My current role as Grants and Research Coordinator at the Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative is to advance the land-grant mission of West Virginia University by managing and providing centralized external funding development and administration for the Smith OEDC and WV community partners through grant proposal development, award management, trainings and workshops, and impact reporting.A passionate conservationist and outdoor recreation enthusiast, I'm a deep-rooted native of West Virginia and the Appalachian Mountains. I believe strongly in the intrinsic value of our natural heritage, as well as the critical importance of protecting our land and water resources, adopting a culture of strategic conservation, and prioritizing development of sustainable, renewable economic drivers. I envision a bright future for our state, where the mountains, forests, and streams are protected, respected, and sustainably leveraged for outdoor economic and community development, and benefits to quality of life, public health, and employment opportunities.Before joining the Smith OEDC, I served as Operations Manager for the West Virginia Land Trust – a statewide conservation non-profit – for the past 7 years, cultivating a professional approach characterized by strategic and responsive management of operations, development and oversight of financial and budgetary processes, and collaborative engagement in support of the organization's mission to conserve land and water resources essential to the identity and communities of our state. Leveraging a complementary skillset in recreation development project management, I provided decisive and insightful leadership and elevated capacity to identify, envision, cultivate, and develop recreational opportunities and critical partnerships as Project Lead for the Piney Creek Preserve in Beckley and Co-Lead for the Mammoth Preserve in Kanawha County. I'm an unreasonably lucky husband, father of two spirited girls, and an avid (if somewhat mediocre) mountain biker. I serve on the board of directors for two community non-profits: as a founding member and current Secretary of Morgantown Area Mountain Bike Alliance (MAMBA), the local IMBA chapter, and as Treasurer on the property management board of the historic Rogers House in Morgantown, WV.From roughly 2003-2012, I attended West Virginia University, obtaining a B.S. in Wildlife Management and pursuing an M.S. in Journalism with a thesis investigating the Use of Balance and Framing in Magazine Coverage of Climate Change.
Listed skills include Writing, Reporting And Analysis, Research, Journalism, and 17 others.