POULTNEY, VT, February 14, 2022 — Slate Valley Trails is pleased to announce the recent hiring of Courtney Behnken as Operations Manager. As an educator in Maryland, Courtney has built community among diverse groups of people while instilling an enthusiasm for learning and a love of the outdoors. Her infectious energy and passion for running, cycling, and other outdoor adventures will be great assets as she joins the SVT team to further our mission of building and maintaining foot and bicycle trails, strengthening our community, supporting our economy and encouraging the positive health benefits of outdoor recreation.
Growing up in a small town near Lake Erie, swimming, biking, soccer and snow sports were regular fixtures in Courtney’s life. After college she moved to Maryland to pursue a job and an advanced degree in Art Education, beginning a career as a K-12 educator and coach. Over time, bikepacking trips, marathon running, mountain biking and gravel riding became important fixtures in her life – eventually leading her to Slate Valley Trails and the Poultney area. Summer trips fostered a growing affinity for the Slate Valley community, and the ties deepened as she worked with youth and women’s mountain biking camps in Poultney and became a mentor in the Trailblazers youth program. As she explains it, the Operations Manager opening seemed like a great opportunity to pivot and follow her passion for the trails and the sense of community that the area offers: “It is an absolute honor to be stepping into the Operations Manager position for Slate Valley Trails. SVT was one of the main reasons my husband and I wanted to make the town of Poultney our forever hometown. I have cherished my time on the trails and I can’t wait to continue to connect with the community and help grow SVT’s mission. This is a dream job come true.”
Courtney will be working remotely part time through the end of the school year, when she’ll be joining SVT full time and in-person. We are beyond excited to have her onboard, and hope you’ll help us welcome her into the greater Slate Valley and Vermont communities! Courtney can be reached at courtney@slatevalleytrails.org
The Poultney Area Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to forming partnerships that will move Poultney forward. We’re pleased to partner with NYVT Media and Lakeside News & the Rutland Sun to help spread the word on what’s happening as our town adapts and grows