“Throughout her time… Vickie has effectively grown all partnership relationships and in turn contributed directly to fulfilling the mission of the National Park Service. Ms. Mates has unequivocally worked with these diverse partners in a collaborative and collegial fashion, and I consider her a national leader in the field of park partnerships.”
MARY GIBSON SCOTT—FORMER SUPERINTENDENT, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
ABOUT
Team Mates Ventures specializes in building strong teams and effective partnerships with public land management agencies and non-profit organizations.
With over 20 years of experience leading public/private partnerships and educational teams for national park sites across the country, Vickie Mates, Director and Founder, will create customized plans to:
- Build strategy for long-term goals with shared action plans to achieve them
- Facilitate meetings and team processes
- Consult on partnership development — the roles, processes, and relationship-building for teams to thrive
- Provide tools and techniques to build partnership skills within your teams
Vickie Mates/Director and Founder
With a 25-year career in government and non-profit leadership, partnership collaboration, and public lands visitor experience and education, Vickie is a dynamic and experienced independent consultant. She is a skilled facilitator, nimble planner, and collaborator who enables shared vision and success in multi-partner efforts or with intact teams. Vickie’s experience with the National Park Service and supporting non-profits has provided her with a unique knowledge base and understanding of the intersectionality of government process and policy, non-profit philanthropy, and innovation. Her current practice focuses on building strategies, strong partnerships, as well as facilitating teams and organizations to unlock their potential.
Vickie has served as the founding executive director of the National Park Friends Alliance and held senior positions at Grand Teton, Yosemite, Theodore Roosevelt, and Cuyahoga Valley National Parks. She has been a senior government liaison to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, Grand Teton Association, and Teton Science Schools. More recently, she has led strategic planning and facilitation efforts for the National Park Foundation, Zion Forever Project, Teton Music School, Jackson Hole Land Trust, Yellowstone National Park, and South Idaho National Parks.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Vickie enjoys outdoor recreation and deeply appreciates nature’s power in healing and rejuvenating the human spirit. She serves on the advisory board of The Grand Adventure, an organization that creates nature-based experiences for adolescent and adult cancer survivors. Her love of music has also led her to a board director role at the Teton Music School. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences from Allegheny College and a Master of Science in Resource Interpretation from Stephen F. Austin State University, with certifications in training and coaching throughout her career in Interpretation and Education.
Clients served since 2022 include Grand Teton Association, Grand Teton National Park Foundation, Jackson Hole Land Trust, JH Ecotour Wildlife Adventures, National Park Foundation, National Park Friends Alliance, Teton Music School, Teton Raptor Center, Yellowstone National Park, Animal Adoption Center, Women In Leadership, South Idaho National Parks, and Zion Forever Project.
COLLABORATING PARTNERS
Anne Magnan
Anne is a learning and development professional with more than 15 years committed to supporting and coaching leaders and teams. She is passionate about helping people work better together. Anne believes in asking provocative questions, spurring people to think a little bit harder, connecting people to each other, and increasing awareness of self and others.
Deb Yandala
Deb served as CEO of the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park from 2002-2025. As the park’s friends group, the Conservancy connects the community with the park in many ways, including managing the park’s education, volunteer, and cultural arts programs. It also operates three stores, manages events in the park, and raises money for park projects. Under
Kat Smithhammer
Kat plays the role of leadership educator, facilitator, consultant, and certified master coach. In 2010, she co-founded Leadership at Play to develop leadership capacity and interpersonal dynamics through an ethic of play. She’s had the opportunity to work with a variety of audiences – from NASA Shuttle Crews to Federal Land Managers to Googlers and non-profit Executive Direc
Katie Bliss
Katie’s conservation career spans almost 30 years, starting with a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from University of Florida and immediately followed by a stint in Peace Corps as a Parks and Wildlife specialist in Uruguay. Upon her return stateside, Katie joined the National Park Service and worked as an interpreter, educator, and supervisor in Golden Gate
National Recreation Area, San Antonio
