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.

Maddie Wiles 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 deep 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 to kickstart their careers in conservation.

Born and raised in rural West Virginia, there wasn’t much for Sarah to do growing up except enjoy the outdoors. After earning a Justice Studies degree from James Madison University, Sarah decided to remain in the Shenandoah Valley. After joining the organization in 2022, she now supports the members and general operations at Appalachian Conservation Corps through recruitment, hiring, onboarding, member resources, payroll, and grant management. When she’s not in the office, you can probably find Sarah reading outside or eating pastries.

Eleanor 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, Crew Program Coordinator, and now Crew Program Manager. 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, logistics, and more. Eleanor loves words, reading, memes, food, and crafts, and lives with her blacksmith partner, their dog and cat, and a host of old vehicles.

Christian started his Corps experience as an Americorps member in 2020 with Appalachian Conservation Corps. After graduating with a degree in environmental science form Goshen College, he embarked on what he thought was going to be a single fun season before he had to get a “real job.” This single season turned into eight seasons of trail maintenance, technical rock work, and chainsaws before he started as Forestry and Watersheds Program Coordinator in 2023. In his off time, Christian can usually be found hiking, mountain biking, and rebuilding tired old chainsaws and other small engines.

Lauren started what she thought would be just a summer job as a crew member with ACC in 2019. After graduating from the College of William & Mary in 2020 with degrees in Biology & Environmental Science, she returned to ACC to lead crews. She has done a wide variety of work including technical rock work, trail building, and chainsaws before starting as the Trails Program Coordinator in 2023. She enjoys hiking, ceramics, and various tree cookie crafts in her free time.

Nico joined Appalachian Conservation Corps as a Program Coordinator in 2026. He earned a BA in History with a minor in Political Science from the University of New Mexico in 2020.

Nico began working in conservation in 2024 as a Corpsmember with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in Albuquerque and was promoted to Crew Leader for the 2025 season, where he led a trails and chainsaw crew.

He was introduced to the outdoors at a young age by his father through hiking and mountain biking in his home state of New Mexico. Nico began working outdoors at 16 with the National Ski Patrol. After earning his degree in History, he spent several years in the restaurant industry, working every role and eventually running his family’s restaurant from 2021–2024. After the restaurant was sold in 2024, Nico found his way into conservation through a job posting and quickly discovered a passion for the work. Following a successful season as a Crew Member and Crew Leader with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, and with a desire to experience life outside of New Mexico, he accepted his current position with Appalachian Conservation Corps.

Born and raised in the Shenandoah valley, Lucie always gravitated toward the outdoors. This led her to pursue a degree in Environmental Biology from Mary Baldwin University, graduating in 2022. Lucie brings a variety of Corps experience to her current role, including trails, chainsaw work, and ecological surveying between Virginia, Maryland, and Colorado. Most recently, she spent two years in the Arboriculture industry, learning to climb trees and use a chainsaw at height, mitigating high risk, and delving deeper into tree biology, eventually earning her distinction as an ISA Certified Arborist. In 2026, Lucie joined Appalachian Conservation Corps as a Crew Program Coordinator. In this role, Lucie works with land management partners to plan work for crews as well as hiring, training, and supervising a portion of ACC's incredible conservation crew leaders as they complete vital and meaningful conservation projects across Appalachia and the Mid-Atlantic.

Dannise grew up going on many adventures in the Appalachian mountains, from hiking with her grandparents to spelunking with her classmates. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from James Madison University, she joined ACC, excited to give back and to follow her passion for the great outdoors.

Bailey grew up hiking, running, and exploring the woods and mountains of Appalachia, so joining Appalachian Conservation Corps in 2026 was something of a dream come true. After earning a master’s degree from James Madison University, Bailey began her career in conservation working as an environmental educator and advocate for three years in Virginia and Utah. She is motivated by her passion to help people cultivate a relationship with the landscapes and ecosystems around them. When she’s not in the office, you can find Bailey in the woods somewhere identifying wildflowers and admiring lichen.

In 2021, Laura spent her first year serving with AmeriCorps at Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, Virginia, where she fell in love with conservation work — and Virginia. She spent a second year as a resource management member at Deep Creek Lake State Park in Oakland, Maryland, where she learned to operate a chainsaw, build trails and spotted her first black bear. Laura received a degree in journalism from Appalachian State University in 2020 and hopes to tell the stories of ACC members and the conservation work they are doing in her role as IP Member Support Coordinator. In her free time, Laura enjoys live music, writing poetry and painting.

Shannon had never been to a State or National Park until serving in her first AmeriCorps program in 2019. This experience inspired her to continue her career in serving our public lands. She completed a second year of service, then pivoted and became a teacher. While teaching, she realized that working in conservation and preservation was her passion. She embarked on an exciting career with the National Park Service as an Education Specialist in addition to working with her park’s wildland fire engine and serving as a Public Information Officer. Shannon is thrilled to join the Appalachian Conservation Corps which will allow her to connect young people to public lands and hopefully give them the same experience that was so life-changing for her. She is also currently pursuing her master’s in environmental law and has two, adorable bunnies: Sheila and Kevin.

Emily graduated from Saint Michael's College with a degree in Anthropology and Environmental Studies. After graduation she joined a mesic restoration crew with Montana Conservation Corps . What initially started as "one season before an office job" turned into 3 years of exploring the US via working with a variety of conservation corps programs. In 2025, she found herself in a field tech role with ACC and has stayed to become a Member Support Coordinator for the Individual Placement team.