American Hiking Society Team
Walt Daniels
American Hiking Society
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Jack Hess
Chair
Biography
Organization: Geological Society of America Foundation
Title: President
City: Boulder, CO
Jack joined the board in 2015 and has enjoyment in hiking and backpacking since his time as a Boy Scout and Explorer Scout as a youth in State College, PA. He still serves the Boy Scouts at both the local council and the national levels. He has hiked a good bit of the Appalachian Trail, been on many backpacking trips in the Colorado wilderness and hiked many of the mountain ranges in Nevada. This year (2015) he and his wife have taken the challenge to hike 100 miles in Rocky Mountain National Park in celebration of the park’s 100th anniversary.
Recently, after 13 years of service, Jack stepped down as the Executive Director of the Geological Society of America. Before coming to GSA in 2001 Jack work for the Desert Research Institute in Nevada and then spent 18 months working for Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) working on nuclear waste and water issues. He has served on a number of boards including the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, Karst Waters Institute (Chair), Association of Earth Science Editors, Longs Peak Council Boy Scouts of America (President elect), Renewable Natural Resources Foundation, and Colorado Society of Association Executives. Additionally, Jack serves on the US National Commission for UNESCO and the US National Committee for Geological Sciences.
Favorite Hikes
Ruby Crest Trail, Nevada
Bradley Ellis
Vice Chair
Biography
Organization: Icard Merrill
Title: Attorney
City: Sarasota, FL
Bradley Ellis is a Florida native that grew up in Jupiter, Florida and currently practices land use and development law in Sarasota, Florida. Bradley completed his undergraduate studies at Florida State University and his legal studies at the University of Florida.
Bradley is an Eagle Scout and remains active in the Boy Scouts of America and the Order of Arrow. It is Bradley’s involvement with the Order of the Arrow that started Bradley on his path towards his involvement with the American Hiking Society. With the Order of the Arrow, Bradley has served as a key staffer on repairing and/or creating trails around the country. In 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011, Bradley repaired historic portage trails in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota.
In 2008, his team created the “Arrow Trail” mountain-biking/hiking trail in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. In 2011, his team created the initial portion of the “Arrow Head Trail” in the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. Bradley has also built trails in Michigan, Indiana, and of course Florida. Bradley is a key staffer for the Order of the Arrow’s “Arrowman Conservation School” and he hopes to create high synergy between his work with the Order of the Arrow and the America Hiking Society.
Favorite Hikes
The Grand Portage (Grand Portage, MN)
Kevin Thomson
Treasurer
Biography
Title: Certified Public Accountant
City: Ligonier, PA
Kevin lives and works in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania and enjoys the many hiking, camping, backpacking, and kayaking opportunities available in the area.
Kevin volunteers with his local outdoors group, Venture Outdoors as a trip leader and as a member of VO’s Trip Leader Council.
He has participated in AHS Volunteer Vacations in various parts of the United States and volunteers locally with the Ridge Runners, a trail maintenance group that works in conjunction with the Pennsylvania DCNR, helping to maintain the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail.
Favorite Hikes
West Highland Way and Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail
Jeff Senterman
Secretary
Biography
Organization: Catskill Center for Conservation and Development
Title: Executive Director
City: Tannersville, NY
Jeff is currently Executive Director of the Catskill Center, an organization that works to preserve and protect New York’s Catskill region. Prior to joining the Catskill Center, Jeff worked as the regional trails program manager for the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. Jeff was an environmental planner for the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission; Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission; and for Waterman Design Associates.
He is an avid hiker and outdoorsman who has hiked extensively in the Catskills, Adirondacks, and New England. Jeff is a long-time volunteer with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. He began volunteering with the Trail Conference with his father at age 11 and continued in many capacities throughout the Hudson Valley and Catskills. He holds a BS from Lyndon State College in Vermont, with a concentration in environmental science.
Favorite Hikes
The Indian Head loop in the New York’s Catskill Mountains
Jennifer Chambers
Chair Emertitus & Governance Chair
Biography
Organization: Hiking Along, LLC.
Title: Educator and Author
City: Silver Spring, MD
Jennifer Chambers is an author, middle school science teacher, environmental educator and small business owner. In 2004, she started her own business, Hiking Along, LLC. to engage children in exploration of the natural world and encourage them to appreciate and learn about the environment and how humans impact it while hiking on scenic trails around the DC region.
As a volunteer with Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, Jennifer helped implement PATC’s family hiking program, family weekend at Bear’s Den, created the grant-funded Student Trail Steward program at Northwood High School, and organized youth-focused trail building projects in her hometown.
Jennifer was an Environmental Education Specialist with the Audubon Naturalist Societies’ GreenKids program whose goal is to make environmental education and meaningful watershed educational experiences an integral part of the instructional strategy at participating schools and to create formative experiences for students that foster lifelong environmental literacy and stewardship.
She is currently a middle school science teacher at The Siena School; a private school whose mission is to educate college-bound students with mild to moderate learning differences.
Jennifer is a children’s book author of Watershed Adventures of a Water Bottle, published by Tate Publishing in April 2013 and a hiking guide book, Best Hikes for Kids: Washington DC, The Beltway and Beyond, published by Mountaineers Books in September 2014.
Jennifer is the Maryland State Advocate for Leave No Trace. She lives in Silver Spring with her husband and two children who are an active outdoor family.
Favorite Hikes
The Northwest Branch and Rachel Carson Loop in Silver Spring, MD
Larry Luxenberg
At-Large
Biography
Organization: Lexington Avenue Capital Management
Title: Financial Advisor
Organization: Appalachian Trail Museum, Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Gardners, Pa.
Title: Founder & President
City: New City, New York
Larry thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1980 and is the author of “Walking the Appalachian Trail.” He is the founder and president of the Appalachian Trail Museum in Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Gardners, Pa. The Museum also sponsors the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame.
For many years, National Trails Day, which is sponsored by the American Hiking Society, has been an important part of his life. In 2007 the Museum opened the first exhibit of the A.T. Museum on National Trails Day at ATC headquarters in Harpers Ferry. In 2010 on National Trails Day, the A.T. Museum held its Grand Opening in Gardners, Pa., before a crowd of 750 people. Each year the induction ceremony for the A.T. Hall of Fame is held on the weekend of National Trails Day.
For 15 years he was Trails Chair of Sierra Club, Atlantic Chapter and also served on the Sierra Club’s Atlantic Chapter Outings Committee, New York City Executive Committee and Atlantic Chapter board.
For many years he has been a member of the board of the Earl Shaffer Foundation. An honorary life member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association, he is also a life member of the Keystone Trails Association and the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. In 2010 he was Grand Marshall of the Hiker’s Parade, Trail Days, Damascus, Va.
He married Frieda on Bear Mountain, the first section of the A.T., in 1984 and has three grown children.
Favorite Hikes
The Major Welch and A.T. circuit on Bear Mountain with its sweeping views of the Hudson River Gorge and Harriman Park.
Directors
Melissa Avery
Board Member
Biography
Organization: Chasqui Mom and Latino Outdoors
Title: Writer & Regional Coordinator
City: San Francisco, CA
Melissa Avery is an outdoor family blogger based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With camping, hiking and backpacking and anything outdoors among her activities, she and her family are up for the challenge. She is also a youth leader at her local church, where she has integrated a wilderness program into the church’s regular youth activities with much success.
She received her B.S. at California State University Hayward (East Bay) in Business Administration/Accounting and entered the world of federal law enforcement for the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. Even though her work experience has been primarily financial and law enforcement, Melissa continues to explore her love of outdoors locally as well as adventuring down to South America to backpack the Salkantay and Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
She has been a church youth leader with her husband for nine years and has led many camping, hiking, backpacking and even international outreach/camping trips to Ensenada, Mexico with her Jr. High and High School students. Melissa believes that with all the difficult and complex issues our society is confronted with, it is beneficial to give young people the opportunity to gain real perspective on the world, understand true poverty, understand true service and develop integrity and character.
After leaving the government and entering motherhood, Melissa understood that being outdoors was essential to parenting and continued her outdoor lifestyle with her children. In August 2012, she felt the need to start writing about her family outdoor adventures because so many of her friends and family were curious how her family spends so much time outdoors. She was given the trail name “Chasqui Mom” because of her Peruvian heritage and motherhood, but took this name as her blog identity because just as the Chasquis were the Incan Emperor mountain runners that relayed important information, she wanted to be a messenger of the outdoors to everyone and in particular Latino families and youth.
Favorite Hikes
The Chochenyo and Lizard Rock Trail marsh pond hikes at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont, CA.
Sarah Baker Morgan
Board Member
Biography
Organization: American Red Cross
Title: Chief Fundraising Strategist
City: Silver Spring, MD
Sarah’s love of hiking and the outdoors developed at an early age while exploring the Adirondack Mountains, a place she returns as often as possible. Her family’s tradition of “vestigating”, a shared pleasure of meandering new places, hiking new paths, swimming new water holes, and searching for vistas and sunsets is a focal point whenever they carve time together. Time spent in the Adirondacks, Pacific Northwest, Southern California, San Juan Islands, White Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley has fueled Sarah’s wish to spend time on trails and enjoy the peace of wooded areas. Sarah also has a passion for photography and is particularly inspired by blending natural and architectural elements. Sarah joined the Board of Directors of the American Hiking Society in 2016.
Sarah has over 30 years fundraising experience in the university and non-profit arena. She currently serves as chief fundraising strategist for the engagement of the president & CEO of the National American Red Cross. Previously, she held several leadership positions at The George Washington University, where she directed school-based fundraising and alumni programs including: annual, reunion, planned giving, endowment and capital campaigns; management of advisory and alumni relations boards; and developing and implementing special campaigns for targeted constituencies. Earlier in her career, Sarah held fundraising positions at the University of Southern California, Wellesley College, and Clark University.
Sarah has served as a member of the Gould Academy Board of Trustees; Reunion Giving Chair and Member of the National Committee on Clark’s Future for Clark University; Fundraising Chair for the Highland View Elementary School PTA; Executive VP of the Silver Spring International Middle School PTSA; and Co-Leader for Girl Scout Troop 4274.
Sarah holds a BA in Art History from Clark University. She lives with her high school-aged daughter in Silver Spring, MD.
Favorite Hikes
Cascade Mountain, Adirondack’s, NY
Scott Beckett
Board Member
Biography
Organization: Insigniam Performance
Title: Partner
City: Minneapolis, MN
Scott has a long history with conservation, trail building and maintenance, and non-profit service. While in college, he helped launch a groundbreaking trail crew program at Philmont Scout Ranch, operated by the Boy Scouts of America. More than twenty years later that program has generated four similar conservation and trail building programs at the three other national BSA high adventure bases. Those programs have hosted more than 3000 Scouts who have built and/or repaired dozens of miles of trail and portages, as well as impacted marine environments throughout the Boundary Waters and the Florida Keys.
An Eagle Scout himself, Scott served as Program Chairman for the Boy Scouts of America’s ArrowCorps5 program, a 5,000 person service project conducted over five weeks in five national forests. He served as co-chairman for the BSA’s SummitCorps program in 2011 with 1,500 Scouts and Scouters building 13-miles of trail in the New River National Park (WV). Scott has also served on the National Outdoor Adventures committee for the Boy Scouts of America.
Scott is an Advisory Board member of the Cottonwood Institute, a board member of the Denver Area Council (BSA), a national vice Chairman of the Order of the Arrow (BSA), and an avid outdoors person. He and his wife Adrienne currently reside in Minneapolis, MN. Scott is a partner with Insigniam, a worldwide consultancy in breakthrough performance and strategic and organizational transformation.
Favorite Hikes
Zion Narrows, UT
Dennis Crowley
Board Member
Biography
Organization: Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition
Title: Past President / Board Member
Organization: Sheltowee Trace Association
Title: Chairman Emeritus of Advisory Board / Past Board Chairman
Organization: Kentucky Recreational Trails Authority
Title: Hiking & Backpacking Representative
City: Louisville, Kentucky
For many years, Dennis has volunteered to build, maintain and promote foot trails at the local, state and regional levels. Through these experiences, he has been engaged in AHS programs such as National Trails Day, Volunteer Vacations and Alternative Spring Breaks.
In his own community, he has worked on trails, led hikes in local parks, and promoted hiking at local events. He met his wife, Julie, hiking with the KISHAW hiking club on a group hike in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge.
At the state level, in Kentucky, he has served on boards of Sheltowee Trace Association and Pine Mountain Trail Conference. For several years, he has worked with Kentucky Tourism Cabinet’s Adventure Tourism as the representative for hiking and backpacking on the Kentucky Recreational Trails Authority.
On the regional level, Dennis has worked on trail relocations on Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Konnarock and Mid-Atlantic trail crews. He participated in Cumberland Trail Conference trail building crews in Tennessee for several years.
He was involved in planning what was to become the Southeastern Foot Trails Coalition (SEFTC), a joint project of American Hiking Society and National Parks Service RTCA. From this coalition, the Great Eastern Trail Association (GETA)was formed. Dennis has served on the GETA board for several years. He was also the first president of SEFTC.
Dennis is retired from Michelin where he worked as a chemical engineer. He joined the board of American Hiking Society in April 2016.
Favorite Hikes
Dennis makes frequent hiking trips to Acadia National Park in Maine with his wife and their Labrador retriever, Teddy.
Jane Daniels
Board Member
Biography
City: Mohegan Lake, NY
Devoted to the outdoors and committed to the protection of open space, Jane’s hiking accomplishments include climbing the 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks and section hiking the 2175-mile Appalachian Trail. She and her husband are authors of two editions of Walkable Westchester, a guide to over 600 miles of trails and 200 parks in suburban New York City.
Jane is a retired reference librarian. She served on the Trail Conference board from 1990-2011, including six years as board chair and on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) board from 1993-1999. In 2007, she chaired a committee hosting the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s 36th Biennial Conference, an eight-day event with over 850 attendees and 376 volunteers. Having built and managed trails, she understands trail issues from the shovel to the board room. In April 2013, she was named NY Trail Worker of the Year by American Trails. Jane is the president of NY State Trails Council, on the board of the Hudson Greenway Conservancy, the president of the Friends of FDR State Park and on the board of the American Hiking Society.
Favorite Hikes
Sylvan Glen Park Preserve in Mohegan Lake, NY
Maria Erickson
Board Member
Biography
Organization: The Duck Company
Title: VP Merchandising & Design
Kathleen Fitzpatrick
Board Member
Biography
Organization: CVL Consultants
Title: Director of Business Development and Marketing
City: Phoenix, Arizona
Kathleen has served on the AHS board since October 2013. She met the AHS board of directors at their Spring 2013 meeting in Phoenix Arizona where she led the group on a hike up the Peralta Trail in the Superstition Mountains. In 2005, Kathleen started and continues to lead a small hiking club on monthly adventures in and around Arizona. “We have a strict rule in the CVL Hike Club, NO work talk in nature!” As Director of Business Development, Kathleen is responsible for creating strategic partnerships that will ultimately lead to mutually beneficial outcomes for all parties. The Hike Club acts as a way to bridge the gap between work and play. A majority of the hikers are clients and employees and she finds there is no better way to forge a relationship than in nature. There is no pretense or barriers when we are on the trail.
Kathleen was born and raised in central New Jersey. Hiking every Sunday after dinner with her grandmother along the Raritan River, became a way to connect with nature. As she became older, the trails became more challenging and the adventures drew her out west to Arizona. “I found myself always coming back to Arizona to hike and camp on vacation, why only come on vacation, I should move to Arizona and hike every day.” Kathleen met her husband David on a Grand Canyon rafting trip in 2001. He was the trip leader and she was the ecological interpretive guide on that trip, the rest, as they say, is history! They married at the rim of the Grand Canyon in 2010 surrounded by the beauty of the place that they both deem the most magical place on earth.
When not working or hiking, Kathleen can be found with her husband David and daughter Kylee either camping, rafting or behind her tripod photographing. She is a published photographer with work gracing the covers of American Trails magazine and a feature in the AZ Highways blog spot. Kathleen holds a degree from Rutgers University in Environmental Health Science/Marketing and an MBA from Grand Canyon University.
Favorite Hikes
Anywhere in the Grand Canyon.
Sally Kidd
Board Member
Biography
Organization: Hearst Television
Title: National Correspondant
Ryan King
Board Member
Biography
Organization: Indy Reads
Title: CEO
City: Columbus, IN
Dennis Lewon
Board Member
Biography
Organization: Backpacker Magazine
Title: Editor in Chief
American Hiking Society Ambassadors
American Hiking Society partners with notable hikers, community leaders, and activists to promote the benefits of hiking and to inspire more Americans to explore the great outdoors.
Carolyn Hartfield
Hiker/Adventure Leader/Speaker
Biography
Carolyn Hartfield is an outdoor enthusiast who leads others on hiking, camping, zip lining, cycling, spelunking, tree climbing, whitewater rafting, kayaking — you name it — excursions. This Baby Boomer who is also a senior citizen says she is “Seasoned and savoring in the spices of life!”
Carolyn was 56 when she went on her first hike. She did not know the hike was going to be a challenging trek up Blood Mountain along the Appalachian Trail. She loved it. Being outside in nature was so exhilarating, she not only wanted to keep hiking but wanted to share her experience with others. “The decision to try something new was one of the best decisions I ever made. It completely changed my life!”
She was so inspired she felt she had to share this newly discovered adventure with others. To prepare herself, she became a certified outings leader through the Sierra Club, was trained in wilderness first aid through the NOLS Wilderness Medical Institute, became a Certified National Interpretive Guide, and selected as a community partner with REI and the Georgia Conservancy. She also works with the National Park Service in their Trails and Rails volunteer program.
As a result of inspiring others through her online monthly newsletter, she has expanded her influential voice to several thousand followers of her web-based Meetup adventure groups and is a leading voice for seniors, encouraging them to get outside and try new things. Carolyn also has a love for senior Olympic sports, earning medals in various state, national and world competitions.
In 2016 Carolyn represented AARP when she was recognized with a ‘Positive Aging Image Award’ from the Georgia Institute on Aging. She has been featured on the CNN/HLN Accent Health Network for her healthy hiking adventures, and in various other media. Carolyn is currently working on her new book, ‘The Joy of Aging’ expected to be released in Spring 2017.
When Carolyn speaks to groups, her message is simple: “Get in the great outdoors, try new activities and have fun while getting healthy!”
Learn more about Carolyn Hartfield at her website: www.CarolynHartfield.com
Michael Lanza
Author/Photographer
Biography
Writer and photographer Michael Lanza is the creator of The Big Outside, where he blogs about his outdoor adventures, including many with his wife and children. The Big Outside has made numerous top blog lists, including USA Today’s Readers Choice list of Top 10 Hiking and Outdoors Bloggers in 2014. A primary goal of Michael’s blog is to inspire and inform other parents to take their own kids on outdoor adventures—and help other families to discover the powerful emotional payoff and bond achieved through sharing outdoors experiences. That’s one of the reasons he is excited to be an ambassador for AHS.
Michael was the Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine for 11 years and continues to write for the magazine. His book Before They're Gone—A Family's Year-Long Quest to Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks, winner of a National Outdoor Book Award honorable mention, chronicles his wilderness adventures with his wife and their young son and daughter in national parks threatened by climate change. An avid backpacker, climber, backcountry skier, and cyclist, he has hiked and climbed extensively in the U.S. West and Northeast and published stories in numerous magazines about adventure travels on four continents. His articles about global warming helped Backpacker earn a National Magazine Award for general excellence in 2008. He was previously a magazine editor, co-hosted a call-in radio program on New Hampshire Public Radio, and syndicated a weekly outdoor column in about two dozen New England newspapers.
Michael lives with his wife and their two teenagers in Boise, Idaho, where they frequently get out on local trails and explore Idaho’s mountains and rivers.
Bob and Martha Manning
Hikers/Authors/Speakers
Biography
Bob and Martha Manning are accomplished hikers and authors who write and speak about their outdoor adventures. They discovered the national parks shortly after they were married, honeymooning at Cape Cod National Seashore. They lived in California for several years, hiking and backpacking in Yosemite and many other western national parks. After graduate school, Bob became a professor at the University of Vermont, teaching and studying the history, philosophy, and management of national parks. His program of research for the National Park Service allowed him and Martha to visit and hike in national parks throughout the nation, including spending four year-long sabbaticals at Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the Washington, DC headquarters. Martha uses these adventures as inspiration for her work as an artist.
While living in Vermont, they hiked the state’s 272-mile Long Trail, the first long-distance trail in the US. And then they were hooked! They’ve hiked dozens of long-distance trails on six continents and have written two books about these walks. The first, Walking Distance: Extraordinary Hikes for Ordinary People, offers first-hand descriptions of 30 long-distance trails throughout the world. Their second book, Walks of a Lifetime: Extraordinary Hikes from Around the World, offers first-hand descriptions of 30 more long-distance trails and multi-day hikes, interspersed with short essays on many dimensions of hiking. Both books are designed to encourage readers to walk more in their everyday lives and to try long-distance walking.
Bob and Martha are invited speakers at many venues, including the International Trails Symposium, the Walkabout International Conference, and many hiking and conservation organizations. The Mannings have a long association with American Hiking Society. Bob served on the Board of Directors and is a life member, and they are especially pleased to be named AHS Ambassadors. The Mannings take this position seriously, encouraging people to “walk the talk” and reap the many benefits of hiking.
See where the Manning’s have hiked on their website, www.extraordinaryhikes.com.
Jennifer Pharr Davis
Author/Hiker/Speaker
Biography
Jennifer Pharr Davis is a hiker, author, adventure speaker, and 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. She is the founder and owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company, an Asheville, NC-based guiding service that strives “to make the wilderness accessible and enjoyable” for hikers of all ages, genders, and ability levels. Jennifer has covered over 14,000 miles of long distance trails on six different continents. In 2011, she completed the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail in forty-six days, eleven hours, and twenty minutes, maintaining a remarkable average of forty-seven miles per day.
Shawnté Salabert
Author/Adventure Seeker
Biography
Shawnté Salabert is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer who enjoys exploring the various ways people connect to the natural world. Her work has appeared in Outside, Alpinist, Backpacker, Vox, Adventure Journal, Modern Hiker, REI Co-op Journal, Land+People, and other fine outlets.
Shawnté spent two years exploring the 942.5 miles between Campo, California and Tuolumne Meadows for her new book Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California. During that time, she encountered one mountain lion, wore through four pair of trail runners, devoured three 28-ounce cans of dehydrated refried beans, and bid adieu to one music industry career.
In addition to writing about the outdoors, Shawnté serves as an ambassador for the American Hiking Society, and volunteers as a trip leader and Wilderness Travel Course staff member with the Sierra Club. She also enjoys getting dirty and giving back to the places she loves by putting in a little sweat equity and doing trail work.
For more information, visit shawntesalabert.com
Liz Thomas
Author/Hiker
Biography
Liz Thomas is a well-traveled adventure athlete most known for breaking the women’s unsupported speed record on the 2,181-mile long Appalachian Trail in 2011. She has completed the Triple Crown of Hiking–the Appalachian Trail, the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail, and 3,100 mile Continental Divide Trail–and has backpacked over 10,000 miles across the United States on long distance hiking trails. Liz is among the most experienced woman hikers in the country and is known for hiking light and fast. In addition to having a lot of experience hiking, Liz also received a Masters in Environmental Science from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the prestigious Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship for her research on long distance hiking trails, conservation, and trail town communities. Liz has been featured in Backpacker Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and LA Magazine and has given talks about her experiences at colleges, hiking clubs, and conferences across the country.
American Hiking Society Staff
Teddy Kelley
Kathryn (Kate) Van Waes
Executive Director
Biography
Kate joined American Hiking in 2017. She brings a wealth of advocacy experience from the ONE Campaign, where she was a Policy Director, setting policy and strategic direction for ONE in the areas of agricultural development, hunger and nutrition, climate change, energy poverty, women and girls, trade, and development in fragile states. Prior to ONE, Kate served as Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor in Secretary Clinton’s Office of Global Food Security, helping to lead the Obama Administration’s flagship global hunger initiative, Feed the Future. Kate joined the State Department initially under a fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and focused on the intersection of emergency humanitarian aid and terrorism and hunger-related United Nations negotiations. She started her career as a planetary and glacial geologist, participating in several NASA Mars missions and working with the International Space Science Institute in Bern, Switzerland, the University of Copenhagen’s Neils Bohr Institute, and the Smithsonian Center for Earth and Planetary Studies. She earned her Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from Brown University in 2004. Kate hails from Montana, where she developed a deep passion for spending as much time outdoors as possible. She and her equally outdoorsy husband and daughter live in Silver Spring, MD.
Favorite Hikes
Grinnell Glacier trail, Glacier National Park; White Oak Canyon – Cedar Run Falls loop, Shenandoah National Park; the Berner Oberland, Switzerland
Contact
KVanWaes@americanhiking.org
Libby Wile
Senior Director of Programs
Biography
Libby joined American Hiking in 2009. She holds a B.A. degree in Marketing from James Madison University. Prior to joining AHS, she worked for 6 years with a consulting firm as a recruiter and marketing specialist. A Navy upbringing has instilled a love of travel in her and she enjoys discovering new cities and landscapes and the cultures that they represent. Participating in her first “Volunteer Vacation” in college 15 years ago sparked a passion for traveling with a purpose. Since then she has participated in dozens of stewardship trips across the US. Libby is an experienced and seasoned outdoor recreation group leader, leading volunteer crews with American Hiking since 2010 and providing city running tours to visitors and locals alike. Moving to Asheville for the mountains (and great beer!) she takes advantage of any opportunity to hike, run, and explore Western North Carolina. Libby is ecstatic to be putting her passion for nature and outdoor recreation to good use in her role at American Hiking.
Favorite Hikes
Grinnell Glacier, Glacier National Park, MT
Lions Head, Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV
Black Balsam Knob, Pisgah National Forest, NC
Kim Lyons
Senior Director of Development and Marketing
Biography
Kim graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Women’s Studies with a concentration on political and social change. Prior to joining AHS, she worked in development and fundraising for more than six years with Martha’s Table, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit focused on poverty, education, and hunger issues. As a Canadian that grew up in the Rocky Mountains, family vacations had one requirement, hiking. Kim spends her free time exploring family friendly trails in MD, VA, and DC with her husband and five-year-old son.
Favorite Hikes
Jumbo Pass Trail in Central Kootenay, British Columbia, Canada
Assiniboine Pass, Banff National Park, British Columbia, Canada
Tyler Ray
Director of Policy and Advocacy
Biography
Tyler joined American Hiking in 2018, after nearly seven years with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) where he led federal advocacy efforts on voting rights, disability rights, and humane border enforcement. He earned his Juris Doctorate and Certificate in Public Policy from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and is licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He obtained a B.A. degree in Social Science from San Diego State University.
As a native Californian, Tyler began hiking in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s and the Stanislaus National Forest. He’s been fortunate to experience trails across the country, with favorites including the Hanakapiai Trail in Kauai, the Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Trail, and state park and national forest trails throughout his adoptive home in Virginia.
When not hiking the hill advocating on behalf of AHS members, Tyler spends time with his dog, Kona, and partner looking for their next outdoor adventure.
Favorite Hikes
Favorite Hike: Hanakapiai Trail, Kauai, HI
Stephanie Joseph
Finance and Office Manager
Biography
Stephanie L. Joseph, C.P.A. became the Finance and Office Manager at American Hiking Society in 2018. She supports AHS’s goals by making certain that AHS manages its financial resources and by overseeing administration of financial and human resources activities and data and office management.
Prior to coming to AHS, Stephanie was the Bookkeeper at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. While at CCAN, she gained a valuable appreciation of the environmental issues of our time. Stephanie has also worked at the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Montgomery County, as the Finance Director. She has served as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of This is My Brave, a mental health nonprofit. She began her career in Public Accounting, where she honed her accounting expertise.
Originally growing up in New Jersey, Stephanie moved to Maryland with her family at the age of twelve. She received her Bachelor of Accountancy in 1986 from The George Washington University, having the honor of being Valedictorian, and subsequently earned a Graduate Certificate in Medical Services Management at Johns Hopkins University in 2011.
In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys cooking and reading. She volunteers on the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Helpline. Whereas she is a proud breast cancer survivor, Stephanie provides callers with emotional support, shares practical information and gives comfort. Stephanie currently lives in Germantown, Maryland with her devoted pack of Chihuahuas.
Favorite Hikes
Mount Washington State Park. Sargent's Purchase, NH
Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME
Chattooga River Trail, boundary between South Carolina and Georgia
Kelly Snavely
Membership and Marketing Manager
Biography
Kelly graduated from Towson University with a degree in Theatre Studies and a minor in Business, Communications and the Liberal Arts. Prior to joining AHS, Kelly worked in arts administration at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, development and programming at the Kennedy Center, and more recently in retail management with Lululemon. She is fresh off a 17,000-mile solo road trip of 20 national parks, during which she hiked over 600 miles of trail including a thru-hike of the John Muir Trail and the Wonderland Trail. Kelly is thrilled to bring her development experience and passion for following blazes and cairns along dirt paths to the AHS.
Favorite Hikes
John Muir Trail, CA and Presidential Traverse, White Mountain National Forest, NH
Wesley Trimble
Program Outreach & Communications Manager
Biography
Outside Magazine called Wesley "the most inspiring man on the PCT" after he completed the trail despite his mild form of cerebral palsy. Beyond the PCT, Wesley has thru-hiked the Colorado Trail, climbed all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, and finished several ultramarathon trail races.
Not all of Wesley's time on the trail is spent recreating; he believes it's his duty as an outdoor enthusiast to give back and steward the places he loves. While earning a Bachelors in Environmental Design from the University of Colorado, Wesley spent four seasons building and maintaining trails with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. Wesley's favorite projects include building and maintaining the Continental Divide Trail in Colorado and Wyoming.
Through design and videography, Wesley enjoys educating people about the importance of outdoor stewardship.
Favorite Hikes
Barr Trail, Pike National Forest, CO
Jobs & Internships
Adam Skalecki
American Hiking Society is the only national organization dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s hiking trails, the natural areas that surround them, and the hiking experience. We provide an exciting, creative, and professional yet relaxed non-profit atmosphere with a strong outdoor and conservation ethic. American Hiking Society is easily accessible by Metro (Red Line, Silver Spring) and offers generous benefits including full health coverage, discounts on outdoor gear, and generous vacation leave (for full-time employees).
Interested in joining our dynamic team? Any jobs or internships that may be available are described below.
AHS Career Opportunities
There are no job opportunities at this time.
AHS Internship Opportunities
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Alliance of Hiking Organizations Job Opportunities
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