Trails into the future

Monday, april 19 @ 6:30PM EST

Pack your panniers and get ready for adventure: We’re talking trails with Andy Beers (Director, Empire State Trail), Terri Carta (Executive Director, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative), Ryan Chao (President, Rails-To-Trails Conservancy), and Dennis Markatos-Soriano (Executive Director, East Coast Greenway).

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

ANDY BEERS

Andy Beers was named Director of the Empire State Trail in May 2017. He is an employee of the Hudson River Valley Greenway, which is hosting the statewide Empire State Trail initiative. Previously, Andy served for 10 years as the Executive Deputy Commissioner for the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, which operates 215 state parks, historic sites, and greenway trails. Andy also worked for 17 years for the New York Office of The Nature Conservancy. In 1983 he received a M.S in Natural Resource Policy from Cornell University.

Learn more about the Empire State Trail: site

TERRI CARTA

As Executive Director of the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI), an organization dedicated to the development, establishment, and long-term stewardship of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, Terri is focused on completion of the Greenway and realization of its full potential as a vital connector to parks and waterways, communities, and job centers, and continuous landscaped protected facilities for human-powered transportation and recreation. Under Terri’s leadership, BGI is building a coalition of greenway-aligned groups to channel investment and political will toward closing gaps in the citywide greenway network, which would serve NYC’s ~8.5 million residents across all five boroughs, bring active tourism to all reaches of the city, and significantly advance NYC’s climate and resilience goals.

Terri’s career spans leadership positions in public engagement, community and leadership development, and organizational strategy. Terri is passionate about advancing a trans-disciplinary approach to improving the urban environment and greater public realm. Terri lives in Brooklyn with her son who also loves to ride his bike.

Learn more about the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative: site

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RYAN CHAO

Ryan Chao became President of the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy in January 2019, overseeing the organization’s national leadership in trail development, policy advocacy, and movement building. He brings to his role a long history in community and economic development and a passion for connecting people to opportunity and the outdoors.

Ryan came to RTC after serving as vice president of civic sites and community change at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where he led significant neighborhood-transformation initiatives across the country, linking economic, educational and housing programs to strengthen families and communities. He also served as executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area-based Satellite Housing, where he led the development of affordable housing communities throughout Northern California and created innovative partnership models combining housing with comprehensive supportive services.

Ryan earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Business Administration from the New York University Stern School of Business.

When he’s not leading the team at RTC, Ryan enjoys skiing and cycling on the trails with his wife and daughters.

Learn more about the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy: site
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DENNIS MARKATOS-SORIAN

Dennis has served as Executive Director of the East Coast Greenway since 2009. He and a staff of 10 work alongside volunteers, partners and elected officials to complete the 3,000-mile Greenway and promote its use. 

Under his watch, the Greenway has grown from 18 to 35 percent complete, adding more than 450 new miles of Greenway. Markatos-Soriano has nearly tripled the organization’s funding through his cultivation of foundations, corporations, and individual donors. And he has conceived and led ambitious programming for the Alliance, from regional conferences that gather and energize thought leaders to the recent East Coast River Relay, a two-month series of public events that marked the organization’s 25th anniversary while also strengthening its partnerships, Maine to Florida.

Markatos-Soriano holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead and Byrd Scholar, and a master’s in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University, where he received the 2008 Bradford Prize for Academic & Civic Achievement in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy. Prior to joining the Alliance, he served as executive director of two nonprofit organizations he co-founded: Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE) and Sustainable Energy Transition.

A native of rural Chatham County near the town of Pittsboro, N.C., he now lives in Durham, N.C. He enjoys basketball, riding his bike, and time outdoors with his wife, young kids, extended family, and friends. 

Learn more about the East Coast Greenway: site
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