati moved to Santa Cruz in 2020 and fell in love with the nature that it offers. Mati has always enjoyed spending time outdoors and is grateful to live between the ocean and the mountains. When she's not working she can be found riding her mountain bike, walking around with her dog Kip, or enjoying a beer at a local brewery. Mati loves to work in nature and finds it satisfying to be able to use the trails she works on!

Justin is an avid trail user with a passion for well-built, sustainable trails that provide experiences sought by the wider community. He has long searched for a community that understands the importance of a thoughtful and thorough planning and design process and he found that at SCMTS. He got involved as a volunteer during the Sawpit Reroute and has since taken every Trail Academy class that's been offered as well as completing the Trail Crew Leader training. He brings to the trail crew a diverse background in General Construction, Farm Management, and Resource Conservation. When he is not building sweet new trails or out enjoying them biking and hiking, he is usually walking his dog Toshi, sleeping, and occasionally scuba diving.

Andrew has always had a passion for the outdoors and being on trail. More comfortable in the backcountry over the front country, he is excited to continue his trail career with SCMTS and get to spend time in some of California's most beautiful landscapes. Andrew recently moved here from Colorado and loves biking, running, and being in the ocean.

Mason is an outdoors enthusiast who loves to get people stoked on the outdoor access of the local Santa Cruz mountains and beyond. Mason received his BS in Marine Science from Cal Poly and has enjoyed being able to work as a field-going employee after graduating. He recently moved to Santa Cruz from the southern Oregon coast to be closer to friends and to connect with a like-minded community. When Mason isn’t out cutting new trail for SCMTS he can be found somewhere frothing in the local lineup or bike packing out to his favorite campsites.

In their role as SCMTS's Senior Grants Manager, Lydia supports organizational growth by finding grant funding opportunities, writing grants, and building community with local funders and peer organizations. At SCMTS, they're excited to combine their love for the outdoors and the Santa Cruz Mountains that they've called home for 13 years, with a decade of experience in nonprofits and fundraising. In their free time, you'll find Lydia creating all the things (sewing, knitting, baking, painting, you name it, it's all happening!), hiking, camping, and generally enjoying life with their family and furry buddy, Bilbo.

Claudia is Mexican/Salvadoran third-year student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, studying Environmental Science. She loves the outdoors, making Santa Cruz's unique combination of forest and ocean an ideal setting for her. In her free time, Claudia enjoys hiking, spending time with friends, and watching the sunset. Her passion for community service motivates her to work diligently on trail restoration and maintenance, helping to keep local trails clear and accessible.

James is the Director of Construction at SCMTS and works with the team to make great trails happen. He brings a lifelong passion and understanding of the positive impacts of trails to SCMTS and is excited to impact his community in a positive way by helping bring great trails and access to the outdoors. James lives in Boulder Creek with his wife and two XL white fluffy dogs, George and Maggie. Outside of work, James loves his adventure travel.

Harmony has spent her career working to expand access to nature for communities that have historically been left out of outdoor spaces. With a background in outdoor education and nonprofit administration, she now supports the SCMTS team in operations. When she’s not working, you can usually find her outside—riding bikes in the redwoods, surfing, or diving around playing beach volleyball.

AKA bestest boy, son dog (he's also deaf)

AKA brew, brucifer

AKA rust bucket

AKA cociña, puzzone, stinky pel, & kip nugget