James Sodano

Mid-Atlantic Land Stewardship Coordinator

James joined ATC in 2024, where he coordinates land and boundary stewardship for the Mid-Atlantic region of the Appalachian Trail. His work is aimed at monitoring and maintaining the A.T. corridor through collaborative efforts between the ATC, regional trail-maintaining clubs, and other agencies.

James earned his bachelor’s degree in Biological Science from Loyola University Maryland and his master’s degree in Biological Science, with a focus on ecology, biodiversity, and entomological mutualisms from Towson University in Maryland. During his graduate studies, James carried out research in South Africa and Botswana, where he gained experience conducting field work and ecological sampling.

Prior to joining the ATC, James spent time as an animal keeper at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, where he focused his efforts on training large herbivores and hoofstock species.

James enjoys spending his free time hiking and backpacking, fishing, visiting national parks, and spending time with family. He is enthusiastic about raising public interests and awareness in the conservation of land and wildlife, environmental sustainability and land stewardship, and is grateful he gets to work with an amazing group of like-minded people contributing to the mission of the ATC.