2023 Board Officers
Board President
Attorney
Tate Law Firm, LLC
Hometown: Jasper, Georgia
Will is a practicing attorney in his hometown of Jasper, Georgia. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in civil engineering from Georgia Tech and a JD from Georgia State University College of Law. Prior to law school, Will worked as a geotechnical engineer.
When not practicing law, you’ll find Will enjoying mountain biking and hiking with his family. He’s a big fan of our property Talking Rock Nature Preserve and loves seeing so many folks from his community out enjoying the nature and trails at this site. (Check out his t-shirt! in this photos!)
Will joined the board because he truly wants to develop public land that can be used by the community around it.
Fun fact about Will: He hiked Half Dome Yosemite National Park (Y’all – that’s quite a hike!)
Will – thank you for serving on our board of directors. We’re excited to have your talent and enthusiasm for our mission!
Vice President
Rebecca holds BS of Zoology and MS of Biology degrees from Auburn University. She completed her PhD in Entomology at the University of California, Davis. Her main research interests include the phylogenetics, taxonomy, and systematics of trapdoor spiders. She recently published a revision of the trapdoor genus Ummidia in which she described around 30 new species from across North, Central, and South America.
Currently, Rebecca is an Assistant Professor in the Natural Sciences Department at Piedmont University where she teaches introductory biology courses as well as genetics and invertebrate zoology.
Rebecca has a true passion for effectively communicating science both with students in the classroom as well as with the public and believes that effective science communication at all levels and societal science literacy are crucial to create an informed society. She has volunteered with Black Belt Environmental Science and Arts Program (BBESAP) and the Louis Kreher Arboretum doing outdoor education for children as well as with conservation groups like the Alabama Plant Conservation Alliance (APCA).
Rebecca loves being outdoors, hiking, camping and, yes, looking for spiders! She also loves getting her students and members of her community outside to appreciate all the beauty and enriching experiences that can be had in outdoor spaces. She grew up taking regular camping and hiking trips with her family to the Smoky Mountains and other natural areas. Her father taught her the importance of “walking quietly in the woods” in order to truly appreciate the natural world around her. In college one of her professors, Dr. Debbie Folkerts, stirred her interest in natural history, education and outreach, and conservation.
As a member of the Board, Rebecca is excited to become a part of an organization that values both preserving undeveloped natural spaces as well as working with groups to make enriching and engaging outdoor spaces for local communities. She lives with her husband, cats, and tortoise (and possibly a spider or two) in Habersham County, where she spends as much time enjoying the outdoors as possible
Secretary
At-Large Directors
Past Board President
Senior Project Manager
Corblu Ecology Group, LLC
Hometown: Kingstree, South Carolina
Barney received both his BS and MS in Forest Resources from Clemson University and current serves as the Senior Project Manager for Lawrenceville-based Corblu Ecology Group. When he’s not out on working on a site, you’ll find Barney hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking and playing with his Boykin Spaniel, Georgia. His favorite spot to be in nature? A blackwater cypress swamp.
Barney has a deep love of the outdoors, partly inspired by his past experience in youth environmental education programs.
Some fun facts about our 2020 and 2021 board president: He spent a summer trapping alligators for research. And recently, he’s travelled to the Seychelles Islands, located in the Somail Sea a segment of the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar and east of Kenya. His favorite book is the Sand County Almanac and his favorite movie is A River Runs Through It.
At-Large Director
Regional Manager, Transportation Broker
Hometown: Boonville, Missouri
Jody is from Boonville, Missouri, a small town on the Missouri River about an hour northwest of Jefferson City. A graduate of the University of Missouri, Jody made her way down to Atlanta about 11 years ago.
She is the Regional Manager for a transportation broker for the Georgia State Medicaid Program – serving over 34 counties in north Georgia. She enjoys walking, cycling and the great outdoors. Jody also has a big heart for older adults, especially encouraging and assisting them to stay physically and mentally active. She spent several years teaching water and chair aerobics to seniors and would love to develop ways to get older adults involved with outdoor recreation (We’re definitely here for that!)
Jody has been married to her sweetheart for almost 30 years and they have two children. She and her husband enjoy Sweetwater Creek State Park, where they love to walk, take in nature and do some fishing, too!
Jody says that our founder and Executive Director, Bill Jones, really inspired her to get more involved in land conservation efforts. She shares that she joined the board because “I want to help preserve Georgia’s natural beauty.”
Welcome, Jody! We are excited to work with you and learn more about how we can welcome seniors to our parks while we continue celebrating and conserving our natural lands.
At-Large Director
Managing Broker
Troutland & Co
Hometown: Stone Mountain, GA
Trace’s career has spanned from audio/visual and broadcast to commercial real estate. He spent 10 years living in Western North Carolina. Currently, Trace resides with his family in Johns Creek. When he’s not busy coaching Little League baseball, you’ll find him enjoying gardening and camping. No stranger to service, Trace has also volunteered with both Habitat for Humanity and Atlanta First United Methodist Church.
He’s travelled to Costa Rica and grew up exploring the large parks and areas around Stone Mountain. But his favorite place to enjoy nature? That would be Cumberland Island, where the cell service is limited and time slows down.
Fun Fact: While camping near a small lake near Lake Tahoe, Trace witnessed a helicopter crash! He jumped into the lake to help rescue the passengers – five federal inmates and one pilot. The group was tasked with fighting wildfires in the area and Trace helped them unbuckle while upside down in the lake. Everyone survived and only one had minor injuries. Wow!
At-Large Director
Stewardship and GIS Specialist
North American Land Trust
Hometown: Breman, Georgia
Alex has a BS in Physical Geography and GIS. Having lived in both Dubois, Wyoming and Boston, Massachusetts, Alex is now back in Georgia working for the North American Land Trust.
She enjoys kayaking, hiking and learning to identify plants and mushrooms. She’s had a love of nature since childhood.
Farthest place Alex has traveled? Peru!
At-Large Director
At-Large Director
Development Director
Georgia Conservation Voters
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Joe studied English and Professional Communications at Southern Polytechnic State University and has spent his career working for various conservation-minded nonprofits around Georgia.
Currently, Joe lives in Savannah and serves as the Development Director for Georgia Conservation Voters, an organization dedicated to organizing voters around climate and equity issues. Joe has previously served on the Georgia Conservancy’s Generation Green board, the Memorial Drive Greenway Steering Committee, and currently serves as a 1st District Post Seat Holder for the Chatham County Democratic Committee.
Joe enjoyes cooking, fishing, paddling, and I am an avid supporter of Atlanta and UGA sports (Go Dawgs!)
His favorite ways to explore the outdoors include paddling on Ebenezer Creek and camping in the winter on Cumberland Island.
What inspired Joe’s interest in conservation and parks? Spending time as a camper and staffer at Camp Mikell in Northeast Georgia had a profound impact on him.
Fun Fact: Joe started a petition that helped get the name of the former Confederate Avenue in Atlanta changed. The street is now United Avenue.
At-Large Director
Aimee Tomcho enjoys working with landowners and conservation partners to apply nature-based solutions to today’s most pressing biodiversity and climate challenges. Aimee believes stewarding ecosystems and their services is the most compelling idea of our time and she works to make certain that conserving natural resources is an economically feasible option for everyone. As a founding director of ForestHer NC, she prioritizes underserved landowners and professionals as the voice of durable progress.
During her 25-year career, Aimee focused on how messages about fire ecology, ornithology, and land legacy can elevate understanding and compel action towards a more just social and environmental culture. Currently American Forest Foundation’s Senior Forestry Manager in the Southern United States, her career began at her local county park and includes roles with National Audubon Society, US Forest Service, National Park Service, and Department of Defense.
Aimee holds a BS in Wildlife Science from Virginia Tech and a MS in Forest Resources from Clemson University. She currently resides in Burnsville, North Carolina near Southeastern Trust for Parks and Land’s Bald Mountain Preserve. She is the proud mother of two amazing sons- Ben (18) and Jayce (16), as well as one beloved dog and 5 sassy chickens.
Staff
Founder, Executive Director
bill.jones@stpal.org
Bill has a passion for natural land and outdoor recreation. He particularly enjoys hiking with his dogs. He has been fortunate to always live very close to public parks with hiking trails. This inspired him to found SE Trust in 2012 as he thinks everyone should have a nearby park for the enjoyment of nature and outdoor recreation.
Director of Conservation
keith.ray@stpal.org
Keith Ray comes to us with over 15 years experience in biology with a focus on conservation and ecology in southeastern ecosystems. He attended Auburn University, where he received a Master’s in Biology. A fish biologist at heart, Keith has spent his career focused on studying patterns of biodiversity and what historical influences factory into what species should be found in a particular area. He has several scientific publications, and through his work, Keith has described three new species of fish! He has done research around the world, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Brazil, and in more than 20 states! He has also consulted and collaborated on projects in Canada, Venezuela, Colombia, and more. Many of his projects dealt with identifying and conserving endangered species and how to minimize impacts on rare habitats caused by human development and industry. He has worked for the Georgia DNR surveying for hellbenders and bog turtles, two of Georgia’s most threatened species. Most recently, Keith was a biology professor at Reinhardt University where he taught introductory courses in biology and geographic information systems (GIS), and advanced courses in field biology and biology education.
Keith has also been a successful grant writer with almost $700,000 in grants awarded, including as Co-PI on an award of almost $650,000 from the National Science Foundation.
Keith says it was his grandmother who fostered his interest in conservation. She always appreciated how long it took trees to grow and how removing one is not something that is easily undone. Another person that influenced Keith’s career in conservation was Dr. Steve Powers, introducing Keith to working with the ecology and evolution of fish in the southeast. Through Dr. Powers, he learned that land conservation is a key component to retaining many of the rarest organisms that we have.
Keith has previously served as member of STPAL’s board of directors and has volunteered his time with other organizations dedicated to the conservation here in the southeast including the Mountain Conservation Trust and the Georgia Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation.
Keith loves to hike and camp and enjoys spending time with family and friends. He is also a prolific reader – he reads all the time! (By the way, his favorite book is A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson) His 3 sons also keep him and his wife very busy.
Advisory Board
Bob Williams
Charles McMillan
Chris Durkee
Daniel Jesse
David Jones
David White
Debbie Stebbins
Eric Nelson (Past Board President)
Patricia Daniel
Laura McCarty
Mark Scruggs
Mike Bass
Rod Hardee
Susan Crain
Tom Adams