Who we are

Melissa Davies – VP of Programs

Melissa is a strong believer in adventure education and it’s power of positive transformation. Her journey began as a director of an outdoor experiential program taking eighth grade students from her hometown Marshall, MI camping, hiking, and exploring in Alaska. She went on to get her B.S. in Biology and Outdoor Education with a Secondary Education Teaching Certificate from Central Michigan University. Combining all her interests, she found work as a high school biology teacher and adventure educator in Seattle WA, where she was also a successful cross country and track coach. During her time in Seattle she worked throughout the summer months as an outdoor instructor for a women run non-profit dedicated to the positive development of girls.

In addition to her role with NICA, Melissa is also the Assistant Director of the PA League. Where she works to get #MoreKidsOnBikes.

To fuel her soul Melissa enjoys mountain biking, trail running, triathlons, adventure racing, hiking, rock climbing, and road riding…as her husband says, “she’s a fun hawg”. She currently rolls with her husband Josh in Cenn Penn, and spends as much time as possible adventuring with her two children Miles and Althea.

Kate Punderson – VP of Development

Kate has spent her career championing youth development through education, sport, and the outdoors. A native of Maine’s western mountains, she was a competitive alpine ski racer through college before transitioning her passion for sport into a lifelong commitment to empowering the next generation.

Over two decades at Carrabassett Valley Academy, Kate served in multiple leadership roles, including 13 years as Head of School. She led transformative capital campaigns, built lasting partnerships and helped shape a values-driven culture grounded in kindness, respect, commitment, and gratitude.

Kate holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of Vermont. She brings to NICA a deep belief in the transformative power of sport, a collaborative approach to relationship-building, and a track record of mission-driven fundraising success.

Kate lives in Carrabassett Valley, Maine with her husband and son, where she can usually be found in the mountains, either on her bike or her skis, with her dog Lizzie right on her heels.

Lauren Haughey – Chief Financial Officer

Lauren began her passion for the outdoors as a young person, through a combination of influencing factors – volunteering with a political & environmental activist mother, and backpacking trips with her father. The result of those early years led to a love of the outdoors and an ongoing urge to advocate for the care and access to open space.

Lauren was instrumental in launching NICA in 2009, implementing and scaling the growth of the financial, HR, and operational systems of the organization into what it is today. She’s active in local & state advocacy; having served as the Treasurer and President of the board of the Bicycle Trails Council East Bay (BTCEB), on the 501c4 California Mountain Bike Coalition (CAMTB) board, and on the California Trails Foundation (CATF) board. She coached for 10+ years with the NorCal League’s Oakland Composite Youth MTB Team – of which both her kids participated on.

Lauren holds a Bachelor’s degree in Russian history and accounting, in addition to a Masters of Public Accounting. She lives in Oakland, California along with her husband Morgan and spends her free time mountain biking, trail running, hiking and road-tripping with Morgan to explore new places to mountain bike.

Amanda Carey – NICA President

Amanda has been involved with NICA since 2015 when she started her local Teton Valley Composite Team as part of the Idaho League. In 2017 Amanda joined the NICA National Team bringing with her a deep passion and commitment to making mountain biking accessible to riders of all ages and abilities. Amanda has served as a Coach Licensing Manager and GRiT Program Manager, and has served as Vice President of Programs since 2019. She has been an Idaho League Coach Supporter, and a Level 3 Coach for 7 years, 5 of which she served as the Team Director and Head Coach of Teton Valley Composite. Amanda has a strong focus on NICA’s core mission, vision and values and on servicing NICA’s Leagues to get even #MoreKidsOnBikes.

Amanda has a B.A. in Political Science from Colorado College and a M.S. in Sports Psychology from Capella University. Prior to her time at NICA, Amanda held multiple positions in non-profit organizations including time as both a development director and executive director with different cycling and trail advocacy organizations. Amanda also brings with her many years as a professional mountain bike and cyclocross racer having won the Breck Epic, Trans-Sylvania Epic and Iceman Cometh races multiple times. Amanda lives with her husband, Nate, in Victor, Idaho where they love to mountain bike, ski, and adventure out in the mountains.

Lynn Frerichs – General Manager, NICA AUS

Lynn began mountain biking 25 years ago in Ontario, Canada, and quickly discovered that riding bikes with friends created some of the most fun and memorable moments of her life. That early experience sparked a lifelong passion for bikes and community – and eventually led her to NICA.

After helping run a NICA Try It Out Day with the Beechworth Chain Gang Mountain Bike Club, Lynn became convinced that Australian youth need NICA too – and has been a committed advocate ever since.

For the past five years, Lynn has served as President of the Beechworth Chain Gang and coaches in its thriving Junior Ride Program, one of the largest year-round youth MTB programs in the country. She previously volunteered as Secretary of the Gold Coast Mountain Bike Club and spent two years travelling around Australia with her family, riding as many trails as possible along the way.

Professionally, Lynn has a background in sales and economic development, with experience in both large multinational companies and local government. A dual Canadian–Australian citizen with a B.Sc. in Human Movement Studies, she describes herself as a “serial volunteer,” having contributed to projects in Zambia, Peru, Japan, Canada, and across Australia. Her passion is simple: riding her bike, inspiring others to ride theirs, and helping make the world a better place—one pedal stroke at a time.

Eddie Freyer – Strategic Advisor, NICA AUS

Eddie brings more than a decade of leadership experience at US NICA leagues. After volunteering for the Tennessee league, he founded the Alabama league in 2014 and served as League Director, growing the league to 650 athletes in 6 years. 

An expert at complicated logistics, Eddie has the distinction of running two NICA leagues concurrently. From 2015 to 2019, he oversaw the Alabama league’s spring race season, then commuted to Idaho to serve as Race Director in the fall. In 2018, he moved his family to Idaho, where he serves as Executive Director for 1,400 student-athletes and 800 coaches.

Before he found his calling at NICA, Eddie spent more than 20 years in the corporate world, first in sales and later as the founder of several small companies. A lifelong athlete, he was a cross-country runner in high school, a triathlete in college, and an adventure racer after college. He has competed in the IronMan, the Eco-Challenge, 24-hour Adventure Racing National Championships, and the ITU Off-Road Triathlon World Championships. 

He lives in Boise, Idaho with his wife, a head coach, and their 16-year-old son, a Varsity racer. When not training, racing, or traveling, they enjoy hunting, fly-fishing, skiing, and napping.