OSI Staff
Dan Rogan
Katahdin Region Coordinator
dan@outdoorsi.org | 218-316-2634
Dan started with Outdoor Sport Institute in December of 2022 and has felt right at home in the Katahdin Region ever since. Originally from Dubuque, Iowa, he holds a degree in Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Management from Northern Michigan University and now calls Millinocket, Maine home.
His passion for teaching and working with others has allowed him to make a career out of connecting people with the outdoors across the country. He has guided canoe expeditions in Maine and the Boundary Waters of Minnesota and Ontario, led dogsledding adventures and winter camping trips in northern Minnesota, led a conservation crew in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and run backpacking trips and youth trail crews in New Mexico. He even participated in the world’s longest paddle race, the Yukon 1000. Dan is also an EMT and serves as a wilderness medicine instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).
As the Katahdin Region Coordinator, Dan brings a holistic perspective to outdoor access and education. His comfort teaching and supporting others allows him to serve as a strong partner in building local capacity. Whether it’s collaborating on youth programs or school visits, supporting community gear libraries, or empowering summer interns, Dan is able to humbly and effectively provide the knowledge and skill needed.
Baileigh Studer
Assistant Coordinator, Katahdin Gear Library Manager
baileigh@outdoorsi.org | 207-731-4556
Baileigh is the general manager for the Katahdin Gear Library in Millinocket. Baileigh was raised in Millinocket, however she moved away shortly after high school and discovered her passion for the outdoors and the desire to share it with others. After several years away she returned home to pursue an outdoor lifestyle, which then led to her career in outdoor education. Baileigh is a registered Maine Recreational guide and is Wilderness First Responder certified. In her free time, you can find Baileigh in the woods with her two dogs exploring all that our region has to offer.
Kevin Stewart
Katahdin Region Trails Manager
kevin@outdoorsi.org | 207-245-2131
Kevin Stewart has spent the majority of his life recreating in, enjoying, and preserving the outdoor spaces of New England. This passion led him to obtain a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Maine at Farmington.
An avid trail runner, hiker, backpacker and volunteer, Kevin has thousands of hours of trail experience and volunteerism. Some notable outdoor endurance projects that Kevin has completed include multiple 50+ mile ultra trail races, through hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2018, Vermont’s Long Trail in 2019, and countless trips across the United States and globe. Kevin has experienced a variety of communities who embrace and thrive off their outdoor infrastructure, as well as ones who are beginning their journey to resilient outdoor community. With this knowledge and desire to create more healthy and livable regions, Kevin returned to Maine full time in 2024, moved to Millinocket, an area that was instrumental in developing his love for the outdoors, and started a new chapter with OSI’s trail crew.
With a diverse background in management, mentorship and technical skills, Kevin ensures the OSI Trail Crew’s success by providing positive direction, essential crew development skills and a conservation-based mindset.
Steve Kasacek
Trail Development Director
steve@outdoorsi.org | 860-307-3674
Steve Kasacek has nearly 15 years of professional consulting experience. With an education and foundation in civil engineering focusing on stormwater management and restoration, Steve brings years of low impact design and natural resource protection expertise to OSI’s Trail Development initiatives.
Steve’s professional trail career spans almost 10 years and over 20 states. He excels at helping communities navigate both simple and complex trail development projects from vision to management. He has assisted with more than 1,000 miles of high-quality trails planning and design and has directly managed almost 100 miles of trail construction or rehabilitation, helping land managers, government agencies, organizations, and communities secure more than ten million dollars in funding for natural surface trail projects.
In Maine Steve has worked with communities from Madawaska to Casco and Rockland to Jackman helping bring a variety of trail projects to life. He helps direct OSI’s Katahdin Region Trail Crew, providing oversight, training, and stoke to build up new and young trailbuilders.
Steve brings his passion for local capacity building to the variety of workshops and trainings he leads for volunteers, land managers, and professionals. He is dedicated to growing local pipelines of leadership to support trail projects big and small.
Brenda Cote
Administrative Director
brenda@outdoorsi.org | 207-999-1034
Brenda Cote has over 21 years of experience with OSI, where she provides essential support in non-profit administration, human resources, accounting, and payroll. A long-time team member, she values the organization’s close-knit culture and the trust communities place in OSI’s work.
Outside of work, Brenda enjoys flower gardening, home decorating, camping, and spending quality time with her husband Ron, their two sons, and six grandchildren. A true outdoor enthusiast, she prefers being outside whenever possible.
Mike Smith
Executive Director
mike@outdoorsi.org | 207-227-0250
Mike Smith has worked at the intersection of outdoor leadership, recreation, and community development for over 20 years. His technical background includes titles such as raft guide, sea kayak guide, high school ski coach, backcountry trip leader, whitewater kayak instructor, and bike shop manager. He is a registered Maine Recreational & Sea Kayak Guide, ACA Whitewater Kayak Instructor Trainer, Swiftwater Rescue Instructor, BICP Mountain Bike Instructor, and a Wilderness First Responder.
Mike’s passion, however, is in helping people discover new possibilities in themselves and their communities through the outdoors. It’s this focus that has defined his career and lead to the co-founding of the Outdoor Sport Institute in 2016. Mike has spent over 15 years working with schools, non-profits, businesses, land managers, and local governments to find creative and sustainable solutions to enhancing human-powered outdoor recreation. A dedicated teacher, Mike brings the lens of leadership development to all OSI’s efforts. He understands the value of investing in relationships, and the tenacity required to truly build local capacity.