American Hiking Society: Inside American Hiking: Meet Our Staff

Meet Our Staff

Come Inside American Hiking and meet the real people behind the names, and read why we all like to hike.

STAFF PROFILES
	Julia Braun, Administrative Assistant - Email Julia joined the staff in the spring of 2007 as an administrative assistant. She grew up in southern Maryland and is a recent graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland where she studied English. Growing up, she went on two cross-country camping trips with her family and grew to love bird watching and the outdoors through her father, a biologist and avid bird watcher. Before joining AHS, she is proud to have been a seasonal park ranger at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis where her love of the outdoors and conservation was further cultivated.

	Margie Cohen, Director of Development - Email Margie joined AHS in September, 2006 as Director of Development to support American Hiking's corporate sponsors, donors, and foundations. She brings a strong business and development background, with excellent skills in marketing, business planning and resource development. For nine years, Margie owned and operated an Atlanta-based business called Geared to Go , an outdoor retail operation as well as outfitter (that conducted over 100 trips and 150 clinics & programs). Margie took the risk of starting her own business because of her commitment to the environment and a demonstrated desire to help people get outdoors and connect with nature. Prior to starting her own outdoor business, Margie had a successful career as an organizational consultant to several national level corporations. She earned her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School at Northwestern University and a BA in Economics from Tufts University. Margie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience related to hiking trails and deep connections with the conservation, trail, and outdoor industry organizations. Amid her various consulting engagements (which kept her traveling), Margie takes time off to explore the world (by foot, boat, and bicycle) and has many adventures to share.

	Jeffrey Hunter, Southeast Trail Programs Director - Email Jeffrey is based in a National Park Service field office in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he manages American Hiking's first regional program, the Southern Appalachians Initiative. In addition to serving as coordinator of the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition, he is responsible for helping coalition members achieve their goal of building a 5,000-mile network of southeastern hiking trails. Jeffrey joined American Hiking in 2003 after a 19-year career in the telecommunications industry. While living in New York he served as a volunteer with a number of non-profit groups across the state, including the Sterling Forest Partnership, where he was instrumental in helping the organization create the 18,000 acre Sterling Forest State Park. His volunteer work resulted in several awards including the 2002 John S. Balaguer Environmental Excellence Award presented to him by his previous employer, Verizon. Jeffrey has a BA in Environmental Studies from SUNY Empire State College. He thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2000. That experience was one of the motivating factors that led him to align his life-long passion, conservation, with his career. Jeffrey has backpacked sections of Georgia's Benton MacKaye Trail, South Carolina's Foothills Trail, the Alabama Pinhoti Trail, Kentucky's Pine Mountain Trail, and the Florida Trail. A passionate bird watcher, he plans to hike The Bartram Trail and sections of North Carolina's Mountains to Sea Trail in 2006.

	Andrea Ketchmark, Volunteer Programs Manager – Email Andrea joined the staff of American Hiking after serving as the Trail Programs Intern in the fall of 2005. Born and raised in Ohio, Andrea went on to receive her BS in Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism from the Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, with a concentration in Tourism and an emphasis on sustainable travel. As Volunteer Programs Manager, she manages Volunteer Vacations, Volunteer of the Year and American Hiking Society's Ambassador program. Andrea recently relocated to Maryland after many years in Colorado. And although her heart remains in the Rocky Mountains and the Southwest's canyon country, she looks forward to exploring trails in and around her new home in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

	Ivan Levin, Trail Programs Manager - Email A native of Norfolk , Virginia Ivan attended the University of Delaware where he studied wildlife conservation and animal science. After two years at Delaware , Ivan transferred to Radford University in southwest Virginia where he earned his BS in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism with a concentration in outdoor recreation and a minor in Appalachian Studies. Ivan is also certified in Adventure Programming and Advanced Skills and Standards for Challenge Courses from Project Adventure. Currently, Ivan is attending graduate school at Frostburg State University and studying to receive his MS in Recreation Resource Management. Ivan joined American Hiking as a Policy and Conservation Intern in the summer of 2004. He now manages the Alliance of Hiking Organizations, National Trails Day, National Trails Fund, and Ambassador programs for American Hiking full-time. Ivan has hiked in many places around the world including Manoa Falls in Hawaii , Israel 's Masada Plateau, and the Monteverde cloud rainforest in Costa Rica . Ivan and his fiancée Patty are both natives of Virginia and in their free time enjoy traveling, seeing live music, and hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail near Northern Virginia.

	Seth Levy, Manager, Western Public Lands Initiative - Email Raised in Maine, Seth’s lifestyle has included hiking since he ascended the towering, technical, 200 foot tall Bradbury Hill when he was 5. After this feat, Seth continued to build his hiking resume by leading outing club trips in West Virginia, end-to-ending the Long Trail, hiking the High Atlas of Morocco and hiking over half the Appalachian Trail. Despite near drowning, lightning strikes, angry moose and his fair share of blisters, Seth continues to share his passion for the hiking lifestyle with anyone that would care to listen. An employment history that includes the Audubon Society, the National Parks Conservation Association and the United States Senate gives Seth a firm grounding in conservation and recreation issues. Experiences working for such outdoor retailers as the North Face and Eastern Mountain Sports give him solid knowledge of the technical details of backpacking gear. Seth is overjoyed by this new opportunity to integrate his love for hiking with his passion for advocacy and policy.

	Gregory A. Miller, Ph.D., President - Email Gregory A. Miller joined AHS as its new President on March 14th, 2005 and brings to American Hiking Society more than 20 years of experience in conservation and natural resources program development. A native of California, Greg has an impressive track record of public-private partnerships, outstanding fund raising and non-profit management experience. He has a passion for hiking, as evidenced by his many miles logged on trails throughout North and South America, Europe, and India. Before joining American Hiking Society, Greg served as Executive Vice President at EnDyna, Inc., a global environmental consulting firm. And for more than 15 years, he led a distinguished executive career as a Division Vice President at The Nature Conservancy, where he headed development of the South America conservation portfolio. Greg has served on the boards of the global Biodiversity Support Program and The International Ecotourism Society, and was an environmental advisor for the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Greg is fluent in Spanish and holds a Ph.D. in Ecology as well as a Science, Engineering, and Diplomacy Post-Doctoral Fellowship through the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Greg lived in the Galapagos Islands and the Andes for many years and has held a lifelong commitment to scouting and the outdoors.

	Celina Montorfano, Vice President for Programs - Email Celina came to American Hiking in 1999, initially focusing on trail and conservation policy. In 2005, she briefly served as Acting President and later became Vice President for Programs, responsible for core program administration and development, including Policy, Volunteer Vacations, National Trails Day, and related programs. She holds a BS from Cornell University and an MPA from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. Her prior employment includes meadow restoration at Mt.Rainier National Park, promoting conservation practices with the US Peace Corps in Kenya, and policy and research experience at the National Parks Conservation Association and National Office of Representative Craig Washington. She has completed various outdoor education courses including a National OutdoorLeadership School course in Alaska. Celina was born in Argentina and grew up on Long Island, New York. She has hiked and backpacked in many parts of the US, participated in several American Hiking Volunteer Vacations, and treasures her outdoor adventures around the globe in areas including East Africa - where she climbed Mt. Kenya - the Himalayas, and Patagonia.

	Pete Olsen, Director of Membership - Email Peter joined the American Hiking Society as its membership manager in May 2004. As Director of Membership he plans and implements American Hiking's strategies for membership outreach and growth as well as development initiatives, including planned giving. He also publishes the monthly membership e-newsletter, Paperless Trail and plays a lead role in managing American Hiking's database. Peter, formerly a Russian linguist with the U.S. Air Force, received his BA in Business from the University of Maryland. He is also the former Executive Director of One Less Car, a Maryland bicycle and pedestrian advocacy nonprofit, whose board he now serves on. Peter enjoys hiking especially in the western US and is frequently joined on hikes by his wife, Susanne, and two daughters.

	Ed Talone, Office Manager and Trail Information Specialist - Email Ed joined the staff in 2001. In addition to serving as Office Manager for the organization, Ed is the resident “trails information specialist” and hiking historian. A native of Silver Spring , Maryland , he is a graduate of George Washington University in Washington , D.C. , earning a BS in Accounting. Prior to coming to American Hiking, Ed worked as an auditor for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He has also worked for the Smithsonian Museum . As a staff writer for American Hiker magazine, Ed has contributed more than 50 articles and has also provided content for several trail guidebooks. From 2002 - 2004 he contributed 100 radio spots to the nationally syndicated show Outdoors This Week with Alex Langer. Ed is an accomplished backpacker with over 40,000 miles to his credit. Hikes of note include all eight of the National Scenic Trails, and a 4,500 mile walk across the continental U.S. in 1999. When not hiking, Ed enjoys catching a Major League Baseball game.

CONSULTANT PROFILES
	Randy Rasmussen, Recreation Policy Specialist - Email Randy is based in Corvallis, Oregon, and serves as a resource to conservation and recreation interests engaged in federal agency land use/travel planning processes throughout the Pacific Northwest. The goal of his work is to protect nonmotorized trails and areas, the hiking experience, and related wildlands and wildlife. Randy has extensive experience in land use planning and grassroots advocacy and was previously employed by The Wilderness Society/Natural Trails and Waters Coalition and National Parks Conservation Association, and worked seasonally for the Bureau of Land Management and USDA Forest Service. In addition to advancing American Hiking’s interests, his efforts will be coordinated with organizers in other key regions in order to elevate the voice of traditional trail users throughout the West. Randy’s work with American Hiking, which began in early 2007, represents a natural outgrowth of his passion for hiking and protecting our treasured public lands.

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STAFF PROFILES

CONSULTANT PROFILES