Ron Tipton, Partnership for the National Trails System Board Member
Ron Tipton has spent most of the past 40 years as an advocate for public land preservation, national park protection and for the Appalachian Trail. A graduate of the George Washington U. National Law Center, from 1978 to 2013 he was part of the advocacy and/or management team of four non-profit national conservation organizations: The Wilderness Society, National Audubon Society, World Wildlife Fund, and National Parks Conservation Association. (NPCA)

 From 2013 to the end of 2017 Ron served as the President & CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. During his tenure ATC greatly expanded its fundraising to increase the annual budget from $6.4 million to nearly $10 million, including a $3 million foundation grant to support the Conservancy’s leadership of the A.T. Landscape Conservation Partnership. Ron led a staff & board process to create a five year Strategic Plan that focused on continuing to provide a high quality hiking experience for increasing numbers of hikers; protecting the landscape surrounding the 2,190 mile Trail; expanding the relevancy of the A.T. to youth and a diversifying population; and strengthening ATC’s relationship public agency partners and its 31 volunteer trail organizations. Ron retired from ATC at the end of 2017 and joined the Partnership Board in 2020.