Board Announcement and Nominations

We are excited to announce new appointments to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Board of Directors:

Jim LaTorre to Become Board Chair

Effective August 26, 2023

Jim LaTorre of Potomac, Maryland, is a Georgetown University graduate and a retired partner of the professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he spent his entire 39-year career. He joined the Board of ATC in August 2018. Over the course of his tenure, Jim has served as Board Secretary, Board Treasurer, Chair of the Governance Committee, Chair of the Finance Committee, and a member of the Executive, Audit, Advancement, and DEI committees. He has participated in “Hike the Hill;” presented at annual membership meetings; and section hiked the A.T. from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Gorham, New Hampshire, with the intent of finishing this year. Hiking the A.T. led to joining the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, where Jim serves as a trail maintainer, campsite maintainer, boundary monitor, certified sawyer, and member of Trail Patrol.

Greg Winchester Joins Board

Effective May 12, 2023

Greg Winchester of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, previously served on the ATC’s Board of Directors from June 2013 until November 2019. He has served on the Executive Committee as Vice Chairman, Chair of the Membership & Development Committee, and a member of the Finance Committee.

An ATC life member, Greg has been an active A.T. section hiker since high school as a Boy Scout and then as a member of the University of North Carolina Outing Club. He has completed the 14 state challenge and is working on completing the 31 club challenge. He is an active global section hiker and is exploring various sections of the International Appalachian Trail.

Greg has a distinguished career in commercial real estate with a focus on real estate finance, investment, and financial services. He has served over his lifetime with many nonprofits and ministries. Currently he is involved with the establishment of Auburn University’s Real Estate Development Institute and serves on the Board of Directors of the Auburn University Foundation.

With Gratitude

Built and maintained by volunteers, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is grateful to those who have chosen to volunteer their time in service to our organization. We thank Colin Beasley for his many years of outstanding and dedicated service as a Board Member and Board Chair, always pushing our organization to new levels of leadership and excellence. Colin’s term as Board Chair will conclude on August 26, 2023.

Call for Nominations

Nominations are now open for positions on the Board of Directors at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC). Directors would begin to serve on the governing body after elections that will be certified at the annual membership meeting, generally held in late August or early September. The final date for that meeting will be announced this summer.

Elected Board members serve staggered three-year terms. Approximately one-third of the current seventeen Board positions come open each year; this year we will welcome four new Board members. A slate of nominees will be selected by our nominating committee, then approved by the full Board, and finally voted on by the ATC membership at the annual meeting.

If you, or someone you know, are interested in serving on the ATC Board, we welcome your nominations. We consider many criteria when reviewing nominations. For the incoming class of new Board members, we are looking especially for people with conservation/trail experience, advocacy on the state level, and communication/fundraising experience.

Diversity of thought is a key attribute as well. The ATC is a complex, national non-profit, and it is important that you or your nominee can demonstrate fiduciary oversight capabilities as well as experience of a similar scope in the non-profit or for-profit world. Candidates must be members of the ATC and should be able to demonstrate a passion for its mission and for the A.T.

As guardians of the A.T., we aspire to represent all people who use the Trail now and in perpetuity. We would be interested to know how you, or your nominee, could advance the ATC’s goals for diversity and inclusion.

Nominations should be sent no later than June 19, 2023, to: [email protected].