Julia Chain

Program Manager, South Mountain Partnership

Julia Chain joined the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in 2021 as the Program Manager of the South Mountain Partnership, an initiative co-convened by the ATC and the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources. SMP was launched in 2006 and has grown into an alliance of citizens, businesses, nonprofits, academic institutions, and local, state and federal government agencies and officials collaborating to envision and secure a sustainable future for the South Mountain landscape region. Julia’s work as Program Manager finds her coordinating SMP programming and working to support the broad network of over 40 partners.

Before joining the ATC, Julia worked for Capital RC&D in the USDA-NRCS field teams in Adams and York Counties, and prior to that was the Associate Director of Preservation Pennsylvania, a statewide historic preservation nonprofit. A lifelong resident of the South Mountain region, she enjoys implementing her passion for conservation and collaboration at the South Mountain Partnership.

Julia holds a Bachelor and Master of Arts in American Studies from Pennsylvania State University. A Schreyer Honors College scholar, she pursued academic concentrations in public history and nonprofit management. Julia and her husband own a small farm and enjoy spending time outdoors and with their many animals.