AMERICAN CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Agreement and Compliance Integration Manager
Aaron joined ACE in 2019 as Regional Director for the Mountain West Division, and brings to ACE many years of experience directing facilities, programs and high-performance teams in the recreation, sustainable travel/tourism and outdoor behavioral health industries.
For the past eight years prior to joining ACE, Aaron served as Executive Director and founder of an expedition travel and gap year provider for young adults in the for profit outdoor behavioral health segment. In this capacity Aaron was responsible for building entrepreneurial teams, developing all divisions, and creating world class adventure education programming with a strong emphasis in environmental conservation stewardship volunteerism.
With an extensive professional guiding and adventure videography resume, Aaron is a certified Wilderness EMT and brings the perspective of thousands of backcountry days on expedition leading and filming including: mountaineering, rock climbing, canyoneering, fly fishing, paddling, trekking, ski & snowboard touring, mountain biking, scuba diving, adventure motorcycling and wilderness self-reliance through traditional life ways.
Aaron holds a Bachelors of Science Degree from Brigham Young University in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership, Leisure Services Management with an Entrepreneurial Business Marketing emphasis through the Marriott School of Business. In his free time, Aaron enjoys travel adventures with his children and pursuing his passion for aviation. Aaron holds a private pilot certificate and currently is finishing the restoration of a vintage twin engine ultralight motor glider.
Job Titles:
- Recruitment: ( 619 ) 623 - 5695
Adam Scherm graduated with a Degree in Zoology and a minor in Spanish at Oklahoma State University. After college, Adam served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama focusing on environmental conservation from 2006-2008. That experience led him to apply for a job as an Assistant Crew Leader with ACE. After several months, he began leading crews on public lands all over the Southwest. In 2013, He assumed the role of Trails Trainer and Coordinator for the Arizona office. He managed the trails projects as well as trained crew leaders and corps members in technical rock work, rigging, trail maintenance, and layout. Adam is currently the Director of ACE's Southeastern branch in Asheville, North Carolina which supports and manages 40 youth in conservation activities and is working with 6 different Land Management Agencies and non-profits.
Job Titles:
- Member Support Coordinator
Amanda is from Northeast Ohio but has spent the last 10 years calling Utah home. She graduated from the University of Utah in Environmental and Sustainability Studies as well as Geography. Her studies gave her opportunities to explore her new state and fall in love with the outdoors even more. She has spent multiple field seasons with the Vertebrate Zoology team of the Natural History Museum of Utah in areas across the state which has provided her knowledge in field research work and species population studies. Amanda has worked in multiple industries from restaurants to nonprofits and her unique experience brings passion to her work. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her dog, practicing yoga, painting, hiking and camping.
Job Titles:
- Digital Specialist / Developer II
Ben joined American Conservation Experience (ACE) in the summer of 2014. Currently, he works as a full-stack Rails/Vue developer. His job is to create and manage CNSRVIT, a program that manages ACE's agreements, invoicing, federal reporting, and member management. His goal is to provide a seamless user experience regardless of how someone access's ACE's digital content. During his off-time, he loves to travel and get out into nature.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Program Director
Bethany grew up in the Midwest and studied Communications in college. After graduation, she chanced upon an opportunity to aid in disaster relief efforts, through an AmeriCorps NCCC program. She loved working with a team of people and lending a hand to affected communities. After her term, she left to teach English in Thailand for about a year. She had great fun exploring the new country and is looking forward to exploring the Southwest. Bethany enjoys running, lifting, exploring and climbing mountains!
Job Titles:
- Board Member since 2008
- Executive Director of Windsor County Mentors
Bob is currently the executive director of Windsor County Mentors, a nonprofit organization supporting youth mentoring in local Vermont communities. His career passion has been imagining and creating youth and young adult national and community service programs in the out-of-doors. Following two years of service in the United States Peace Corps, Bob completed a master's in public administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he was involved in hosting the first AmeriCorps national service conference. He joined the Student Conservation Association in 1994 as the Director of the New Hampshire Conservation Corps.
Over the next 20 years he played leadership roles in SCA's Northeast, California-Southwest and Midwest regions. As Senior Vice President for Programs, he helped to lead SCA's national program growth and revenue. He is proudest of having created six residential SCA AmeriCorps programs that have provided hundreds of young people with an opportunity to serve on public lands.Bob joined the Vermont Conservation Corps in 2015 where he served as chief Operations Officer strengthening program quality, risk management and developing educational outcomes.
He served six years as a board member of National Association of Service and Conservation Corps now the Corps Network.Bob attended the University of New Hampshire after which he worked for United States Senator Warren Rudman (R-New Hampshire) on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC.
He served in the United States National Guard and Reserve.
Bob lives in South Pomfret, Vermont with his wife Philippa Richards and their three children, Claire, Will and Ian plus a barn yard of animals.
Brad has started multiple small businesses over his life in Flagstaff. Currently, he is the owner of AZ Irrigation & Maintenance. A local landscape contracting business designed to benefit its employees to support themselves with decent wages and a teamwork environment.They have been serving the Flagstaff community since 2012. Providing the best irrigation, lawn maintenance and landscape services in the area. Always striving to improve their skills, capacities and customer service.
Brad loves hanging out with his book-worm kids. Forcing them to engage with the real world just outside the window. Creating a loving environment for them to be themselves. Fully supporting their interests of reading and diving.
He built, with his own hands, a straw bale house. Designed to be maintenance and bill free. This did not work out exactly as he planned. Another of his passions is his love of mountain biking. You will find him throughout the country riding his mountain bike and enjoying the great outdoors. Last but not least is his love for travel. He enjoys to travel overseas and stretch out his time when he is in a foreign land. For him, the period of a week is never enough and not worth the effort. Many of his excursions. last a minimum of three weeks and it's been known for him to leave for 3 months at a time.
Brandon began his conservation career as a corps member for ACE in early 2015 after earning a degree in biology from Western Connecticut State University. After serving as an ACE corps member for a little over a year working in the Mountain West- Utah branch, the Puerto Rico branch and the Southwest branch in Flagstaff, Brandon became a Crew Leader for the ACE Mountain West- Utah program. For two years, Brandon successfully lead ACE crews on various field projects ranging from trails, fencing, forestry, restoration, and everything in-between throughout Utah and the mountain west region. In Spring of 2018, Brandon embarked on another conservation career trail working as a Rangeland Fellow with the BLM in Nevada before rejoining ACE this September as a Project Manager
Brandon first joined ACE as a corpsmember in 2016 building trails and restoring habitat mostly out of the Tahoe area. After gaining more experience working for conservation groups in Montana and New York City, he's happy to return to ACE as a Project Manager. He loves seeing the bonds form from hard work in beautiful places and communal living. Prior to his conservation career, Brandon earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and spent a couple of years working for a software company. In his spare time, he enjoys reading with a good view, trail running, going on open-ended adventures, playing guitar, and drawing.
Caitlin Murphy is a Project Manager for the American Conservation Experience who primarily manages the BLM Ridgecrest project and other Mojave Desert projects. She started with ACE as an AmeriCorps member in March 2017. Upon serving two (2) 900 Hour service terms, she was hired on as an ACE Crew Leader in April 2018 and then promoted to Project Manager in September 2018. Caitlin is originally from Portland, Oregon and has a degree in Environmental Studies from Southern Oregon University.
Job Titles:
- National Forestry Program Manager
Carl joined ACE as the National Forestry Program Manager in November of 2017. Spending 10 seasons as a wild-land firefighter and 4 years as an Assistant Superintendent of a 20-person Type 2 Initial Attack crew out of Flagstaff ignited and fueled his appreciation for forest restoration work. Carl has multiple years of experience in hand thinning, hazard tree removal, chainsaw training and evaluating sawyers.
The great outdoors has always been an important part of Carl's life having started camping and hiking from an early age at many of our National Forests and Parks. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, camping and listening to live music with his wife Melissa and their son Porter. Carl is excited to be a part of ACE and to be able to pass on his knowledge and excitement of forestry and the outdoors to the younger generations.
Job Titles:
- Member Coordinator - USFS
Caroline joined the ACE recruiting team in September 2019, coming from a background of environmental nonprofits. Originally an East Coaster, she grew up running canoes down rivers and there gained a deep love and respect for public lands and waterways. She received a degree in Environmental Management and Policy from the University of North Carolina- Asheville and promptly headed west to serve two terms with AmeriCorps NCCC and VIP, putting her in the field of wildfire restoration, trail work and environmental education up and down the Pacific coast. This landed her in Southern California for a time, working with a coastal protection nonprofit and recreation advocacy groups. Her love of alpine peaks and seasons brought her to Utah, where you'll now almost always find her climbing her way through the canyons, enjoying long hikes into the backcountry and kicking back under the stars
Job Titles:
- Grants & Agreements Administrator
Carolyn started as an intern with ACE in July 2013, and began her current role as AmeriCorps Program Manager for ACE California in February 2014. Though never an AmeriCorps member herself, Carolyn has a passion for volunteerism - She is a lifetime Girl Scout, a volunteer Exhibit Guide at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, and a helping hand at various community events around Santa Cruz. Carolyn brings previous admin experience from her time as a Library Security Supervisor at the University of Southern California, where she trained, scheduled, and managed a team of forty student workers, and graduated in 2010 with a degree in Biology and Mathematics. Her passion for environmental conservation stems from her SCUBA diving experience during a semester at Wrigley Marine Institute on Catalina Island, as well as from two long-distance bike tours spanning several weeks in September 2012 and May 2013. Originally from Ohio, she considers herself a native Californian at heart, and hopes to remain in Santa Cruz and perhaps pursue a graduate degree at UCSC.
Job Titles:
- Outreach and Supplies Coordinator
Caryn was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Her love of nature began camping out during the summer time on the Port Aransas coast at the IB Magee Beach park with her family. She is currently a student at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi studying for her BS in Biology with a focus in Animal Science and a minor in Public relations. She's put that education to good use while working as a Corps Member and getting involved with other local Non-profits such as the Texas Sea Life center. Caryn is enthusiastic to be a part of ACE as a staff member and about the transition from corps member to Outreach and Supplies Coordinator. She looks forward to being able educate and inform the community in South Texas about conservation and how to get involved. In her free time Caryn loves to kick back and relax with friends and family, take long walks in the park or on the beach with her Pupper Zero.
Celia began her conservation journey back in 2005 with the Western Colorado Conservation Corps on a saw crew and never looked back. Over the years she has worked for Acadia National Park, Appalachian Mountain Club, Amargosa Conservancy, Student Conservation Association and the Southeast Conservation Corps to build and maintain trails all over the U.S. while leading and managing youth and young adults in service to the land and surrounding communities. She enjoys reading and exploring all the nooks and crannies nature has to offer in her free time, no matter the urban or wild landscape!
Carlos A. (Charlie) de la Rosa has been on the ACE Board of Directors since 2013. His relationship with ACE started in 2008 on Catalina Island, where, as a field technician for the Catalina Habitat Improvement and Restoration Program, he worked alongside dozens of ACE crew members and interns, managing invasive plants in the island's rugged interior. Charlie earned his Ph.D. in Biology at UCLA in 2018, and he currently works for San Diego Zoo Global, managing and conducting research on coastal sage scrub in northern San Diego County.
Job Titles:
- National Director of External Affairs and Partnership
Chris has an extensive background in conservation and resource management, most recently spending the past six years with the Student Conservation Association in a variety of roles. As Vice President of Partnership his responsibilities included program and partnership development, government relations, and staff management.
Originally from England, Chris took the opportunity after university to come to the United States and work for the US Forest Service in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon. Subsequently, Chris moved to Arizona and spent 8 years working for the City of Phoenix operating outdoor recreation programming for youth and people with disabilities, before moving back to Oregon taking the position of Recreation Manager for Oregon State University, College Forests, in Corvallis Oregon,
Chris holds degrees from Writtle College, England in Rural Resource Management, and Arizona State University in Recreation Management..
Job Titles:
- Training and Skills Coordinator
Christian graduated in 2015 from the University of Wyoming with a double major in Wildlife Biology and Environment & Natural Resources and a minor in Spanish. When not in school, Christian enjoyed summers with the Wyoming Conservation Corps leading crews, tracking lions in Kenya for his thesis, and wildland firefighting throughout the West. Luckily for Christian he was never eaten by any lions and he can now enjoy passing on his skills to future conservation superheroes who are pursuing their passions with ACE.
Claire grew up in Minnesota, where she first developed an appreciation for the outdoors during summers canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. After various travel and work experiences including an AmeriCorps term in New York City; a NOLS program in Arizona and British Colombia; college in various places including Quito, Ecuador and Bilbao, Spain; driving a city bus in Amherst, Massachusetts; and leading canoe trips in Wisconsin; she found her way to ACE Flagstaff as a corps member in 2015. She found ACE helped her develop her love of the outdoors into a passion for conservation work. After spending the following two summers on a salmon fish tending vessel in Valdez, Alaska, she is excited to get back to conservation work as part of the ACE team. In her free time she likes to watch hockey, play outside, and knit.
Colin moved to Flagstaff from Northern New Jersey in 2006 to continue his education and enjoy the abundant opportunities to play in the outdoors. After graduating from Northern Arizona University in the winter of 2008 Colin began working with ACE as a crew leader the following summer. Following several successful seasons of leading trail crews throughout Arizona and Utah he moved into the newly developed Safety Coordinator position where he now performs risk management and training duties for all of ACE's programs. In addition to his regular duties, Colin is a Wilderness Medicine instructor and licensed contractor for ACE. When not at work Colin is an active climber, mountain biker, boater, and disc golfer.
Job Titles:
- National Director, NRCS & Private Lands Programs
Crystal Simons has worked in landscape and watershed scale conservation in the US and abroad for over a decade. Trained as an environmental and conservation planner, she comes to ACE from the land trust world where she managed over 7,000 acres of private lands protected by conservation easements. She has led strategic visioning, regional advocacy and conservation policy development; provided technical assistance to landowners, monitored the environmental efficiency of conservation practices on private lands, and has directed multi-year and multi-stakeholder programs. She did her graduate work in environmental and conservation planning at UC Berkeley. Crystal lives in Park City, UT with her husband Zack, their daughter Wren and puppy Marlowe.
Job Titles:
- Texas Restoration Project Manager
Dan graduated from Appalachian State University with a BS in Physical Geography, and he has been with the National Park Service for 4 years working as a Biological-Science Technician prior to starting with ACE. He worked a year with The Blue Ridge Parkway, Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California, and three years with Lake Mead National Recreational Area. Within his time with the NPS, he had the pleasure of working restoration assignments in over 20 National Parks, Forests and other public lands including BLM, Wildlife Refuges, and County and State parks. He is also a licensed Arborist and pretty handy with a chainsaw.
He looks forward continuing his career as a humbled steward of the land and doing everything he can to support his fellow crew members become knowledgeable, safe and successful professionals not only in restoration ecology, but in conservation as well.
Starting as a youth volunteer with the Phoenix Zoo, Dana's passion for the natural world has driven her career, leading her to joining ACE in spring 2017 to serve as the AmeriCorps Program Manager for the Southwest Division. Before ACE, Dana spent over 10 years in various capacities within the environmental field, including work for the City of Flagstaff Sustainability Program, the Arboretum at Flagstaff, and the Arizona Museum of Natural History. Recently, Dana returned to school and received a Master's degree in Conservation Biology from the Miami University of Ohio-utilizing her AmeriCorps education awards from two year-long terms. Though Dana has lived in England, Turkey, Malta, and Portland, OR, she has always come back to Flagstaff, her home since she began her freshman year at Northern Arizona University.
Job Titles:
- NPS Division Recruitment Specialist
Dave was raised in Boise, ID where he developed a love for the outdoors at a young age. Drawn by rivers and mountains, at the University of Montana he graduated in 2015 with a degree in Resource Conservation and Ecological Restoration. Here he gained experience and joy teaching youth programs based on watershed and environmental stewardship. After leading a Youth Conservation Corps crew in Montana, Dave spent two seasons in SE Alaska in both fisheries and wildlife technician roles with the US Forest Service. He has since worked in special uses permitting with the USFS in Arizona and most recently conducted biological surveys for a private consulting company in Utah. Among his favorite activities include rafting scenic rivers and the pursuit of elaborate gardens.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Program Operations
David started in July of 2019 with American Conservation Experience as Chief of Program Operations. He has worked in the Conservation Corps world for almost 25 years, most recently as Chief Operating Officer for Conservation Legacy. In that position he oversaw the internal systems and helped maintain program quality through a period of significant growth over a ten-year period. During his time the organization grew from a small regional corps to a national one with opportunities in various areas of conservation service. He also worked for more than a dozen years with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) where he held many positions from Crew Leader to National Director of the Conservation Corps Program. During this time David helped develop and manage several corps programs based on various models with different emphases - environmental education and trail work in Massachusetts, habitat restoration in the everglades region, native plant preservation in the arid west and post-fire restoration in southern California, among them. At various times he has also spent extended periods overseas, living for several years in both Africa and the South Pacific. David has degrees in engineering, education and forestry. Traveling the world, cycling, and hiking in any ecosystem that presents itself are passions, but new explorations with an outdoor theme are at the heart of all his activities.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Partnerships
Dennis began his career in conservation while attending college at Virginia Tech as an interest in mountain biking led to trail maintenance in the Jefferson National Forest outside of Blacksburg, VA. After deciding to relocate to the West Coast, Dennis found ACE and moved in January 2014 to volunteer until enrolling in the Americorps program. At the end of that 6 month term, Dennis began leading crews for ACE in California and Oregon until moving into the role of California Restoration Coordinator for roughly three and a half years. During that time, he led many of the trainings and restoration focused project development for the California program and wore many other hats. While splitting his time between three divisions, Dennis has seen much of the West and beyond as well as been able to meet a variety of volunteers and others that has guided his time with ACE. In May of 2019, he moved into the role of Associate Director of Pacfic West North based out of South Lake Tahoe, CA. After helping lead that program through the Summer and Fall seasons, he moved into the role of Associate Director of Partnerships for the Pacfic West Region. Dennis still bikes the Santa Cruz Mountains and day dreams about getting a dog while looking at house plants on the internet
Job Titles:
- Pacific West Director
- Recruitment: ( 928 ) 814 - 3191
Eric began volunteering with ACE California and quickly moved into field leadership roles within the California branch. Stationed in Bishop, CA during the summer of 2014, Eric functioned as the Regional Project Manager of the Inyo National Forest, where he coordinated and oversaw logistics of many Eastern Sierra based ACE crews. As the Director of Operations, Eric now works out of the Santa Cruz ACE office and is often found sipping tea and mentoring ACE members. Before finding ACE, Eric's occupation was an Artistic Consultant living in Madison, WI where he was employed by a commercial art firm after finishing his degree. During his free time Eric takes interest in all things outdoors, but most times is cycling, fishing, or rock climbing.
Erin joined the recruiting team at ACE in January 2018 after years of seasonal positions in the public and private sector. She's a native New Yorker and has a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut. Since joining a trail crew in the summer of 2013 in the Klamath National Forest, Erin's been hooked on conservation, working in the field and living among mountains. After graduating from UConn, Erin lead youth trail crews in multiple national parks, surveyed lands with wilderness characteristics throughout the Mojave Desert with the BLM, worked at environmental education centers across the country from Maine to Alaska and worked extensively behind the scenes with other conservation corps. Her passion for public lands, environmental education and helping people make her a great fit for ACE. Outside of the office, you might find Erin running mountain trails, climbing at the local crag, snuggling her dog or sleeping in a hammock.
Job Titles:
- National Division Director
George joined ACE in 2017 as an AmeriCorps and US Forest Service Program Manager. Prior to joining ACE, George spent 10 years working with non-profits in various capacities, including leading trail crews along the Pacific Crest Trail and in the Central Wasatch, coordinating individually placed environmental interns in the northwest, guiding youth leadership development as far as Peru, and even stacking books at the local library. Most recently, George ran operations for a local non-profit which works closely with land management organizations to fill the needed void in stewardship and education programs in the extremely busy Cottonwood Canyons of Salt Lake City. Perhaps more interesting than his work experience, George can often be found exploring on foot or by boat, and enjoys reminiscing of adventures gone awry, or of his 11-month residency in a tree house in Southern Washington.
Job Titles:
- Outreach & Member Support Coordinator
Hannah grew up in the Northern Chicago Suburbs and gained a love of nature early on through her family's many vacations to different national parks. She pursued her Bachelor's of Business Administration at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, and also spent time studying in Orlando, Hawai'i, and Central Europe. After graduating, she held a couple different administrative, coordinative, and project management-related jobs. During this time she learned that she loves working in team-oriented and people-focused positions, particularly with nonprofit organizations. Finally, she decided to settle down near the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of her favorite spots throughout her travels. With this, Hannah was grateful to have found the perfect opportunity there, though ACE, to work with members and to help them find their next journeys in conservation. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, singing, at-home yoga, cuddling with dogs, and watching sunsets over the mountains.
Job Titles:
- Program Operations Director - People
Hannah is responsible for developing and managing ACE's youth and community programs, focusing creating programs that engage and introduce teens and young adults to careers in conservation. After completion of her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Environmental Studies and Spanish from the University of Oregon, Hannah has worked in education, interpretation, and public outreach with the National Park Service and non-profit park partners at Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Bureau of Land Management, leading and developing formal and informal education and service-learning programs for k-12 youth, volunteers, and visitors, including developing inquiry-based and multi-cultural program curriculum and activities for a variety of programs and collaborating with the public and creating partnerships with local schools and community groups to increase program productivity, specifically engaging underserved youth. While working as the ACE Youth Coordinator Fellow for the BLM Arizona, Hannah managed the BLM Phoenix District Youth Initiative program that created academic and career pathways in natural resources for urban youth in underserved communities. In 2012, Hannah helped lead the BLM Phoenix District Youth Initiative in receiving the prestigious Secretary of the Interior's Partners in Conservation Award. Hannah is passionate about inspiring and mentoring youth to become strong leaders within their environments and their communities through internships that integrate education and career experience. When not in the office, Hannah can be found hiking and exploring the beautiful mountains and deserts of the southwest with her dog Penny.
Heather grew up in the deep south - Memphis, TN - with cotton fields surrounding her high school. After graduating, she moved to Flagstaff to pursue a degree in Mathematics. In college she ended up switching her major about 5 times, so like any early twenty something year old, she moved to Portland, OR to find what she was passionate about career-wise. Life led her back to Flagstaff, college goals changed to Accounting, her beautiful daughter Rosalie arrived and work took a turn to the dental industry. Still feeling that accounting/mathematics nudge, she joined the ACE finance team. Heather manages our Accounts Payables and all things credit card. Her work with ACE will help hone her Accounting skills so that she can finish her degree, once her daughter starts Kindergarten.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- National Restoration Director
While acquiring his B.S. in Biology from Allegheny College (PA), he spent his summers serving as a Student Conservation Association Backcountry Resource Assistant at Shenandoah National Park. Following graduation, Ian spent 10 more years fulfilling various restoration roles for the National Park Service including lead supervisor for the Lake Mead Exotic Plant Management Team, Vegetation Manager for the Southeast Utah Group and as a wildland firefighting sawyer at Grand Teton National Park.
Ian is well known in the trail and ultrarunning community having now finished more than 200 ultras, 27 of which were 100-mile races. In all, Ian has won 53 ultramarathons. Some of his wins include the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run twice and the Superior Trail 100 Mile Run. He's a two-time, top-ten finisher at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. He's finished the JFK 50 Mile Run 22 times, placing as high as second twice. He was part of a four-person team that won and set a course record at the Oxfam Hong Kong Trailwalker 100K in 2001. In 2002, he completed the Grand Slam of Ultramarathons by finishing Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, Vermont 100 Mile, Leadville Trail 100 Mile, and the Wasatch Front 100 Mile in a single summer.
What's more, Ian is also an ultrarunning coach, shares Arizona Trail Steward duties for Sections 35B and 36A with his wife, Emily, and race directs Flagstaff's only 100-mile running event - the Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach Line 100 Mile/55K/Relays.
Jack came to California and volunteered for ACE in April of 2016. Beginning his term in South Lake Tahoe he quickly fell for the environment, mountains, and the work being based in these incredible locations. Jack naturally fell into the forestry side of ACE where he began a long-term fuels reduction project. He became a Crew Supervisor in 2017, and then a Project Manager in 2018. He is currently operating out of Tahoe with an over the top passion for disc golf. He also rocks climbs, and is diving into a new skill of backcountry snowboarding.
Jacob started as an AmeriCorps volunteer in the spring of 2018 in PWS and returned for another AmeriCorps term in the fall of 2019. After completing his second term, he took on the position of Facilities Maintenance Supervisor in January 2020. Prior to ACE, Jake obtained a BA in Psychology at Salisbury University in Maryland. If not on the Redwood Campus, Jake is likely out exploring the Sierras, given that there is nothing remotely like them on the East Coast.
James joined the American Conservation Experience EPIC team in November 2014 as an Administrative and Office Assistant where he is great asset to the team with his conservation and technology background. He now supports the office as the Tech Support Specialist. James began his tenure with ACE as a OHV Trail Technician Intern with BLM where he designed and implemented strategies to maintain OHV trails. He then worked as a Backcountry Wilderness Trail team member in the high sierras building and maintaining wilderness trails.
Jeanne Wade Evans served as the Deputy Regional Forester for the Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service for seven years before retiring in 2017. In her final leadership role, she directed all State and Private Forestry programs in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands. She also strategically led Fire, Aviation, Safety and Acquisition programs for the region affecting 18 National Forests, 8000 employees and annual budgets of over $500 million. She held numerous other leadership positions over her 40 years of public service.
Previous to that position, Jeanne served as the Forest Supervisor of the San Bernardino National Forest in southern California where she led over 600 employees through large organizational change and delivered numerous programs to improve the public forest experience and land stewardship. Prior to this assignment she spent six years at the Forest Service National headquarters in Washington D. C. focused on solving Fire, Aviation, Forestry, Range, Partnership and Legislative issues that impacted the entire agency. She did this in her roles as Deputy Director for Forest and Rangelands, Policy Specialist for Fire and Aviation, National Fire Plan Coordinator, and as the agency representative to the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation.
Before beginning her service in the Forest Service's National headquarters, Jeanne worked for 22 years in various Forest Service field positions in Arizona. She immensely enjoyed her role as District Ranger on the Coronado National Forest in southeastern Arizona believing that this is where a direct impact on land stewardship occurs. She began her Forest Service career in 1977 on the Coconino National Forest in Arizona as a Range Conservationist. Jeanne received her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Resources from Arizona State University, completed course work in Environmental Policy at the University of Arizona and is a graduate of the Senior Executive Fellows Program at Harvard. She was committed to continuous learning over her career and focused on leadership development for her employees. She still mentors those in the agency.
Jeanne demonstrated commitment to partnerships throughout her career. She realized that it is in the public interest to bring together those who care about land stewardship through collaborative public private business models. She partnered with many different conservation corps and conservation organizations over the years to achieve ecological restoration on the ground. Her passion was doing all she could to insure everyone arrived home safely after every work assignment. To that end, she helped lead the Forest Service through a leader engagement strategy with a focus on being a learning organization. During her tenure safety and risk management saw increased focused leadership attention at all levels of the organization and reduction in serious injuries and fatalities.
Jeanne has been connected to the outdoors since she was a young girl camping and fishing in the Rocky Mountains with her family. She currently spends time enjoying and sharing experiences with her young grandchildren when she is not traveling.
Job Titles:
- Recruitment Specialist ( NPS Division )
Jenny came out to California and joined ACE as a volunteer in 2015. This introduction to the world of conservation through trail work and restoration sparked an interest in Jenny that she could not walk away from. After completing two AmeriCorps terms, she began crew leading in South Lake Tahoe for a summer and then continued leading projects all over California for about a year. In the summer of 2017, Jenny moved into a Logistics Coordinator role in South Lake Tahoe, overseeing the crews based out of that region for the season. Now, as a project manager, Jenny currently works out of the Santa Cruz ACE office where she is often working on the California Schedule and coordinating with corps members. During her free time, Jenny enjoys going outside to hike and camp whenever possible.
Job Titles:
- Conservation Trainer & Coordinator
Jimmy first joined ACE as a volunteer in 2011. After catching the Conservation bug, Jimmy went back to School and graduated with an MSc in Applied Ecology and Conservation. Jimmy worked on numerous conservation projects in the UK, Indonesia and Australia as well as leading ACE crews in 2014-15 developing a passion for Trail work and dry-stone masonry, before moving into the role of Conservation Trainer & Coordinator in 2016. In his spare time, Jimmy enjoys exploring the Southwest, hiking, playing pool and trying not to fall off his mountain bike.
Joe started ACE in the Summer of 2019 as a volunteer member (non-AmeriCorps) serving throughout the central California coast. Joe accepted the position of Logistics Coordinator within the Pacific West Coast division shortly after finishing his volunteer term. When Joe is not at Costco shopping for upcoming ACE hitches, he can be found scouring the coastline looking for uncrowded waves.
Job Titles:
- Western Regions Program Manager NPS
Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Delaware, he has spent the majority of his life trying to find mountains on which to work and play both domestically and abroad. In the past 12 years, he has worked as an agroforestry extension agent with the Peace Corps; a boundary technician with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy; a wilderness ranger with both the BLM in Southern Nevada and the National Park Service at Mount Rainier; and as a volunteer, crew leader, and state director for ACE's California Program. He is passionate about conservation and restoration and seeks to inspire others to develop that same ardor to protect our invaluable outdoor spaces. Aside from work, Joel is an avid hiker and backpacker and a novice mountain biker and skier. He is also pursuing a degree in Geography and Environmental Systems with the University of Maryland Baltimore County studying community engagement with mosquito abatement strategies in West Baltimore.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Operations
Joshua Burt began his conservation career in 2002 working as a conservation intern with the Student Conservation Association. Following that experience, he taught outdoor education in his home state of Ohio and continued leading trail crews for SCA in the summer. In 2005, Josh moved to China and taught English in Shandong province, but continued to return in the summer to lead trail crews. In 2007, he returned to the states more permanently and began working in various staff positions for Southwest Conservation corps. In 2011, he became the trail crew leader in Deep Creek District of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and there learned about ACE. He joined ACE as the Operations Manager of the North Carolina office in 2014.
Job Titles:
- AIM Program Coordinator - BLM
Julia Parish studied at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, focusing on tropical ecology and island biogeography. Upon graduation, she became an AmeriCorps intern with the Oahu Invasive Species Committee, which solidified her passion for promoting internships for youth in the non-profit natural resource management sector and restoration ecology. For the past decade, she has worked on islands throughout the Pacific conducting natural resource management focused on invasive species control, wildlife monitoring and cultivating the new generation of environmental stewards. She feels most at home when controlling acres of invasive plants under a sky full of seabirds.
While working as a Plant Conservation Manager with the Catalina Island Conservancy, Julia recruited and supervised several seasons of American Conservation Experience crews and EPIC interns. These dynamic individuals worked on major restoration projects from felling hazard trees, removing dense stands of Arundo, and surveying hundreds of acres of steep terrain for invasive broom species. The crews and EPIC interns work, attitudes, and professionalism inspired her to seek a position with ACE and she is excited to be a part of the ACE team! #ACEinspires
Job Titles:
- Member Support Coordinator
Kasey was born in southern Wisconsin and graduated from Ball State University in 2017, where her passion for conservation began. In the summer of 2016, she was an ACE Mountain West Corps Member and worked on projects including: a mountain biking trail in Cedar City, invasive species removal in Death Valley National Park, and a paved asphalt trail in Grand Canyon National Park. After graduating from Ball State University, Kasey relocated to Hawaii where she completed two more AmeriCorps terms with the Department of Land and Natural Resources-Forestry Division in Maui. Her day to day tasks revolved around GIS work, taking care of the native nursery, removing invasive species, and managing ungulate control throughout the forests on Maui, Lanai and Molokai. With only a brief time on the tropical islands, she came back to the mainland in 2018 to complete a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail which stretches from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada. Realizing that she wanted to share her passion for trails and conservation, she re-joined ACE in February 2019 as the Member Support Coordinator for the ACE Mountain West program working to recruit, support and inspire ACE corps members throughout their ACE terms!
Job Titles:
- Project Manager MTW Division
Katey grew up in New Jersey right along the Delaware River. She loved the river and the shore, but had to get out and see more of the world. After graduating from Tulane University in New Orleans with a B.S. in Environmental Science, she had to leave the city to pursue an environmentalist's career path. She worked for a non-profit based out of Pennsylvania canvassing to urge the EPA to ban a class of pesticides linked to Colony Collapse Disorder and the dying bee population, following her college dreams of changing the world through policy. Three months working on this one campaign really shined a light on the realities of working for the EPA. At the end of the summer she was at a crossroads. She could continue on the campaign in Berkeley, California as a program director full-time or move to Utah to be corpsmember for 3 months. That was almost three years ago. She realized she was more passionate about hands on conservation work than the policies behind conservation. She worked as a corpsmember, then Assistant Crew Leader, then Crew Leader during her 2.5 years here at ACE MtW. Her time was split between restoration projects and rock work heavy trails projects. She has stepped into the role of Project Manager and Chainsaw Program Manager. When she's not visiting crews or fixing chainsaws you can find her rock climbing, on river paddle trips, and amateurishly identifying birds, rocks, and wildflowers.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Operations
Keean began working for American Conservation Experience (ACE) in 2010 as a Forestry Intern and then went through the 900 hour AmeriCorps position the following year. Upon his AmeriCorps graduation he began leading crews building trails, logging out trails and removing invasive species among other things. He found his niche in trails over the 2 years he spent leading crews and moved into the Trails Trainer position in May of 2014. When Keean isn't building, repairing and envisioning trails he spends his time playing music and singing as well as enjoying some good competitive ping-pong and billiards.
Job Titles:
- National Division Director
Kelly joined the ACE team in March as the National Programs Manager. Kelly manages our Bureau of Land Management and US Forestry Service partnership programs. Kelly comes to ACE with a background in National Service and environmental stewardship. Kelly has served 2 terms in AmeriCorps NCCC, VISTA, and worked on a conservation crew for 5 months in Southeast Alaska. With her BS in Criminology, Kelly began her career by introducing/exposing youth to outdoor opportunities through camps and various programs. Kelly discovered her passion for environmental stewardship while removing invasive species in Wisconsin. With ACE, she gets to combine her appreciation for public lands and its resources, with her career. When not working, Kelly can be found exploring new regions, camping, hiking, and/or off-roading.
Job Titles:
- Outreach & Member Support Coordinator
Kelly grew up next to the National Sea Shore in Cape Cod, MA. Growing up on a sand dune formed by a glacier instilled in Kelly a love and appreciation for nature that would direct her career. Kelly got her B.A. in Sustainability & Sociology from the University of Massachusetts (Dartmouth), where she also studied marketing. After graduation, she joined a non-profit in Boston that works to minimize waste that comes from demolishing houses. After a year of project administration in Boston, she joined Cape Cod Green Drinks, an environmental networking group where she coordinated community events. Although she enjoyed the work she was doing with Green Drinks, Kelly decided she needed to seek fulfilling work outside of her home state. In the spring of 2017, Kelly discovered ACE online, signed up for a 900-hour term in the Southeast region, and enjoyed the ride it took her on. After her six-month Corps Member term, Kelly joined ACE-Asheville's logistics team. Kelly started her role as ACE-Asheville's Outreach Coordinator in January of 2018. Kelly is grateful for her ACE experience, and is excited to be able to facilitate this unique opportunity for others.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Member Resources
Being born and raised in Arizona Kelsee grew up having a deep connection to the landscapes of the southwest which has driven her passion for conserving and restoring public lands throughout the state of Arizona. She is originally from Prescott, AZ where she also obtained her bachelor's degree in environmental science from Prescott College. She has worked with ACE in a variety of positions starting in 2012 as a corps member. She has also been a crew leader and a restoration project manager. When she is not working to assist corps members and build ACE's community she is doing the job that brings her the most pride and joy which is being a mom.
Job Titles:
- National Division Director
Kevin grew up in rural Mississippi where he spent his youth exploring, hunting and fishing in the pristine riparian forests and wetlands along the Mississippi River, less than a mile from his home at the time. Nature was the primary source of adventure and entertainment in his youth.This early love for outdoor adventures and wild creatures led to a wildlife conservation career spanning 35 years, two wildlife agencies and 11 states. He began his career as an alligator and alligator snapping turtle researcher with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries before accepting a position with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1987. Before retirement in 2017, he had served in biological and management positions in eight states with the FWS at National Fish Hatcheries, Ecological Services Field Offices, National Wildlife Refuges, and with Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (Federal Aid). In 2011, he graduated from the Service's Advanced Leadership Development Program.
He shares life with a wonderful, supportive partner of 26 years, Valerie, and 2 children, Dhara (13) and Dustin (8) and two Australian shepherds, Jade and Ciera. Valerie is a Montessori educator.
Kevin spent more than 20 years either rock climbing, mountaineering, kayaking, fly fishing or backpacking across the west. Now, he enjoys family and pets, traveling, fishing, gardening, birding, hiking, camping, cooking, photography, and music.
Kip began his conservation career January 2007, as a supposedly brief respite from his grueling degree in "undeclared" and hasn't returned from the woods since. He has spent the ensuing years working/leading/cooking for crews of various conservation corps and National Park trail programs. He prefers to travel and recreate outdoors but must admit that their are some benefits to this desk job he has secured with ACE. He looks forward to trying to feed every corps-member better then the week before and to wrestling with the paperwork beast on their behalf so that they may never have to stare into its beady hungry eyes…
Job Titles:
- Director of Human Resources
Kris comes to ACE with over 20 years of environmental non-profit experience, in addition to having volunteered with the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and the US Forest Service. Kris brings unique experience and perspective as an HR professional because she comes from field programs. In her tenure at SCA and Ecology Project International she held the roles of Conservation Crew Program Coordinator/Manager/National Operations Director, Chief Medical Screener, Risk Management Officer, and HR Manager. She knows the job and life of field staff first-hand, and brings that awareness to her HR work daily.
Kris is passionate about community building, successful communication, and supporting others. Most recently she's been intrigued by and exploring organizational culture, Systems Thinking and Learning Organization principals. Kris is excited to dive in, learn more about ACE, and figure out how she can contribute.
In her play time, Kris can be found camping, hiking, and hanging in the desert Southwest with her 9-year-old son Sky (who luckily loves adventures as much as she does). When at home she enjoys hanging out with Sky, throwing pottery (on a wheel, that is), and volunteering with the Humane Society.
Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Krishun finds herself at home in the woods and around the water. It was in Wisconsin where she got her degree in natural resources management with an emphasis in wildlife ecology. Upon graduation, Krishun spent time working outdoors on both coasts. In the low country of South Carolina, she was a Naturalist intern assisting with sea turtle surveys and teaching others about coastal ecology. In the California Bay area, she worked at an environmental non-profit as a habitat restoration technician battling invasives and and planting native species. In 2015 she heard the Blue Ridge mountains calling; She joined ACE as an Americorps member and was quickly promoted to Crew leader. After 2 rewarding years leading crews she is happy to lend mentorship and guidance to multiple crews throughout the east as Operations Coordinator.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- President
- ACE President and CEO
Laura Herrin joined ACE in 2018 as President and CEO.
Laura has a long tenure working in the youth conservation arena serving fifteen years with the Student Conservation Association in numerous roles, ultimately as the Senior Vice President for Program. In this role, Laura was responsible for all aspects of program and partnership development and implementation, risk management and safety, and organizational growth. In her tenure she implemented a number of initiatives including summer youth employment programs and conservation service programs for urban and underrepresented youth.
Most recently Laura worked with the Corps Network overseeing fund development and partnerships for the membership organization supporting the work of more than 130 Service and Conservation Corps across the country.
Laura's professional career has always been in the non profit space and includes work with Children Youth and Families as well as the US Ski Association.
Laura holds a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College and a Master's degree in Organizational Management and Leadership. Additionally, she is a certified black belt in Innovation Engineering.
Lauren grew up in a suburb outside of Chicago, Illinois and frequently went camping and hiking with her family throughout her youth. After graduating college with a BFA in photography, she changed paths and went on a long section hike of the Appalachian Trail. After hiking 800 miles she decided to get a job in the conservation field in order to continuing being outdoors and to give back to nature. At this time, Lauren started working with the Utah Conservation Corps in Cedar City, Utah. While there she worked on an invasive species removal project for 3 months in the Escalante Grand Staircase National Park. After her time in Utah, Lauren found ACE and had the opportunity to do a 450-hour term based out of Asheville where she worked on trail work, restoration, and invasive species removal projects. After being a corps member, Lauren came back onto the ACE Southeast team as the Assistant Logistics Coordinator. She is grateful to be working with an organization like ACE, and is eager to help facilitate this wonderful opportunity for others wanting to do conservation work.
Lillian Muecke grew up right here in Asheville, NC! She graduated from Asheville High School, then moved to Wilmington NC to earn her B.S. in environmental science. After graduating in 2016, she served her first AmeriCorps VISTA term in Billings, Montana. There, she focused on increasing food security through public lands, community gardens, and urban agriculture. After living outside of Asheville for 6 years, she was ready to move back closer to family and that's when she found ACE. She served a 6 month term as a corps member in 2018, then joined the staff office in 2019 as the Support Specialist.
Job Titles:
- Alumni Outreach & Media Coordinator
Linnea was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Environmental Science. After working for Virginia State Parks as a resource assistant, Linnea moved to Utah to work as a crew leader for ACE. After a year and a half of crew leading, she went on to manage the chainsaw program, herbicide program, and a satellite branch for Mountain West. She will now be taking on the role of Alumni Outreach and Media Coordinator. Linnea loves reading, hiking, climbing, and spending time with her dog (Moose!).
Liz began her conservation career as an intern for the Monterey Bay Aquarium focusing on sea otter research and conservation. After moving home to Ohio, she realized how much she missed being out in the field. As an Americorps member based out of South Lake Tahoe in 2016, she worked on many projects here in the basin and all over California. When not working, she enjoys hiking with her dog and rock climbing.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Marketing Coordinator
- Youth Programs Coordinator
A Wisconsin native, Mackenzie began her conservation journey as a child in the north woods, scouring streams for rocks and helping her dad with outdoor projects. After graduating from Wisconsin-Madison in 2014 with degrees in Biology and Spanish (and a Minor in Gender & Women's Studies), she used her aquatic background to complete an internship with jellies at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium before getting into invasive species work. In 2016, Mackenzie made the move to Arizona for her first of two 900-hour Corps Member terms. In that time, she developed her love for the nonprofit world and found a calling as a Youth Corps Leader working with eager, local high school students. She then spent seven months as a Restoration Crew Leader in Corpus Christi, helping facilitate the start of ACE's Southwest Texas branch. In her free time, Mackenzie enjoys a good nonfiction read, frequent naps, and finding new adventures.
Job Titles:
- Eastern Regions Recruitment Specialist
A love of animals led Madison into the world of conservation. After graduating with a degree in Zoology from North Carolina State University, she spent 6 months in South Africa interning at a nature reserve and volunteering with the Urban Caracal Project. When she got back to the US she switched focus from field work to community engagement and discovered AmeriCorps. While serving an AmeriCorps term at the North Carolina Coastal Federation, Madison had the opportunity to connect individuals to the environmental issues facing their communities. Later, as a Volunteer Specialist at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), she connected volunteers to meaningful stewardship opportunities on public land. Madison is excited to return to North Carolina as ACE EPIC Eastern Regions Recruitment Specialist (NPS). In her free time, Madison enjoys baking, playing volleyball, and traveling with her husband.
Job Titles:
- Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator
Marcel began with ACE California in May of 2010 as the Volunteer and Logistics Coordinator. After serving in the Peace Corps for two years, he found ACE via the networking assistance presented to exiting volunteers completing service and returning home. Marcel now use the same website and many others to spread awareness of ACE. Using his three years of experience supporting crews based out of Santa Cruz, he now focus solely on the generation of new applicants to the volunteer and AmeriCorps programs. Marcel works closely with the operations staff in CA when not traveling around the state to career fairs and other events.
Job Titles:
- National Trails Coordinator
Mark came to ACE in 2011 as the winner of a nationwide search for a trainer with multipe years of technical trails experience with land management agencies. Mark spent 4 years learning dry stone manonry and trail construction technique with the US Forest Service in Lake Tahoe, 4 more years leading Youth Conservation Corps crews and refining rock working skills as a member of the trail crews at Grand Tetons National Park and Saguaro National Park, and participated in a trail crew exchange with the Argentina Park Service.
Job Titles:
- Recruitment & Member Manager
Melissa joined the ACE team in January 2017, coming from nine years in the field as a seasonal ranger in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. After graduating from Sewanee: University of the South with a degree in Environmental Policy, Melissa discovered her love of Western wild lands, watersheds, and wildlife while an Interpreter at Mount Rainier National Park. During graduate school at the University of Montana in Missoula, Melissa researched ranchers and farmers who are "predator friendly," and utilizing diverse methods to co-exist with wolves, bears, mountain lions, coyotes, and more. After graduating with a M.S. in Resource Conservation in 2012, Melissa spent five more years working as a backcountry Wilderness ranger in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. She is continuously fascinated by the interdependence of the GYE's Whitebark Pines, grizzlies, cutthroat trout, elk, and sage grouse. Melissa spends nearly all her free time on public lands: hiking, backpacking, fly-fishing old rivers and exploring alpine lakes, hot-springing, skiing, and wildcrafting!
Job Titles:
- National Recruitment Specialist
Michael grew up in a small town on Lake Ontario, just north of Buffalo, New York. He has a great love for the outdoors, especially hiking, climbing, hunting, fly fishing, mountain biking, and skiing. Michael is a recent graduate of George Mason University in Virginia, where he studied Conflict Analysis and Resolution and had a minor in Environmental Science. While living in Virginia, Michael worked at a local outfitter and discovered that his love of the outdoors was something he wanted to pursue not only in his personal life, but also in his professional. After school Michael worked as a Research Assistant with the Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program, where he did extensive research into the relationship between environmental degradation and community health as well as helped with events planning and promotion of a clean energy economy. He then set his eyes on Utah, a place he has always loved to visit for its incredible outdoor recreation opportunities. As the ACE Mountain West AmeriCorps Program Manager, Michael is enjoying the opportunity to be a part of direct conservation and improve the opportunities for others to get out and share in his own passion for the outdoors.
Job Titles:
- NPS Division Member Coordinator
Michelle is from East Los Angeles and graduated with a BA in American Studies from Whittier College and masters coursework in American History. She has worked in museum education (Smithsonian Latino Center, DC) as a park ranger and youth educator (City of Austin and CA state parks), and most recently in field sciences (BLM, Utah) to name a few. Michelle is excited to work with ACE and share her passion for conservation and ecology with others. She enjoys bird watching, practicing yoga, traveling, and hanging out with her cat, Juniper.
ACE is proud to have Midge on the team as Finance Director. Previously, she spent 23 years with a Flagstaff-based commercial general contracting firm - managing all aspects of payroll, job cost tracking and financial management. From there she worked as a Project Manager for a local property management firm and successfully navigated the challenges of managing various tenant improvement projects on everything from historic residences to commercial warehouses.
When not at work, you can find Midge on the mountain skiing, taking in live music shows and spending time with her family. The whole family loves adding new stamps in their passports and have been to all continents except Antarctica & Africa!
Midge is super thankful for her amazing Finance staff and all she works with in support of ACE's mission.
Mitch grew up in central rural North Carolina where he went on to study Natural Resource Management and Forestry at Western Carolina University. He served with AmeriCorps NCCC and then transitioned into the conservation field, working for Coconino Rural Environmental Corps (C-REC) as a corps member then a mentor for YCC in Flagstaff, Arizona. Mitch continued in building his conservation experience working as a crew leader for The Conservation Corps of Minnesota and the Conservation Corps New Mexico. Outside the Corps world, he has worked in the outdoor recreation industry including guiding paddling trips, working as a camp counselor for a summer camp, and grooming ski trails in Colorado. Outside of the ACE office, Mitch can be found hiking, kayaking, and fly fishing across the southwest.
Job Titles:
- Specialist - Agreements and Compliance
Molly began her work with ACE as a volunteer in the Salt Lake City office in sugarhouse. She has developed into her current role where she perform all state and federal background for each intern in the EPIC Program. Her dedication to her duties ensure a safe work environment. Molly got her B.S. in Environmental Studies from Westminster College and grew up working for an environmental restoration company in both New Jersey and Tennessee. As an avid Snowboarder, Molly loves hitting the slopes during the winter and in the off seasons you can find her near the water as she tries to find any excuse to go surfing.
Nathan was born and lived in Massachusetts. He graduated cum laude from SUNY: College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a B.S. in Environmental Biology. He has worked as a backcountry steward with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, a Leader of the Youth Conservation Corps at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, and part of an exotic plant management team at Lake Mead National Recreation Area before joining ACE Pacific West South as a crew leader in 2018. He was promoted to Project Manager in September 2019. He has led and managed a variety of projects with a focus on restoration projects throughout the Southern California area. Nathan enjoys cooking and baking, kayaking, hiking, and camping during his free time
Pam was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from Ohio State University in Parks and Recreation. During that time, she ventured to the west and fell in love with the Grand Canyon. While pursuing her master's degree at the University of Nevada-Reno, she explored more of the west's outdoors, became a black belt in Karate and taught classes at the University. After graduating, she became the head park ranger and peace officer at Lahontan State Recreation Park. In 1983, Pam moved to University of Wisconsin-Madison to pursue my doctorate in in the Department of Urban and Rural Planning in Environmental Studies and also gained a second master's degree in public administration. During her years at Wisconsin earning degrees, she was a recreation planner with the Department of Natural Resources for the State of Wisconsin.
Pam shares her life's explorations and research passions with her spouse of 31 years, her two sons, her dogs as well as hundreds of her students over the years. Pam's hope is that the work that she has done has helped to preserve our public lands and create a love of the outdoors.
Job Titles:
- National Division Director
As the National Division Director for ACE EPIC, and its NPS partnerships, Peter oversees all aspects of project creation and management, ensuring that smooth and positive partnerships continue without a hitch.
Peter brings a host of conservation experiences from the field including backcountry patrol work in the Brooks Range and Yukon River of Alaska (NPS); resource management and environmental education as an AmeriCorps member in Barnstable Co, Massachusetts (DNR, NPS, and non-profit land trusts); wildlife monitoring in the Sierras (Sequoia National Forest, USFS); and vegetation dynamics research in Chobe National Park, Botswana. When he's not working with talented EPIC Interns/Fellows and amazing NPS staff, Peter can likely be found running or backcountry skiing in the Wasatch, or traveling with his amazing wife.
Job Titles:
- Director of Grants Administration and Compliance
Before joining ACE, Randy spent the last fourteen years with the Student Conservation Association in various management and operations roles. During his time with SCA, he oversaw program development, financial management, compliance, and risk management for upwards of ten regional urban conservation programs. This included development and management of a state-wide workforce development program with the State of Pennsylvania. He also emerged as member and leader trainer on topics such as member experience, risk management, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Before the glow of the conservation world drew him in, Randy spent time with Job Corps recruiting and placing participants. Prior to that he spent three years as a Child Life Specialist providing psychosocial care to children at a teaching hospital. With close to twenty years of experience with youth and young adults through non-profits, he is thrilled to continue his career with an organization dedicated to conservation service. When away from his desk, you can find Randy coaching high school and youth sports and spending time outdoors with his wife and two daughters..
Rory first started with ACE in the summer of 2014 as an Americorps member working on the PCT and instantly fell in love with the diverse landscape that California has to offer. After finishing school, he returned to ACE for a second term the following season and found himself working on a long term backcountry project in the Eastern Sierras and becoming passionate about dry stone masonry. Hooked on this new experience, Rory began a role as a Crew Supervisor and began leading projects all across California with a primary focus on trails and rockwork. In 2018, he took on a new role as a project manager based out of South Lake Tahoe where he still remains today. When not working Rory enjoys all things outdoors, playing music, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Staff
- Executive Vice President
Sarah Miggins has been on a steady career path from volunteer service to an executive in environmental and conservation services in the state of California for over two decades; American Conservation Experience, National Audubon Society, Southern California Mountains Foundation, LA Conservation Corps and Inland Empire Economic Partnership; and recently appointed to serve a 4-year term on the California's State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Commission, appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown. Each transition along her career pathway transformed her approach to leadership and created a deeper interest in helping others reach their full potential, especially young women and men. Miggins shares that the conservation corps movement is a place where you become a leader; your challenge is to inspire others, develop them and create change through them. Miggins knew early on that this work perfectly aligns with her values, passion and inspiration to make real impact on the world and with those that she comes in contact. Sarah holds a Master of Management from the University of Redlands and a Baccalaureate of Science in Geography and Environmental Studies from Ohio University.
Sean graduated from Warren Wilson College with a degree in Environmental Policy. While attending school, he worked as a climbing guide and spent much of his time enjoying the outdoor opportunities that the Southeast has to offer. In the summer of 2016, Sean joined ACE as an Americorps Member. Once his term was up, he took on more responsibilities behind the scenes leading him to the position of Logistics Coordinator.
Job Titles:
- Board Member since 2013
- Member of ACE 's Board of Directors
Shayne has been a member of ACE's Board of Directors since the spring of 2013. He has served as the chair of the board's finance committee and served on the special committee charged with selecting ACE's current CEO and President. Shayne brings experience in accounting, real estate transactions, finance and banking. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Youth Health Associates, Inc. located in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has held previous positions as a controller and analyst for small companies in real estate and construction and in business banking with US Bank. Shayne lives with his family in Sandy, Utah and enjoys Utah's variety of outdoor recreation opportunities, especially the world-class fly fishing.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications and PR
Susie, or "Sooz" as she is warmly referred to by her colleagues and friends, has been with American Conservation Experience since 2008.
Susie started her journey in conservation working as the lead administrator for the CREC program based out of Flagstaff, AZ, where she managed the AmeriCorps program for 3 years. Following that Susie transitioned into the private sector, working for a major banking institution, and then took some time off to start a family. In 2008, she was asked by ACE Founder and President Chris Baker to join and support ACE in a variety of roles. In 2010 Susie was able to use her previous AmeriCorps administration experience to help launch ACE's AmeriCorps program as the National Program Coordinator. In 2013, Susie was given the opportunity to transition in to the role of Director of Communications. She continues working on staff communications, social media management and marketing, alumni management and public relations as well as taking the lead as ACE's Board of Directors Liaison. While not at work Susie loves traveling, pursuing her artistic interests, gardening and creating culinary masterpieces but most of all spending as much time as possible with her husband and their 3 beautiful children.
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer
Tim grew up in central Iowa where he attended Drake University studying Journalism with an emphasis in Radio and Television Broadcast. After leaving Drake, he moved to Utah and began his career in Information Technology, working as a systems administrator for both small and large companies. In 1999, he moved to California where he worked for Apple, Cisco, and EFI, honing his IT skill set in areas such as interface development, web application development, and large-scale network deployment. In 2003, he decided to move back to Utah and work for one of the leading robotic research and development companies, SARCOS. AfterSARCOS was acquired by Raytheon in 2007, he continued to develop his IT skill set, working in systems administration, project management, system architecture, and system integration.
Tim currently holds a BS in Information Technology from Western Governors University, with an emphasis in Security, and is currently working on a MBA in Information Technology Management. His industry certifications include A+, Security+, Project+, CCNA Security, CISSP and MCITP. With over 15 years of technology experience, Tim comes to ACE looking to champion, promote and provide technologies and systems for ACE and its partners striving to conserve and enhance public lands and wildlife. Besides developing and refining new techniques, he is a staunch advocate for greater sharing of information and more consistent use of assessment and monitoring tools, so we can besure that the work we do actually benefits people and the environment.
Job Titles:
- Accounts Receivable
- Manager
Travis joined the ACE team in the spring of 2017 to serve as project manager for the Sinkyone Wilderness trail building project. Travis joined ACE with a diverse background in conservation ranging from trails work with the Forest Service and volunteer work with Colorado's Division of Parks and Wildlife, to managing fuels reduction, fire mitigation, and beetle kill forestry projects across the southwest. Hoping to turn his passion for conservation into a career, Travis recently returned to school and received a Master's in Conservation Leadership from Colorado State University. He looks forward to continue working with ACE as a project manager and is excited to work alongside others who share his passion for the natural world.
Job Titles:
- Restoration Project Manager
Wesley Pickett grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania, attended Temple University in Philadelphia, and graduated with a BS in Geology. While at school, Wesley realized that he wanted to combine his schooling with his love for the outdoors, luckily finding a great fit at ACE. Originally joining the organization as a corpsmember in 2016, he has spent the last 3 years working with the Mountain West Division, and has recently been promoted to the position of Project Manager. He will be focusing on managing restoration projects and looks forward to helping educate folks about vegetation management, and the benefits it can have for our ecosystems. In his free time Wes can be found participating in all aspects of climbing, reading, watching anime, hiking, and other outdoor activities.
Job Titles:
- Eastern Regions Program Manager NPS