IOGA Staff and Board of Directors
IOGA Staff
Erik Weiseth, Executive Director
Erik Weiseth brings over 20 years of experience in the outdoor recreation industry to his role as Executive Director of the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association (IOGA). He began guiding river trips as a teenager and went on to co-own and operate a successful outfitting business offering multi-day rafting and adventure travel across the Western U.S. and beyond.
A longtime advocate for the industry, Erik previously served as Vice President of IOGA’s Board of Directors, where he played an active role in shaping the organization’s policy work and strategic direction.
Erik believes Idaho’s outfitting and guiding industry is not only a cornerstone of the state’s outdoor economy, but vital to the health and future of its rural communities. He is passionate about protecting access to public lands, sustaining fish and wildlife resources, and supporting the small businesses that connect people to Idaho’s wild places.
He lives in Idaho with his wife and two children and still finds time to get out on the river or in the mountains as much as possible.
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Hardy Bender, Development & Events Manager
Hardy Bender is an Idaho Guide living in Boise, Idaho. Hardy studied Management Information Systems at the University of Alabama with a minor in Computing Technology & Applications and a specialization in Business Information Technology.
Hardy is originally from Mobile, Alabama and moved to Idaho during college in order to become a river guide. He comes from a lineage of raft guides and outfitters and have been floating Idaho's rivers since long before he was able to remember the trips, let alone run a boat. However, he always knew that he would wind up guiding in Idaho.
He has now been working in Idaho's backcountry for almost a decade on many of our beautiful rivers. Throughout his time as a guide, he has developed a passion for our wild places and the outfitters/guides that enable people to experience them. As he likes to say: "Working as a guide presented me with the challenges and gave me the tools that I needed to become the person I am today. Now it is my turn to give back to the outfitters and guides that have helped me so much."
Jack Hurty, Policy & Communications Director
Jack is a born and raised Idahoan, and a veteran guide on the Salmon River. As a young boy, he was introduced to free flowing rivers and wilderness peaks, and has been in love with both ever since. The outfitting and guiding industry has shaped his life in deep ways, and he feels strongly that as guides, we have a responsibility to fight for and protect the incredible ecosystems that we rely on. These feelings have driven him to learn how to be a guide-advocate, complete a Masters of Public Policy, and now to work on natural resource policy for the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association. In his spare time, he enjoys backcountry skiing, reading poetry, and of course fly fishing.
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IOGA Board of Directors
2026 Officers
President Jeff Bitton 2025
Vice President Travis Bullock 2026
Treasurer Anne Long 2025
Vice President, Hunting Amon Moslee 2026
Vice President, Rivers Jake Baker 2027
Vice President, R.E.C. Zach Crist 2026
Vice President, Guides Abby Hudson 2027
2026 Board of Directors
Roy Akins 2027
Matthew LeCheminant 2027
Amy Taylor 2027
Bridget Guthrie 2028
Steven Zettel 2028
Bekah Cain 2028
Lonnie Allen 2026
Gia Randono 2026
Colby Blair 2026
Idaho Outfitters & Guides Licensing Board
Chairman Tammy Overacker
Board Member Lonnie Allen
Board Member - IDFG Member currently not appointed
Board Member Kenneth Long
Board Member Carl Rey
More information: https://dopl.idaho.gov/oglb/