About American Trails

Join the network of the nationwide trails community!

Biographies of American Trails Board Members

We'd like to introduce the Board of Directors of American Trails and tell you more about these committed trails activists.

Roger Bell, Vice-Chair: A former college administrator with a PhD from the University of Washington, Roger has served as President of what is now the Professional Trailbuilders Association and is a member of their Board. His company is Bellfree Contractors, Inc. (just sold to a new owner) and in some 38 years his business has been involved in over 400 projects in 14 states. Roger, from his base in Southern California, also designs trails and consults on a variety of trail issues: see www.Naturtec.com. He just joined the Board of his hometown Redlands Conservancy. His book, Trail Tales, which chronicles outrageous trailbuilding adventures in verse, is available from AT's on-line book store.

Dr. John Collins, Jr., is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas in Denton where he teaches and does research in the field of Recreation, Park, and Leisure Services. John was also the Chair of the Program Committee for the recent National Trails Symposium in Austin. John is active with National Recreation and Park Association and is the President of the Texas Trails Network.

Terry Durby writes "I first became involved in American Trails when I volunteered to help with the exhibit hall setup at the National Trails Symposium in the Quad Cities. I am on the Iowa Motorized Recreational Advisory Committee and the Winnebago County Community Foundation that distributes grants locally. I currently am the President of the Iowa State Snowmobile Association, delegate to the American Council of Snowmobile Associations, and delegate to the International Snowmobile Council. I also am on the Lake Mills Recreational Trail Committee for biking and hiking. Through these two passions, I hope to revamp the way groups in Iowa look at trails and development to include bikes, hikers and snowmobilers. I have five consecutive years experience in going to WashingtonDC to lobby for more funding for recreational trails.

John Favro was the Regional Trails Coordinator for the Northern Region of the U.S. Forest Service. In that capacity, he was the program manager for 25,000 miles of trails on 13 National Forests and Grasslands in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. John began his Forest Service career 35 years ago as a wage grade one Trail Laborer. In addition to managing Ranger Districts, he has worked in timber, wildlife, fire, and range, and has managed trails programs at numerous locations in California and Alaska prior to moving to Montana. John has B.A. degrees in psychology and philosophy, and has completed all course work for a B.S. in natural resource management. In 2006 he assisted the country of Jordan with trail and outfitter camp management through the International Forestry Program. Since retiring, John is doing trail consulting, and teaching trails and fire management courses. John is also working with his wife Susan managing a horse supply and equipment business, Healthy As a Horse Network. In his spare time, John is an avid trail user and travels the trails around Montana using virtually every mode of transportation including: hiking, horse and mule riding and packing, bicycling, snowmobiling, and driving off-highway vehicles.

Mylon Filkins, DVM, is an equine practitioner, as well as a long-time user of saddle and pack stock on federal lands, wilderness areas, forests, parks and backcountry trail systems. He is also past chair of Backcountry Horsemen of California and Back Country Horsemen of America. Dr. Filkins was named chair of the Recreation Trails Committee of the American Horse Council which advises the Council on federal issues affecting this important and growing segment of the horse industry. He is also Chair of the Backcountry Horsemen of America Education Foundation. Dr. Filkins has long been a supporter of American Trails, serving on the American Trails Advisory Board since 1998.

Marianne Fowler, Senior Vice President of Programs for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, was previously southern regional coordinator and director of governmental affairs for RTC. She is the Vice Chair of the Coalition for Recreational Trails, chairs the Green Ribbon Panel in the Millennium Trails Program, and co-authored Trails and Trailways into the 21st Century.

Pam Gluck is the Executive Director of American Trails. With over seventeen years of trails experience, she has owned a hiking/ cross-country ski guide service; served as Parks and Recreation Director for the Town of Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona; and served as the Arizona State Trails Coordinator for five years. Pam's strengths lie in building and nurturing sustainable partnerships. Her primary duties include overall management of American Trails, coordinating the National Trails Symposium, and overseeing projects. Pam's goal is to continue to grow American Trails to meet the needs of the trails community and to serve the general trail user. Her favorite means for mental, spiritual, and physical renewal is daily walks with her husband and her dog.

Jan Hancock is an equestrian recreational facilities design consultant and former college instructor in Phoenix, Arizona. She has written three books, the most recent is the "Equestrian Design Guidebook for Trails, Trailheads, and Campgrounds," published in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and the USDA Forest Service. Jan is a frequent presenter and trainer at national conferences and workshops on equestrian-related topics. In addition to the American Trails Advisory Committee, Jan serves on the Governor's Growing Smarter Advisory Committee, Board of Directors for the Arizona State Horsemen's Association, Arizona Trail Association, Friends of the West Valley Recreation Corridor, and she is the president of the Maricopa Parks + Trails Foundation. Jan served on the American Trails Board for 6 years and currently serves on the Advisory Board.

Terry Hanson was Co-Chair of the 2000 National Trails Symposium. Employed by the City of Redding, California, Planning Department, he is project manager for the Turtle Bay Pedestrian Bridge that will cross the Sacramento River. He has also worked on the Sacramento River Trail that links Redding's railroad and mining history with its riverfront parks and the Turtle Bay Exploration Park, via a ten-mile greenway along the beautiful river.

Hulet Hornbeck, Emeritus Member: Trails have been a consistent thread through Hulet's life. In his teens he hiked Vermont's Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail, and during the 1950s he explored the hills, valleys, and shores of Central California. His life-long interest turned into a career acquiring and funding open space and trails for the East Bay Regional Park District. Hulet is winner of the 2000 National Trails Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Scott Linnenburger is the Director of Field Programs for the International Mountain Bicycling Association, overseeing IMBA's Trail Care Crew, Trail Solutions, and National Mountain Bike Patrol programs, and developing the IMBA Representative and International networks. From 2004 through 2006, Scott acted as the Coordinator of the Trail Solutions program, IMBA's consulting program for assessment, design, and construction of trail systems. His background in environmental management assisted IMBA in framing sustainable trails as a resource management tool that minimizes natural resource impacts while providing a better trail experience. Scott holds a Masters of Environmental Management Degree from the Nicholas School at Duke University as well as Bachelors Degrees in Biology and Secondary Education from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL.

Mike Passo, owner of Elakah Expeditions LLC., is a nationally recognized expert in making outdoor recreation accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Mike is currently the Conference Coordinator for the Professional Trailbuilders Association. Recently, he has conducted an extensive study of outdoor developed areas nationwide to determine the cost implications of construction of trails according to proposed American's with Disabilities Act standards, and a Congressional study on improving access to outdoor recreational activities on federal land. He has a B.S. in Recreation Resource Management from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, including three years coursework in Landscape Architecture and Civil Engineering. He has presented on Universal Design and Programming at several national conferences. His love of the outdoors and his own paraplegia has given him a great interest in the creation of an accessible outdoor environment that does not ruin the characteristics and value of that environment.

Gil Penalosa, multicultural executive and social marketing strategist, earned a Master in Business Administration from UCLA. Following years of private and public sector senior managerial experience, the Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, appointed him Commissioner of Parks, Sport and Recreation for the City. Gil led his team to design and build over 200 parks, of which the best known is the Simón Bolívar (360 hectares). They were also successful in opening 56 miles of car-free city roads on Sundays, the Ciclovia, where over 1.5 m. people come out weekly to walk, run, skate and bike. Gil is Executive Director of the Canada based non-profit Walk & Bike for Life as well as a successful international speaker and consultant. He also works as Senior Consultant for the renowned Danish firm Gehl Architects, and as Senior Associate with NYC's Project for Public Spaces. He serves on the Boards of Directors of American Trails and City Parks Alliance and was the keynote speaker at the Closing Luncheon of the 18th National Trails Symposium. Gil lives in Ontario, Canada and enjoys outdoor activities with his wife and their three children.

Bob Searns, Chair: The founding owner of Greenway Team, Inc., a planning and development firm based in Denver, that has specialized for three decades in greenways, trails and conservation. He was Project Director of Denver's Platte River Greenway, one of the nation's benchmark urban trail projects, and produced 10,000 Trees, an eight-mile river corridor restoration project involving 3,000 volunteers. He has authored a greenways and trails plan for the 43-square-mile area west of Denver International Airport, as well trail and greenway projects across the nation including Chicago, Dallas, Memphis, Louisville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Portland. He was a development consultant for the Grand Canyon Greenway, a precedent-setting 72-mile system of multi-use trails along the canyon rim. Bob has conducted workshops throughout North America and Europe. He co-authored Greenways: A Guide to Planning, Design and Development and Trails for the 21st Century, and contributed to Greenways, The Beginning of an International Movement.

Joe Taylor has been employed by the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau for 20 years, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer since 1998. Joe is a native of Mercer County and received his Bachelor's degree in History from Illinois State University. He worked as a Newspaper Reporter and Editor for 10 years before accepting his first tourism position at the Galesburg CVB. He later worked at the Clinton CVB in Iowa before joining the Quad Cities CVB staff in 1989. He enjoys books, reading, travel, the quiet and slow pace of hiking, and the noise and frenzy of NASCAR racing.

Karen Umphress has been an enthusiastic advocate of on- and off-highway riding for over a decade in her home state, Minnesota. Karen is employed as a Project Coordinator for the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC). She is currently serving, along with her husband Tom, as a Government Relations officer with the Amateur Riders Motorcycle Association, Minnesota's local district (23) of the American Motorcyclist Association. In addition to OHM riding, Karen also enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, canoeing, and other activities which allow her to be in the great outdoors.

Terry Whaley is Executive Director of Ozark Greenways, Inc. in Springfield Missouri. The mission of Ozark Greenways is "Enhancing and Preserving the Ozark Natural Heritage for Public Use and Enjoyment." Terry's duties include promotion and education on linear parks, greenways, and trails. He is responsible for fund raising, acquisition of easements, trail design, trail development, and the management of land trust work to preserving open space and farm land. He helped initiate the Missouri Trail Summit, and volunteers with several other state wide organizations.

Jim Wood has been with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Greenways and Trails since 1999, and has served as the program’s Assistant Director since 2002. In this capacity, he oversees the Office’s land acquisition, community assistance and public outreach programs, and serves as lead staff for the Florida Greenways and Trails Council. Specific projects he has been involved in include the creation of the visitor-oriented online Florida Greenways and Trails Guide, coordination of two regional developer forums on trails and greenways, and the establishment of the Florida Trails Database. His specific interests focus on the integration of trails in tourism and private development planning. He has made many presentations on these and related topics, and has represented the Florida greenways and trails program before elected officials, government agencies, non-profit organizations, user groups and private citizens. He holds a BS in Communication from the University of Florida and an MS in Geography from Florida State University.

Biographies of American Trails Advisors

Jan Hancock is an equestrian recreational facilities design consultant and former college instructor in Phoenix, Arizona. She has written three books, the most recent is the "Equestrian Design Guidebook for Trails, Trailheads, and Campgrounds," published in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and the USDA Forest Service. Jan is a frequent presenter and trainer at national conferences and workshops on equestrian-related topics. In addition to the American Trails Advisory Committee, Jan serves on the City of Phoenix Parks Board, and the Board of Directors for the Arizona State Horsemen's Association, Arizona Trail Association, Friends of the West Valley Recreation Corridor, and she is the president of the Maricopa Parks + Trails Foundation.

Erik Larsen is Vice President and Managing Director of the Arnold Palmer Companies and is based in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. A practicing landscape architect and golf course architect, he received his degree in Landscape/Horticulture from North Carolina State University. With the exploding interest in trails and open space in urban communities and developing areas, Erik will provide an important liaison with the land development community and the private sector as well as helping American Trails with its array to current trails advocacy activities. As a landscape architect, he also brings outstanding design expertise to American Trails.

On this page:

Related pages:

About American Trails

Biographies of American Trails Board Members

Biographies of American Trails Advisors