Zach has a background in leading conservation corps crews in Vermont and Colorado as well at home building crews in Tennessee. Zach believes that the corps model is one of the best ways to give young people the opportunity to grow their skills and personal connection to place. Originally from the Shenandoah Valley, he is proud to see his community supporting conservation service and education.

Robert worked in both State and Federal legislative bodies before beginning his work in conservation. He spent a season working on a backcountry chainsaw crew in Utah, and then came back East to lead crews for ACC. After leading three crews in projects that ranged from battlefield restoration, disaster response, trail building and maintenance, and boundary marking, he began his position as program staff. Robert has found his passion in conservation work, and hopes to use his background to shed light on the importance of National Service as it relates to young adults, their communities, and the public lands they serve in.

Eleanor (she/her/hers) was born and raised in Virginia and has lived or worked in all the major college towns in the state. She prefers the mountains where she attended summer camp as a kid and worked as a counselor through college to the coast where she grew up, but has a healthy nostalgia for the Tidewater region. After getting a B.S. in Geology and Sculpture from William & Mary, she moved to the mountains, spent two years as a line cook, and found the corps world on Craigslist. Since her first season as a member with ACC, she hasn’t looked back, continuing as an Adult and Youth crew leader, Field Supervisor, and now Crew Program Coordinator. If she could change her job title, it would be Shop Dragon; taking care of tools and tinkering with chainsaws are some of her favorite parts of a job that includes recruiting, training, project assistance, and more. Eleanor loves words, reading, memes, food, and crafts, and lives with her blacksmith partner, their two dogs, and a host of old vehicles.

Maddie Interdonato (she/her) is a native of Virginia where she studied Anthropology at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2017, she moved out to rural Colorado to serve as an AmeriCorps member. She quickly became passionate about service work and returned a second year as a VISTA, and a third year as the Program Coordinator. During this time, she got involved with environmental work through program partners and decided to pursue work in conservation. Maddie worked with the Utah Conservation Corps before returning home to Virginia, bringing with her a new found connection to nature, way too many new hobbies, and an adventure pup named Tug. As the IP Program Manager, Maddie works with ACC’s partners to develop meaningful experiences for service minded individuals.

Robin (she/her/hers) started as ACC’s Field Supervisor in 2021. Previously, she worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service leading data collection for the agency’s National Trail Inventory Project as well as the Monongahela National Forest on trails, tourism, and GIS projects. Robin attributes her passion for the outdoors to one of her first work experiences as a crew member with Southwest Conservation Corps. She studied at Occidental College, where she majored in Geology and explored the deserts of California, and also holds a Graduate Certificate in Digital Mapping. Joining the ACC team has allowed Robin to come back home to Virginia and support conservation service and recreation development in the Appalachian Region.

Sandra Ranic (she/her/hers) was born in Colorado but raised in Virginia where she studied Parks and Outdoor Recreation from George Mason University. She served with AmeriCorps working as a crew member for Appalachian Conservation Corps on their chainsaw crew during the 2021 summer and fall seasons. After working two seasons, she found a new passion for nature and conservation. As the Administrative Specialist, Sandra helps with recruiting, onboarding, training, and more.