Summit County Ambassadors

Lead Ambassador

Liz grew up in Colorado and currently resides in Summit Cove. She is passionate about finding ways to enjoy the outdoors, which at this time includes trail running, hiking, gardening, uphill/downhill skiing, and cross country skiing. Liz looks forward to building a larger community of like minded people in the county.

Courtney loves spending time outside and sharing her deep rooted love for nature with everybody. She does not need to go fast, rather is much more interested in teaching others to love and share the same desire for the outdoors as she has. Her passion for getting anyone outdoors, regardless of ability, is what brought her out to Summit County three years ago after living most of her life on the East Coast. She spends her free time being crafty, biking, on or in water, skiing, and enjoying the natural wonders of the outdoors. You can often find Courtney spreading glitter, joy, and being her truest self in the backcountry.

Emily moved to Colorado from Pittsburgh and quickly fell in love with mountain life and all the adventure it offers. She can usually be found skiing, hiking, biking, paddle boarding, or spending time outside in any season. Whether she’s uphilling before work, exploring a new trail, or reading in a hammock, she believes there’s always a reason to get outside. After finding inspiration and community through GRGA, she is excited to help others build confidence, make connections, and discover their own love for adventure.

Instagram @em_herold

Emily is a born-and-raised Jersey girl who has happily called Colorado home for the past 4+ years. She is fueled by sunshine, cold brew, and playing outside — usually running trails, paddleboarding, skiing (uphill, downhill, resort, backcountry, whatever!), and practicing yoga. Emily is stoked to be part of GRGA and connect with more women who are excited to learn, grow, and get after it together.

Instagram: em.czyk

Jillian didn't grow up in an active, outdoorsy family, only discovering as an adult how much fuller a life can be when spent outdoors. She is now passionate about helping as many people as possible, especially women, discover how much fuller their lives can be when spent outdoors. She is particularly passionate about helping beginners figure out where to start. On any given day, she can be found telemark skiing at the resort, ski mountaineering, cross country skiing, hiking, scrambling, canyoneering, off-trail bushwhacking, whitewater kayaking, biking, backpacking, or bikepacking. She may never be truly excellent at any of these hobbies because she refuses to let go of any of them, and that is okay with her...speaking of, maybe she should find time to start climbing again? 

“Colorado” is both the place Johna has called home since 2013 and an adjective people use to describe her. She’s been labeled “very Colorado” more than once. On any given day, she’s either summiting mountains on foot or on skis, trail running distances that make people question her sanity, or ski touring and skimo racing her way across snowy peaks all winter long. Her small stature and impressive lung capacity have led many to suspect she’s actually part pika. She doesn’t advertise that she’s from New Jersey, but people usually figure it out the moment she gets excited about getting a tan or starts enthusiastically fist-pumping to dance music.

Instagram @jiann1tt0

Hi, I’m Megan! I grew up in a small city in Virginia in the heart of Appalachia, where I developed a deep appreciation for community and the outdoors. In 2021, I moved to Summit County to work as a summer camp counselor for a local day camp program, where I’ve spent the last five summers helping kids build confidence, curiosity, and connection through outdoor experiences.

You can usually find me riding my bike, climbing, exploring the mountains, or curled up on the back porch with a good book. I’m excited to serve as an ambassador this summer and help encourage more women to find adventure, build community, and feel empowered outside.

After growing up in England and Switzerland, Sonya has called Colorado home for the last 17 years. She loves being outside skiing or mountain biking, and can be convinced to join pretty much any mountain activity. Sonya loves meeting new people and will probably try to convince you to join her for the many activities happening around Summit County!

Instagram @sstrage

Stephanie became an Ambassador to help women forge new and stronger friendships through shared passions in the outdoors. Her personal passions focus on wellness, community building, individual empowerment, and preservation of our treasured outdoor spaces. 

In winter, she loves all types of skiing, especially backcountry skiing and skinning inbounds. In the warmer months, she can be found mountain biking, road biking, whitewater kayaking & rafting, hiking, traveling in her van, and socializing on sunny outdoor patios. 

Stephanie enjoys planning multi-day adventures like ski hut tours, mountain bike trips, river trips, and group adventures overseas. She loves that these offer focused opportunities to strengthen skills, stamina, and relationships, with time and space to forge deep bonds that can otherwise be hard to build in busy adulthood.