Board & Councils

David Christopher Rose is a transition designer and cultural landscape strategist with over 20 years of experience supporting organizations and communities during periods of structural, ecological, and social change. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, where he contributes a landscape-scale governance perspective grounded in connectivity, access, and long-range stewardship.

As a board member, David sits on the ATC Belong Committee and Nominating Committee, serves on the Steering Committee for the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership, and sits on the Advisory Committee for the Appalachian Trail Community Conservation Collaborative. Through this work, he helps bridge trail communities, conservation partners, and public agencies across the Appalachian landscape.

David also guides graduate-level work with Climate Leaders @ Penn in Philadelphia County, supporting master’s students as they study connectivity gaps along the Upper Schuylkill River Valley — preparing urban communities for deeper investment and connection to state and federal public lands, including the Schuylkill River Greenway and the Appalachian Trail.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Public Policy from the University at Buffalo and pursued graduate study in historic preservation at the University of Pennsylvania.