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Leadership

Our Summer Staff provide continuity and skills in worship, music, programming, and wilderness activities.  Prerequisites include completing one year of college, CPR/First Aid certification, a heart for servant leadership, and typically 4 years of experience (or more) with Wilderness Trail.  From the very beginning, we have been blessed with talented, devoted, and deeply spiritual Summer Staff.  Interested persons may complete and return the Staff Application.  Opportunities include both hiking and non-hiking positions.

Many of our former Summer Staff volunteer their time to lead hikes in the Spring, Summer, and Fall.

"Junior Staff" assist the WT Staff during the summer.  Requirements to be a Junior Staff are: 

(1) have completed 3 Summer Events;

(2) be 15 years of age or older;

(3) receive positive recommendations from WT Staff and their own youth leaders. 

If you meet these requirements and you'd like to help out and learn more about Servant Leadership, complete and return the JS Application.

Volunteer hike leaders over the age of 18 complete our "Servant Leadership" course, which provides training in group building, trail knowledge, and wilderness first aid.  At least 1 Servant Leader is placed in every hiking group to maintain spiritual, emotional, and physical safety.  Our Fall and Spring events in particular are led by Servant Leaders. 

Our Board of Directors meets 3-4 times annually to guide the future of our ministry. 

Michael Blackburn, Chair

Waynesville, NC

Mike Hudson, Vice Chair

Jacksonville, FL

Patrick McDowell, Finance

Waynesville, NC

John Mark Roberts, Trustees

Waynesville, NC

Eric Sollie, Trustees

Waynesville, NC

Paula Kunka, Secretary

Shelby, NC

Matthew Blackburn

Waynesville, NC

Rob Blackburn

Asheville, NC

Sarah Blackburn

Asheville, NC

Dee Campbell

Shelby, NC

Susan Campbell

Shelby, NC

Steve Ellis

Waynesville, NC

Steve Holland

Kernersville, NC

Jim McFall

St. Petersburg, FL

Mike Pass

Waynesville, NC

Malcolm Roberts

Walnut Cove, NC

Mark Thompson

Shelby, NC

Sharon Wilson

Shelby, NC

Dan Baker (danbaker@wtrail.com) is our fearless Summer Director, providing leadership for our programming and Staff during our Summer Events.  Dan hails from Waynesville, NC where First United Methodist is his home church.  He earned a B.A. in French at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in May 2007 and is currently in his third and final year of the Masters of Divinity program at Princeton Theological Seminary.  Dan first hiked with Wilderness Trail as a rising eighth grader in 1998, started as Summer Staff in 2003, was Assistant Director in 2007, and became the Summer Director in 2008.  Dan enjoys folk music, clogging, and a good bowl of ice cream.
Alisa Tripolino (alisa@wtrail.com) is our interim Executive Director, working on the fundraising, administration, and development needed for Wilderness Trail to grow.  "AT" is originally from St. Petersburg, FL, and went on her first hike with Wilderness Trail in 2001 with the youth group from First UMC.  She served as one of WT's stellar Hiking Staff from 2007 to 2009.  AT is a graduate of the University of Florida with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Nonprofit Management.  She enjoys being outdoors, a strong cup of black coffee, and Tampa Bay Rays baseball.
Mary Wood Brown (mary@wtrail.com) first hiked with Wilderness Trail in 1992, started on Summer Staff in 1997, and has worked with Wilderness Trail full-time since 2003.  Mary currently serves as the Events Coordinator, focusing on the upcoming TAKE A HIKE event.  Following the Spring Events Mary will leave her professional role with Wilderness Trail to become a probationary elder in the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church (read more).  Mary is extremely excited about bringing her own churches up to hike with Wilderness Trail in the not-so-distant future! 

 

 

 

 

  Wilderness Trail, Inc.  |  P.O. Box 742  Waynesville, NC  28786  |  (828) 734-0355