(Harper's Ferry, WV) --The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has a new leader. Mark Wenger will serve as the new group's executive director, beginning next month. He previously held several leadership positions over 32 years with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg (the largest outdoor museum in the world and one of the largest museums in the country) and has been active in the Appalachian Trail community.

Bob Almand, Chair of the Board of Directors for the ATC, says, “Mark has the non-profit management experience that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is looking for, plus a strong connection to the A.T. and the Trail community.”

Wenger is a life member of both the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club and the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club. He is past program chair, vice president, and president of TATC.  In August 2011, he completed an eight-year,  three-month effort to section hike the A.T.

2012 will mark the 75th anniversary of the trail's completion.

Wenger succeeds David Startzell, who was the longest serving executive director in the ATC's history.

The organization has a field office along the trail in Boiling Springs, Cumberland County. The Appalachian Trail runs nearly 230 miles in Pennsylvania, including through seven midstate counties.

(Photo By Flickr Creative Commons User Jason Reidy)