Who We Are

Photo Credit: Matt Leidecker

Who is the Sawtooth Society?

We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA). We work alongside national, regional, and local organizations and governments to protect the values of the SNRA. Additionally, we partner with dozens of nonprofits that work towards preserving, protecting, and enhancing the public lands that we recreate on, hunt, and call home.

Sawtooth Society Organizational Case Statement

History & Mission

Organization & Management

All Form 990's

Funding

Staff

Kathryn Grohusky Sawtooth Society Executive Director

Kathryn Grohusky –
Executive Director

Email: Kathryn@SawtoothSociety.org

Phone: 208.721.1495

Kathryn's Bio

Kathryn Grohusky, Executive Director of the Sawtooth Society since 2019, has built a career as a successful manager and energetic leader who is passionate about protecting wild places, providing superior project management, and cultivating leadership and high-performing teams. Before moving to Idaho with her family in 2019, Kathryn served for several years as a Leadership Faculty for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Aspiring Leaders Program, offering coaching and instructional services through the business she founded, CoachGro LLC. Her coaching business also included private international clients and local leadership workshops. Before coaching, Kathryn gained 10 years of government and nonprofit managerial experience in Colorado. Her leadership skills also include 15 years of guiding and teaching outdoors for organizations including the National Outdoor Leadership School. In addition, she volunteered in many board and committee roles during her 22-year residence in Summit County, Colorado, where she founded and served as board president of the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District, a nonprofit partner of the USFS Dillon Ranger District. Kathryn earned her master’s degree in natural resources recreation and tourism from Colorado State University in Fort Collins and her bachelor’s degree from Colorado College in Colorado Springs.

Mike Hoover –
Director of Operations

Email: mike@sawtoothsociety.org

Phone: 208.481.9675

Mike's Bio

Mike Hoover joined the Sawtooth Society as the Director of Operations in the spring of 2024. He has always enjoyed the outdoors, with a passion for community, nonprofits, and the outdoors.

Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mike graduated from Central Michigan University and moved to Sun Valley, having never even stepped foot in Idaho before. He began his career at Sun Valley Resort in the Catering and Convention Services Department. From there, he was brought on as the first staff member of The Argyros Performing Artc Center, an under-construction state of the art venue in the heart of Ketchum. There, as the Director of Operations, he oversaw over 2,000 events and helped raise over $15m for other nonprofits in the valley.

After connecting with Kathryn Grohusky at an Executive Director Leadership Retreat, Mike joined the Sawtooth Society as the Director of Operations, assisting in the financial, programming, and development functions. He is excited to see the next chapter of the Sawtooth Society, with the rapidly growing Sawtooth Valley Wildland Fire Collaborative and expanded Trail Stewardship programs.

In his spare time, you can find Mike on the hundreds of premium unpaved roads riding his gravel bike, hiking the Sawtooths, playing hockey, curling, or skate skiing with his girlfriend Sarah and border collie Betty on the groomed SNRA trails!

Melinda Markin –
SVWFC Project Coordinator

Email: ProjectCoordinator@sawtoothsociety.org

Melinda's Bio

With an extensive background in conservation, Melinda brings a decade of expertise in fire ecology and project management. She is leading the growth of the Sawtooth Valley Wildland Fire Collaborative through workshops, community engagement, and strategic partnerships.