GTSC Board of Directors

Jake Burden, President

Jake Burden was born and raised in Traverse City and ripped his mittens at Hickory Hills circa 1985. All 3 of Jake'skids learned to ski there and race on Sundays thanks to the Grand Traverse Ski Club. His family loves to keep moving, play, compete, and just be outside and enjoy this beautiful place they live in - GTSC inspires and embodies these things for the Burdens. The future is bright for the club and Jake is excited to be a part of it.

 

Christi Nowak, Vice President

Christi Nowak is a Traverse City native who works in community health for Munson Healthcare. Christi has two daughters who have participated in GTSC programming since they were beginners. She now enjoys watching them race and spend time with their ski family. Christi also helps coach our youngest little rippers and it brings her great joy to see the smiles when they make it up the tow rope for the first time. Christi also serves on the board for the GT Bay YMCA and is active in community building capacities through her work. She is passionate about keeping kids healthy and active year round.

Nate Elkins, Board Member

Nate Elkins founded IDF in 2011. He wanted to raise the bar for architectural design, planning and research in Northern Michigan by building a collaborative of independent professionals with a focus on interjecting pop culture, technology, and futurism into small towns. Nate has a collection of knowledge working on a range of projects at many different spatial scales – from small intimate public spaces to rural landscapes and everything in between. When not at work you will find him with his wife Karley and their boys spending time outdoors - in the woods, on the water, or hitting the slopes

Christian Fuller, Board Member

Elaine Tait, Board Member

Elaine Tait is one of our new 2024 GTSC board members. She and her family (husband, Josh, and two kids – 9 and 6) moved north from Ann Arbor in 2020 to relish in the amazing outdoor lifestyle of Northern MI. Elaine and Josh are eager to contribute as much time as they can to cultivating youth sports in the area. Elaine is also the founder of ALL ETHOS, a growth strategy advisory and consulting firm, a business she aims to grow locally. She brings strategic planning, visioning, brand positioning, market research, and growth strategy expertise to the GTSC board.

Bryan Travis, Board Member

Peter Lane, Board Member

Peter grew up in Georgia, and learned to ski as a kid in Boy Scouts, going once a year.  He loved the speed, the freedom, the outdoors and the camaraderie.  He and his wife, Christy, relocated to her hometown of Traverse City in 2020, and they quickly introduced their young son, Lachlan, to skiing and he too soon learned to love the same things they did!  The Lane family loves the GTSC community for opening their arms to them as a new ski family, and a funny-sounding Southerner!  Peter still get asked “where did you learn to ski” almost out of disbelief that he even know how! Peter currently leads the Legacy Aviation Learning Center and FAA Certified Aviation Maintenance Technician School and is a dedicated non-profit leader with a track record of visionary growth. Peter and his family are thrilled to be part of the GTSC community and I’m excited to be part of the evolution of this great organization.

"GET ACTION." - Theodore Roosevelt is one of my greatest hero's. He was a man of action, and this simple quote embodies all that I strive to be.

Tonya Lewandowski, Executive Director (non-voting)

Tonya Lewandowski has been a GTSC Board member since 2014, enthusiastically helping to lead our Middle School programming.  As a mom to 6 ski GTSC racers, her family loves all things GTSC and Hickory Hills!  In her years on the Board, she has also helped implement some of the biggest organizational changes GTSC has seen - from transforming our Board structure, USSS improvements, navigating covid and Preserve Hickory updates! Tonya's energy and motivation for the Club is driven by her desire to see continuous improvements at GTSC, ensuring a sustainable structure long after her kids outgrow GTSC.

Samantha Olsen, Program Director (non-voting)

Josh Traeger

Josh Traeger is an entrepreneur, community leader, outdoor enthusiast, avid skier, military veteran, husband, father, and champion of all things Northern Michigan. Josh, his wife, and his two children are active in GTSC developmental and ski racing programs, and their family can even be found hiking or biking Hickory Hills in the spring and summer. As the Founding Attorney of True North Legal Group, a community-centered law practice based in Traverse City, Josh and his team focus on providing world-class legal counsel to startups, growing small businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Josh brings a mountain of legal experience, and a mentality of community support, to the Board of Directors.