Our Team
The Women
of WOZ
We are women who ride mountain bikes in the Ozark region of Arkansas, a rapidly growing region with IMBA-designated Silver Level and Bronze Level Ride Centers. Although we’ve only been in operation since February 2019, we have to date had close to 6500 participants in our programming.
Women of OZ NWA is led by a dedicated team of passionate women who are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive community for women mountain bikers. Our Leaders embody the spirit of empowerment that drives our organization, ensuring that every woman feels welcomed, supported, and encouraged to embrace the world of mountain biking.
Meet the Team
Allyson de la Houssaye
Board Chairwoman
Allyson de la Houssaye
Board Chairwoman
Executive Director NWA for People for Bikes, an avid athlete, mother and wife. Allyson was a Sports and Documentary Producer from Chicago. Having always ridden a bike at one point or another in her life she recently discovered mountain biking thanks to the beautiful OZ Trails system in NWA. She now considers herself a recovered road cyclist with a passion for bringing women together through mountain biking.
- BICP Level 1 Certified Mountain Bike Instructor
- CPR and First Aid
- WOZ RLCC Certified
- Co-founder of WOZ
- Bentonville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
- Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council
Lauren Pickman
Board Member
Lauren Pickman
Board Member
With New Jersey and California roots, she came to Arkansas with her family in 2016 to open a made in the USA bike brand: Allied Cycle Works. She is also the co-founder and race director of the Rule of Three bike races in Bentonville, AR.
- BICP Level 1 Certified Mountain Bike Instructor
- CPR and First Aid
- WOZ RLCC Certified
- PMBIA Level 1
- NICA Level 1
- Co-founder of WOZ
Susie Douglas
Interim Executive Director
Susie Douglas
Interim Executive Director
Susie has incredibly varied experience with extensive project planning across the outdoor recreation, forest management, polar exploration and emergency response services. Founder of Down 2 Bike Project, Susie’s journey to NWA in May 2023 was fueled by her passion for cycling. Since then, she’s made a significant impact as part of our coaching team and is now spearheading our organization as our ED.
- BICP Level 2 Certified Mountain Bike Instructor
- CPR and First Aid
- WOZ RLCC Certified
- Former EMT/Wilderness First Responder
Kourtney Barrett
Board Member, Director of Branding
Kourtney Barrett
Board Member, Director of Branding
Director of Workplace Mobility at Walmart, founder of JUNK Brands, co-founder of Women of OZ NWA, and 2020 Chairwoman Greater Bentonville Chamber of Commerce.
- BICP Level 1 Certified Mountain Bike Instructor
- CPR and First Aid
- WOZ RLCC Certified
- Co-founder of WOZ
Ashley Patterson
Board Member, Director of Education
Ashley Patterson
Board Member, Director of Education
Ashley finds joy in racing and probably just as much in the training. Riding bikes is part of her DNA, even if it is just to get around town. She is also the Manager of the Walmart Move Hub, under the Workplace Mobility initiative to get more people commuting to work by alternate transportation. Among many things, she’s always ready for an early morning coffee stop or trail run, and always pining for summertime. One day she believes she’ll beat our ED, Lauren Pickman, in a game of ping pong.
- BICP Level 1 Certified Mountain Bike Instructor
- CPR and First Aid
- WOZ RLCC Certified
- PMBIA Level 1
- BBI Certified Bike Mechanic
- Co-founder of WOZ
Ashley O’Reilly
Director of Development
Ashley O’Reilly
Director of Development
Missouri native, Arkansas grounded. Ashley has a passion for hard work, fun, and friendships. She believes in creating a mindset to always learn from others and teach in return.
Mother, Wife, Cyclist, Runner, Teacher, Chef, Environmental Naturalist.
- BICP Level 1 Certified Mountain Bike Instructor
- CPR and First Aid
- WOZ RLCC Certified
- Co-founder of WOZ
Sarah Drew
Board Member
Sarah Drew
Board Member
Spending most of her life in the big cities of Houston and Dallas, Sarah didn’t discover the joy of the outdoors until moving to NWA and it’s overwhelming beauty in 2018. In an effort to keep up with her toddler and husband on the bike, she joined her first WOZ Flagship and has been hooked on the bike and community ever since. Sarah keeps herself quite busy as the Director of Development for Women of OZ, co-owning and operating The Ride Series MTB Skills Clinic with her husband and homeschooling their exuberant son.
- BICP Level 1 Certified Mountain Bike Instructor
- CPR and First Aid
- WOZ RLCC Certified
Jess Hana
Board Member
Jess Hana
Board Member
Jess loves bringing smiles to the ride. As an MTB coach and content creator, she aims to make mountain biking a more inclusive and approachable sport. She relocated to Northwest Arkansas in 2021 in search of a place that had better trail access and all-year-round mountain biking. Little did she know she was about to become a part of an amazingly vibrant and welcoming community.
- PMBIA Level 2 Air Certified Mountain Bike Instructor
- CPR and First Aid
- WOZ RLCC Certified
Cara Osborn
Advisor to the Board
Cara Osborn
Advisor to the Board
Previously an assistant professor in the UA’s Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, Osborne now fills a new role in the Sam M. Walton College of Business as an assistant professor of practice. She is the founder of Baby & Co., a business to serve expecting mothers who want an alternative to hospital births. She established eight centers in different markets in the U.S. and sold the company to a large private equity firm in New York. Prior to Baby & Co., Osborne practiced as a nurse-midwife and taught for the Frontier Nursing Service. Osborne has contributed to the work of public health non-government organizations in a number of developing countries. Osborne is a licensed helicopter pilot, active fly fisherwoman, and enjoys a wide variety of outdoor recreation activities with her husband Steve and their 5 children.
Ruby Monter
Financial Advisor to the Board
Ruby Monter
Financial Advisor to the Board
Ruby is an Associate Program Officer for the Walton Personal Philanthropy Group at Walton Enterprises. She’s passionate about growing dynamic communities through the advancement of the arts, the conservation of green space, and activating outdoor resources.
Through her community involvement and professional experience, Ruby has worked on various initiatives that promote community inclusion and college access among first-generation college students.
Ruby is currently working toward her PhD in Public Policy and holds a Bachelor’s in Cultural Anthropology with concentrations in Spanish and Latin American Studies and a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Arkansas. She loves everything related to the outdoors and is an avid cycling enthusiast.
Lindsey Southwick
Director of Sales
Lindsey Southwick
Director of Sales
Lindsay originally hails from the tall mountains out west but has called Bentonville home for the last 11 years. As a mountain girl, she has always loved anything that gets her outside. She is a long-time runner, skier, and hiker and has even submitted a few tall peaks.
She added mountain biking to her hobby resume four years ago at the request of her biking-loving husband and quickly made friends with other women who were discovering their love of mountain biking at the same time. Being outside with her husband and four kids is her favorite thing – whether on foot, a bike, or boat. When she’s not outside or managing kids she is a part-time freelance writer.
- CPR and First Aid
- WOZ RLCC Certified
Candice Hansen
Director of the Philanthropy Committee
Candice Hansen
Director of the Philanthropy Committee
Born and raised in New Orleans, moved to NWA in 2018 to enjoy more outdoor adventures. Candice fell in love with the area’s hiking trails, but eventually got her first mountain bike and never looked back. She is passionate about influencing women to ride. You can find her most weekends riding Mt. Kessler in Fayetteville.
- WOZ RLCC Certified
Jessica Moore
Director of the Social Committee
Jessica Moore
Director of the Social Committee
Jessica Moore, aka J-Mo is a Dallas transplant who now lives here in the beautiful NWA with her husband, daughter, and two puppies. Her love for the outdoors brought her to the wonderful sport of mountain biking and all the new friends here at Women of Oz. She is a BICP Level 1 Coach, ride leader, and is an advocate/ambassador for several mountain biking/outdoor brands. Her profession is full time Registered Nurse and also working as a Marketing Director at local brewery (Rendezvous Junction) for fun. Other hobbies include anything involving food, being outdoors in general, and adventuring in the Caribbean!
- BICP Level 1 Coach
Allison Hubbard
Director of the Social Committee
Allison Hubbard
Director of the Social Committee
Having grown up in central Arkansas almost her whole life, Allison moved to NWA in 2016 and joined the first WOZ flagship ride in 2018 so she could learn to ride the trails with her husband. She’s a professional event planner and loves organizing activities that bring people together.
- WOZ RLCC Certified
Ellen Masters
Director of Finance
Ellen Masters
Director of Finance
Originally hailing from Kansas and Oklahoma, Ellen moved to Norwest Arkansas after many weekend biking and adventure trips to Bentonville. She enjoys the outdoors and everyday adventures with her husband and four daughters. With a strong background in accounting and finance, she enjoys working through the financial aspects of WOZ. Seriously, she enjoys it. An avid tea-drinker and “Frasier” enthusiast, she has been a solid “green-plus” mtb rider for about 12 years.