12 minute read
Cast Your Vote
As a member of the Florida Trail Association, you have the privilege of casting your vote in the 2021 Board of Directors election. You have a voice, and we want to hear it!
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SEVERAL WAYS TO CAST YOUR VOTE!
By Mail: on page 11, there’s a paper copy of the ballot that can be mailed. Mail in ballots must be received by March 26, 2021. Mail your ballot to: Florida Trail Association 1022 NW 2nd Street, Gainesville, FL 32601 Electronically: There is now an option to vote online! Visit: www.floridatrail.org/about-us/ourboard/
Online voting will close March 26, 2021.
The new Board of Directors will be announced at the FTA Annual Meeting April 3, 2021 This will be a virtual meeting and all members will be emailed a link to the event prior to the meeting.
*You must be an FTA member in order to vote. Note, only one vote per membership. If you choose to submit your ballot by mail, you will not need to vote electronically.
The Florida Trail Association Nominating Committee has verified all applicant qualifications. To learn more about the 2021 candidates, please read the bios below. If you wish to learn more about Board of Director duties and responsibilities, head to www.floridatrail.org.
President: David Waldrop
David is a graduate of USF with a BS in Engineering Technology and is employed by the Lake Wales Charter School District. He has been a member of the Florida Trail Association since 2005, having joined after doing trail maintenance with members of the Heartland Chapter. He is a section leader for the Kissimmee River section of the FNST and the current President of the Board of Directors.
1st VP Governance and Administration: Deborah Schroth
Deborah thanks Leslie Wheeler for enticing her to become a member of the North Florida TrailBlazers after an introduction to the FTA during the IDidAHike in and around the Goldhead State Park area of the FTA. Deborah has done trail maintenance work and volunteered for IDidAHike for several years, until being grounded by the Coronavirus protocols. She is proud to have a National Scenic Trail in Florida and knows the importance of managing this resource. She is a Florida public interest attorney interested in environmental matters with experience in both state and federal regulatory matters. For almost 25 years she has worked for non-profit law firms, gaining public advocacy skills, including legislative and administrative advocacy. Deborah has served on the Board of Directors of numerous non-profit organizations during her career and has served most recently as the FTA’s Secretary after serving as an at-large Board member.
4th VP Development and Outreach: Leslie Wheeler
Leslie has been a member of Florida Trail Association ever since she went with the Western Gate Chapter on a field trip to Garcon Point and observed rare pitcher plants on her hands and knees. She has been an active member of the North Florida Trailblazers in Jacksonville since 2000. Her experiences as an FTA volunteer led her to become a Florida Master Naturalist, as the Florida Trail provides wonderful access to our natural places. Leslie has served on FTA’s Board for many years in various capacities, most recently as President. She is looking forward to working more to raise awareness and funds for FTA to support our mission. Leslie graduated from Millsaps College with a BS in Biology. She became a medical technologist and earned her Specialist in Blood Banking at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans. She has a Master of Healthcare Administration from Tulane University. After a long career of managing transfusion services at Florida hospitals, she now works part time as a validation specialist for a healthcare software company.
Secretary: Darryl Updegrove
Darryl grew up in Pennsylvania. Since graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in electrical engineering, he has spent the last 33 years working for the U.S. Government, first in Virginia, and now in Panama City, Florida. He received a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Florida State University (FSU) in 1998, and Masters of Business Administration from FSU in 2012. He joined the Panhandle chapter of the FTA in 2016, and has since become co-chair, chair, director (current), activity leader, activity coordinator (current), and has a National Sawyer Certification Card. He enjoys cycling and hiking. He is active in his church, where he plays the electric bass for worship services.
Alan Bradshaw
Alan is a semi-retired International Business Development Executive living in Sanford. Alan’s multiple roles as Vice President have provided extensive business development, operations and leadership experience. Alan had a long career with AAA, over 60 million members strong, and its associated partners. Alan served on the Executive Board of Directors for the EDTA (Electric Drive Transportation Association) in Washington DC before relocating to Australia for work. Alan stays active with four children and three grandchildren, and has a long history and passion for the outdoors from his early years growing up in Western New York and Minnesota. Alan spent much of his childhood with a pack strapped to his back in the mountains of the West and woods of the North. His father had him in the woods camping, canoeing and hiking from a very young age. Alan, an avid world traveler, has backpacked, hiked, and canoed through the Upper Midwest, the Rockies, US and Canada, Big Horns and Glacier National Park. Alan is a newcomer to the Florida Trail Association and has a keen interest in becoming involved in supporting the continued efforts of the Association.
Dr. Patrick Brennan
Patrick Brennan (Ph.D., Ed.D.) enjoys and cares about our northwest Florida resources and is ready to play an active role in preservation, promotion, and education. Patrick has cultivated his passion for Northwest Florida and its trails, springs, and creeks while growing up in Niceville, Florida. (Class of '87) In his research and curriculum development, Dr. Brennan is exploring human history in landscapes. As a member of the Board, Patrick will continue to promote the Florida Trail Association and all of its goals. Patrick will also continue to communicate and share time with several local organizations he knows that share similar and overlapping interests. When he is not in the classroom Dr. Brennan runs, bicycles, hikes, snorkels, fishes, and kayaks the St. Andrew Bay and Gulf Coast State College district of Bay, Gulf, and Franklin counties.
Bill Bush
Bill Bush graduated with a Degree in Business Management from USF. He is an avid backpacker, having completed thru-hikes of the A/T, PCT, CT, FT, Pinhoti and the Wonderland Trail. Bill has thru-hiked the Florida Trail seven times, completing it both SOBO and NOBO and has completed more than 20,000 hiking miles. Bill is a retired Federal Law Enforcement officer, having served as an agent for the US Postal Inspection Service, retiring in 2005. Bill has been married to his wonderful wife Lynne for 49 years. Bill has been a member of the hiking community for many years and has many friends and contacts in the hiking community. Bill practices and promotes Leave No Trace and strongly believes in “Hike Your Own Hike”. Bill plans on completing the CDT and earning his Triple Crown as soon as possible after the pandemic is under control and it is safe to return to hiking. Bill loves the Florida Trail and has also completed the Ocean to Lake trail many times. Wherever Bill has hiked, he always presents and promotes the FT as a pleasure to hike. And as usual Bill offers a Happy Trails to all.
Franz Karl Byars
Karl is a retired Army Officer and currently licensed as a Florida Nurse Practitioner. He has been a life-long hiker and an active member of the Western Gate Chapter since 2018 where he volunteers 1-2 times a week on average (approx 3-5 hours per session). He received his National Sawyer Certification Card (April 2019) and also helps his chapter by trail mowing, lopping, tree removal, bog bridge building and repair, campsite cleaning and equipment transport. His background and commitment provide an ideal foundation for advising the Association’s missions in these areas: public health awareness and safety; skills training (especially in emergency first-aid response); budget management; trail work planning and implementation; equipment requirements; and personnel and volunteer recruitment and oversight. He received a BSN from the University of Mississippi and a MSN from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He graduated and received a Nurse Practitioner certification from Johns Hopkins University Post-Masters/ Nurse Practitioner in Baltimore. While on active duty he held clinical and management positions in Germany, Hawaii, Maryland, and Kansas. He served on the medical transition team for Presidential inaugural activities in Washington D.C. and on a special health-care team during a Presidential European visit. After leaving the military, he worked as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) in internal medicine and gastroenterology practices in Maryland and Florida. He was a Clinical NP instructor at Johns Hopkins University and Howard University in Maryland. His other interests include hiking/camping (he has done sections of the AT and FT, among others), boating (American Sailing Association certifications: Basic Keelboat Sailing; Basic and Intermediate Coastal Cruising; Bareboat Chartering) and travel.
James Catalano
James is seeking election to the FTA Board of Directors after having completed a full career as a Florida licensed civil engineer. James received his BS in Civil Engineering from UCF in 1987. He worked for Dyer, Riddle, Mills & Precourt, Inc. as a land surveyor, chief bridge engineer and Tampa regional manager. He is currently the president of Catalano Engineering, Inc, where he has worked since 1994 in civil, structural and marine engineering. As a lifetime Florida resident, James has a deep love and respect for its natural spaces and adheres religiously to the Leave No Trace (LNT) principles. James has hiked and camped on many sections of the Florida Trail from Okeechobee to Escambia and Seminole to Citrus. James has a thorough understanding of the challenges of operating within a 501(c) organization. Through his professional life, he has developed the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully navigate regulatory jurisdictions including State, County, water management districts and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Significant volunteer experience ranging from performing trail maintenance for the SWAMP Mountain Bike Club to serving on the Habitat for Humanity Hillsborough, Inc. Board of Directors. His hobbies include: hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, camping, cycling, fishing, paddle-boarding, surfing, and photo/ videography.
Pete Durnell
Pete Durnell graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a BA in Psychology and has an MA in International Relations from the University of Arkansas. After graduating from Miami, he joined the US Air Force and served a 20-year career there with a focus on Intelligence. After serving at various locations worldwide with the USAF, including living and working in England for several years, Pete returned to the US in 1994 and joined the FTA. Pete became active with the Central Florida Chapter serving as an Activity Leader, Activity Coordinator, and Chapter Chair. He helped with the transition of the FTA Footprint from a newspaper format to a magazine format and served as co-editor and editor. He joined the Board in 2000 and served as a Director, Vice President of Administration and President until 2011. After a break of a few years, Pete rejoined the board and has served as VP Governance from 2016 until the present.
Ralph Hancock
Ralph Hancock joined Florida Trail Association in 1991 after learning of FTA on a day hike in Myakka State Park. He has served as Trail Master, Section Leader, Trail Coordinator, in addition to two terms as Chapter Chair. He joined the Board of Directors in 2008 and served for 4 years. He has recently rejoined the Board and will complete his current 3-year term as director at large in April 2021. He is currently Section Leader of Green Swamp West. He is also a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and has backpacked over 1,700 miles of the AT. Ralph graduated from Georgia Southern College in 1964 with a degree in Business Administration. After college, he joined the Army and later the Air Force Reserves. He worked as a sales representative for two national manufacturers in the hardware industry, later joining the family metal finishing business. In 1990, along with a partner, Ralph owned and operated his own shop until he sold it and retired in 2015.
Warrior Expeditions supports combat veterans transitioning from their military service by thru-hiking America’s National Scenic Trails.
Rick Robbins
Rick Robbins was raised in southwestern Ohio and has spent most of his life enjoying the outdoors. He has undertaken many backpacking and hiking trips, which include the Continental Divide, AT, Ice Age, and the Florida Trail. After receiving his degree in Soil Science and Resource Management from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, he embarked on a journey of mapping soils in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida. In Florida, Rick was Project Leader on the initial mapping of the northern Everglades (Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3) and the re-mapping of the Ocala National Forest. While employed by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rick co-authored soil interpretations that are available on the Web Soil Survey. Interpretations included gopher tortoise burrow suitability, forage suitability groups, ecological sites, seedling mortality, and septic tank absorption fields. Rick resides in Gainesville and is now semi-retired. He works part-time as a GIS specialist/Soil Scientist for the USDA Easements Program. He also is co-owner of Shiloh Ridge Farm which produces chestnuts and is restoring parts of the farm to Sandhill pines. Currently, Rick is the Secretary for the North Florida Prescribed Burn Association and is a Certified Burn Boss.
Visit WarriorExpeditions.org for more information
Florida Trail Association’s 2021 Mail-In Ballot
Mail in ballots must be received by March 26, 2021. Mail your ballot to: Florida Trail Association 1022 NW 2nd Street, Gainesville, FL 32601 Your first and last name is required as a control measure to verify your FTA membership.
Member names will be separated from their votes once verified. One vote per FTA Membership. If you chose to submit your ballot by mail, you will not need to vote electronically.
Are you a current member of the Florida Trail Association? ___Yes ___No
First and Last Name (print legibly): ________________________________
Email: ________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT David Waldrop
VP DEVELOPMENT AND OUTREACH Leslie Wheeler
VP GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Debra Schroth
SECRETARY Darryl Updegrove AT-LARGE BOARD CANDIDATES Select up to six
Alan Bradshaw
Dr. Patrick Brennan
Bill Bush
Franz Karl Byars James Catalano
Pete Durnell
Ralph Hancock
Rick Robbins
