Trailnet Champions: Karen Nicholson and Scott Otto

In each of our monthly newsletters, Trailnet features a member (or members!) of our community who are working toward Trailnet’s vision of Streets for All. Karen Nicholson and Scott Otto are our March 2025 Trailnet Champions!

Trailnet is incredibly fortunate to have the best volunteers around! They’re hardworking folks always ready to chip in and spread our message, whether it’s through tabling events, hauling equipment at our rides, or any other number of things that make our work possible. We’re thrilled to feature two this month, both of whom won the Volunteer Award that our recent Beans, Bikes, and Brews event: Karen Nicholson and Scott Otto.

Karen has always had a heart for volunteering. During her 26 years at Scott Credit Union, she was incredibly active in their volunteer incentive program, winning company awards for the most volunteer hours, the highest percentage of team members volunteering, and the highest percentage of team volunteer hours. When it comes to volunteering at Trailnet, Karen loves getting to engage with the community. “I get to meet new people while giving back to the community and advocating for safer streets,” said Karen. “I love working with Trailnet employees; they are a great group of fun, caring, and supportive employees who always make you feel welcomed and appreciated while volunteering.”

In addition to volunteering, Karen keeps active with walking, hiking, and cycling. She’s a proud grandmother (she introduced her granddaughter to the Moonlight Ramble Ride in 2010, and volunteering in 2016!) and is excited to be a great-grandmother in April. We’re betting she’ll introduce her great-grandchild to cycling and volunteering before too long!

Scott got involved with Trailnet in 2023, around the same time that Gina Otto, his wife, became our Special Events Manager! She roped him into working some rides, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Scott keeps busy between his work at UPS, visits with his grown children in Arizona and Tennessee, and awesome hiking and biking adventures. He also loves building and repairing electronics, and is quite the cat dad! On top of all that, he spends a lot of time with Trailnet.

Scott has gone all in on volunteering at our rides, and like Karen, understands the joy of volunteering. “The feeling of giving back to the community — putting in hard work and seeing it pay off with happy smiling bike riders,” said Scott. “And I enjoy meeting new people and learning more about the communities where the bike rides take place.” Scott has found other great bonuses in volunteering, too! “It’s encouraged me to start riding my bike more often and feel more confident riding on streets versus just trails or bike paths.” What a fantastic plus!

Thanks to our volunteers, we’re able to make a bigger impact in all aspects of our work, and we can’t imagine functioning without them. Thank you Karen and Scott, for your passion for volunteering, and for Trailnet! We’re so grateful for you both!