From an Appalachian Trail Conservancy press release:
FOUR NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN ELECTED TO THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Cullowhee, NC (July 26, 2013) – On July 20th 2013, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) announced that Clark Wright Jr., Leonard Bernstein, Richard J. Daileader, and Carrie Rodriguez-Tweeten will serve on the board of directors. The board of directors is made up of 15 elected volunteers who are elected to serve two-year terms.
Wright of New Bern, North Carolina and vice chair of the ATC, found his passion for the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) during a hike of over 1,200 miles of Trail which started in March of 2001. That hike served as inspiration for the North Carolina Special Tag project, an endeavor that obtained passage of legislation authorizing a new special license plate designed to raise funds for the approximately 300 miles of the A.T. that run through western North Carolina. Wright, with many others, including NC Senator Joe Sam Queen, drafted the Special Tag project which has now grown to three other A.T. States. He enjoys his family, long-distance hiking, mountaineering, the land trust movement, photography, and competitive beach volleyball. As an ATC board member, he brings his legal expertise to bear on the organization’s efforts, as he is a partner in the law firm of Davis Hartman Wright PLLC. His areas of practice include litigation and appellate practice, zoning and land-use law, administrative law, and environmental law. Wright has been selected by his peers for inclusion in “Best Lawyers in America” for over fifteen years.
Bernstein of Asheville, North Carolina has hiked the entire A.T., has been a Trail maintainer for 25 years, and is a life member of the ATC. He is an active member and past president of the Carolina Mountain Club. Bernstein has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and had a 40 year career in the petroleum industry. He was a Convening Lead Author for the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report, and has taught courses on climate change and energy at the University of North Carolina at Asheville’s College for Seniors, a noncredit, life-long learning program.
Daileader of Charlotte, North Carolina thru-hiked the A.T. in 2009 while on sabbatical from the financial services industry. Since then, his new lifelong goal has been to give back to the Trail and preserve it for his children and future generations. Daileader is currently a managing director with the leveraged financing group of Ally Financial. Rich is an avid hiker and a former marathoner and ultra-runner. He is also involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Charlotte and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. His club affiliations include the New York Athletic Club, the Carolina Mountain Club, the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoe Club, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Green Mountain Trail Club, PATC, Roanoke Trail Club, Nantahala Trail Club, and the Maine Appalachian Trail Club.
Tweeten of Raleigh, North Carolina runs a family owned, multi-state, hospitality management and development company based in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband Rolf. She began her career in public accounting as a CPA in Chicago, Illinois. Tweeten started section-hiking the A.T. in 2000 and has completed 1600 miles. She was inspired by the photo of the first three women to hike the Long Trail in Vermont in 1927, known as “The Three Musketeers.” Her principal hiking partners are her two college age sons who have served on several trail crews. Now her youngest son at age nine is ready to be introduced to the Trail. Tweeten is new to the ATC’s board, and brings a strong entrepreneurial, as well as volunteer non-profit accounting, background.
“The board of directors plays a vital role in shaping the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Appalachian Trail by approving policies that govern the Trail and ensuring that the organization has the resources it needs to complete its mission,” stated Steve Paradis, acting executive director of the ATC.
The board is responsible for communicating the mission and the purpose of the ATC. They establish and maintain relationships with the stewardship council, clubs, partners, members, and other stakeholders. While enhancing the public standing of the ATC, they also ensure legal and ethical integrity and fiscal accountability.
Also elected to the board were new members Beth Critton, Edward R. Guyot, Samuel J. Sarofeen, Nathaniel Stoddard, and Greg Winchester. Marcia Fairweather, Arthur Foley, Mary Higley, Terry Lierman, Sandra L. Marra, and Elizabeth Pierce Thompson are all returning board members.
About the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail – ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come. For more information please visit www.appalachiantrail.org.
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