Anna Peterson

Executive Director

Anna Peterson joined the Mountain Pact as Executive Director in February 2018. Originally from Minnesota, she’s lived in many of the West’s rural mountain towns including Bend, Oregon, Missoula, Montana, and most recently in her current home of nearly 20 years - Durango, Colorado.

Anna has worked professionally for over 25 years with a range of constituency groups, non-profits, small businesses, foundations, and large corporations on efforts focused on corporate social responsibility, anti-sweatshops, human rights, immigration, refugee rights, public health, public lands, national monuments, and climate change issues. She has worked in or with the outdoor recreation industry for the past fifteen years. Anna runs her own communications agency, Conservation Communications. 

Anna has worked on conservation efforts in all states across the American West, as well as in Minnesota and Florida. She has a BA in Studio Art, Political Science, and Environmental Studies from St.Olaf College, and a MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana where she was a Doris Duke Conservation Fellow.

When not working on conservation efforts, Anna spends time outside in and around the Four Corners area with her fellow conservationist and photographer husband Tim and loyal rescue dog Greta. She enjoys art and photography projects and is often working on (and continually expanding!) her family's high desert garden. She's an avid traveler and hopes to soon add to her long list of countries visited.

Andy Bixler

Project Coordinator

Andy Bixler joined the Mountain Pact as Communications Coordinator in July 2024. He has spent nearly a decade serving clients and principals in Colorado, Montana, Oregon and Idaho, including U.S. Senators, candidates for governor and Congress, numerous conservation and environmental advocacy organizations, and state legislative leadership. Andy excels at leading projects that shape narratives and build awareness and support for the candidates and causes he is passionate about. Andy has led communications efforts on dozens of high-profile state and federal conservation and climate initiatives including the successful Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act, the Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Act, and landmark Colorado state legislation to lower emissions and improve air quality.

Previously, Andy served as communications director for the Colorado Senate Majority Caucus, where he developed and executed dozens of community engagement and public relations campaigns while serving as chief spokesperson for the Caucus. Prior to that he served as a communications aide to U.S. Senator Jon Tester, and in senior roles on campaigns for governor and Congress across the Mountain West where public lands, climate, and the environment are always top-of-mind issues for voters and communities. Originally from Montana, Andy began his career as a staff reporter for his hometown newspaper, theMissoulian, and he earned a BA in journalism and MA in political science from the University of Montana. An avid outdoorsman, Andy spends his free time skiing, fly fishing, and mountain biking, and is deeply passionate about protecting the environment and public lands he grew up enjoying.