Rod Annear

Assistant Director – Visitor Services, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

Rod Annear been in protected area management for more than 40 years. He has worked as a National Park Ranger, natural area interpreter and has overseen the planning and implementation of capital works developments in parks across Western Australia (WA). He is currently the Assistant Director for Parks and Visitor Services with the Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions in WA. Balancing community expectations for facilities and services in parks with available resources and protecting the nature and culture of parks is an ongoing challenge.

He works with a team of creative designers, interpreters, architects and community partners to deliver high quality, innovative experiences and facilities to Western Australian national parks. He can be a bit nerdy when it comes to gadgets and has a weakness for coffee, hazy pale ale and 1970s fashion.

Angela Jakob

Trails Officer, City of Kwinana

Angela Jakob is the Trails Officer at the City of Kwinana, a local government authority in Western Australia. In this role, she is leading the upgrade and activation of the City’s trail network, with a key focus on the Kwinana Loop Trail, enhancing opportunities for recreation, connection and place-based experiences. Angela brings extensive experience to the role, having previously worked for 16 years as an Environmental Officer with the City of Kwinana. During this time, she was responsible for establishing community-focused revegetation, environmental education programs, and delivering a range of natural resource management projects aimed at conserving and enhancing the City’s reserves and their associated flora and fauna.

Angela’s peak life experiences include a summer season working on trail projects in Alaska with the Southeast Alaska Guidance Association—where avoiding bears and giant mosquitoes was part of the daily routine— as well as travelling across Australia with her family, with a visit to Uluru being a key highlight. In her spare time, you will find her in the garden, on a trail somewhere or weeding in her local patch of bushland with a local community group.

Sue Morley

Trail Project Officer, City of Stirling

Sue-Anne Morley blends psychology, culture, and connection in her approach to trail design. With a background in Environmental Psychology, she explores how people interact with place and how interpretative signage can turn trails into meaningful and engaging experiences.

An experienced long‑distance hiker, Sue’s professional journey includes managing over 1,000 km of the Bibbulmun Track, giving her a deep insight into trail experiences and community stewardship. In her current role as Trails Project Officer at the City of Stirling, she focuses on creating urban bushland trails that are inclusive experiences for people of all cultures and abilities.

Her work is strongly influenced by years spent collaborating with Aboriginal Elders, embracing the principle of caring for country. Through her lens, trails become pathways that connect hearts, homes, and habitats.

Wendy Muir

Principal Regional Development Officer, Peel Development Commission

Wendy Muir is the Principal Regional Development Officer at the Peel Development Commission in Mandurah, where she is responsible for leading key initiatives aimed at attracting both government and private investment, to drive economic growth and enhance community resilience throughout the Peel region.

Wendy relocated to Australia in 2006, previously working as a Defence research scientist for the UK and then Australia in Melbourne, before settling in the Peel region, which she now considers the best place to live and work. Currently, Wendy’s efforts are concentrated on strengthening the Peel region’s tourism sector. Her focus areas include nature-based tourism, trail development, geotourism, and the enhancement of cultural experiences. Wendy is actively involved in initiatives that showcase the unique natural and cultural assets of the region, which spans from Mandurah, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, and Murray, down to Waroona and Boddington.

Agata Sleeman

Chief Executive Officer, Trails WA

Agata (Ag) Sleeman (She/Her) is a leading advocate for trails, outdoor recreation and immersive tourism. As CEO of Trails WA, she provides strategic leadership to strengthen Western Australia’s trail network and support sustainable, inclusive and community-led trail development.

With more than 28 years’ experience across marketing, tourism and stakeholder engagement, Ag has helped position Trails WA as a trusted digital and data partner for the sector, delivering initiatives such as Trail Town Accreditation and the Trail Friendly Business Program. She brings a practical, systems-focused perspective on the role of trails in wellbeing, tourism, conservation and regional development.

Pascal Veyradier

Jarrahdale Trail Coordinator, Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale

Pascal Veyradier is a leader in outdoor recreation and community development in Western Australia, with a strong focus on improving access to nature and strengthening trail opportunities. He has played a major role with HikeWest, the state’s peak body for hiking and bushwalking, serving on the Board and as President. During this time, he supported initiatives that increased participation, strengthened advocacy for trails, and encouraged more inclusive community involvement.

At a local government level, Pascal works as Trails Coordinator with the Shire of Serpentine–Jarrahdale, where he leads trail planning and delivery projects that support the establishment of Jarrahdale as a trail and tourism destination. His work brings together advocacy, practical delivery and community engagement to connect people with Western Australia’s natural landscapes in safe and sustainable ways.

Pedro Cunha E Menezes

Director, Brazilian Trails Network

Pedro da Cunha e Menezes: is the founder of the Transcarioca Trail (https://trilhatranscarioca.com.br/) and Director of Rede Brasileira de Trilhas (Brazilian Trails Network). He was National Director for Protected Areas at the Brazilian Ministry for the Environment, Head of the Brazilian National Policy on Trails, Executive Director of Tijuca National Park, General Coordinator of Public Use and Business, and Director of Creation and Management at ICMBio (Brazil´s National Protected Areas Agency). Pedro was Brazil’s permanent representative to the United Nations Environment Programme, in Nairobi, Kenya, and Brazil’s official negotiator at the UN Conventions on Climate, Desertification, Migratory Species, Biological Diversity, World Heritage and Ramsar.

Pedro is currently President of the IUCN Expert Group on Long-Distance Trails and Director of the World Trails Network. In his three decades working in conservation, he has published more than 15 books and 150 articles on trails and protected areas in magazines and newspapers in Brazil and abroad. Pedro loves hiking, cycling, kayaking and horse riding. Pedro hikes over 1,500 km every year.

Paula Rascao

CEO, eTrilhas

Paula is a Tourismologist post-graduated in Tourism and Culture at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and in Ecotourism and Environmental Interpretation at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ). She has joined her experience acquired while working in several sectors of the tourism industry and her passion about Nature and outdoor activities in order to propose innovative projects that contribute to the development of Ecotourism in Brazil.
She is a founder and CEO at eTrilhas, which is a digital platform to promote and manage trails, parks and destinations. She has coordinated several projects focused on innovation and interactivity to promote trail systems and long distance trails in brazilian destinations. She represented Brazil in the Next Generation Trails Visionaires Expedition, in Japan.

Currently, she is a member of the Brazilian Trails Network board, and member of the Administrative Council of the Pan American Trails Network.

Stacey Dakin

Chief Program Officer, Trans Canada Trail

Since joining Trans Canada Trail in August 2024 as Chief Program Officer, Stacey Dakin has been leading national initiatives that strengthen community connections, enhance trail experiences, and unlock the tourism potential of Canada’s iconic trail network. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in social innovation, entrepreneurship, and community development, Stacey brings a collaborative and systems-based approach to creating meaningful impact across the country.
Stacey holds a degree in Human Relations and a Master’s in Human Systems Intervention from Concordia University, and is a Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP). She is also the Past-President of Lean In Canada and the Founder of Changest, an organization that supports teams and leaders shaping positive change. Stacey is driven by connection—between people, places, and purpose—and is passionate about helping communities thrive through collaboration, accessibility, and sustainable tourism.

Stephen Harvey

Vice President – Board of Directors, The Great Divide Trail Association

Steve met his wife thru-hiking the PCT in 2016, and the two hiked the GDT as their honeymoon in 2021. Falling in love on the trail must be in his nature because he’s returned to do trail maintenance every year since.

He has been the chair of the GDTA’s IT committee since 2022, and was elected to the board in 2023, and is currently serving as Vice President. He hopes to see the Great Divide Trail become well known in the hearts and minds of all Canadians and protected as a source of national pride.

Jane McCulloch

Principal Consultant, Terminus Consulting

Jane McCulloch is the Co-Chair of the WTN Trail Tourism Task Team and has worked in the sector for over 20 years. She currently runs a boutique consulting firm in Canada specializing in community engagement, product development (tourism) and governance.

Jane has worked with trail organizations in eastern Canada to assess their trail (through the eyes of a tourism) and provide them with the tools they need to develop it as a destination trail. She enjoys providing people with practical tools that not only enhance the trail experience, but also to create more active and engaged community.

Michael McDonald

CEO, Bruce Trail Conservancy

Michael has been the CEO of the Bruce Trail Conservancy for 7 years, and has seen incredible growth within that timeframe. Michael works diligently to ensure the ongoing success of the Bruce Trail Conservancy.

A passionate leader who helps build solid relationships and strong teams. My strong organizational abilities and my dedication to solid management principles help me to lead the talented team at the Bruce Trail Conservancy. I am a natural communicator, and solid team builder. A lover of nature and enthusiast for the great outdoors.

Melissa Mills

Trail Design and Development Coordinator, Great Coastal Trail Authority

Erika Pardy

Executive Director, The Great Coastal Trail Authority

Erika Pardy is the Executive Director of the Great Coastal Trail Authority, leading the development of an ambitious 850+ kilometre coastal trail across Newfoundland and Labrador’s Great Northern Peninsula. Her work focuses on community-led trail development, regional economic growth, and building partnerships that position rural and coastal regions for long-term sustainability.

With extensive experience in economic development, tourism strategy, and community engagement, Erika has been instrumental in advancing a collaborative model that connects more than 60 communities along the proposed route. Her approach emphasizes trails as catalysts for job creation, local business development, and destination-building.

At the World Trails Conference, Erika will share how the Great Coastal Trail is being developed as a framework for community revitalization—demonstrating how partnership-driven trail initiatives can strengthen rural regions and create lasting economic and social impact.

Jackie Randle

Vice President of Operations, Bruce Trail Conservancy

Jackie Randle is the International Chair and a founding member of the World Trails Network, with a trail career spanning decades. Based in Ontario, Canada, she has worked with the Bruce Trail Conservancy since 2002 and has been hiking since childhood, beginning on the walking paths of England.
A strategic and collaborative leader, Jackie has played an essential role in shaping the Bruce Trail Conservancy’s culture and expanding global trail connections. Her contributions to the World Trails Network include early involvement in its formation and leadership of the Friendship Trail program, building partnerships between the Bruce Trail and trails around the world.
Jackie continues to champion international cooperation, gratitude based leadership, and a lifelong love of exploring trails worldwide.

Mathieu Roy

CEO, Trans Canada Trail

Mathieu brings more than 20 years of experience and a strategic, innovative mindset to his role as Chief Executive Officer with Trans Canada Trail. Mathieu is a professional engineer with the Order of Engineers of Quebec. He co-founded and led his own environmental consulting firm, and brings a wide range of both leadership and hands-on experience to the organization.

Mathieu joined Trans Canada Trail in 2017 as Vice-President, Chief Trail Experience Officer. In this role, he led trail operation and development, as well as strategic alliances with a variety of stakeholders. Mathieu helped execute Trans Canada Trail’s $30-million funding relationship with Parks Canada and worked to deliver on the objectives of a $55-million agreement with the federal government.

Mathieu lives close to the La Montagnarde section of the Trans Canada Trail, which he explores on his bike in summer and on skis in winter.

Fivos Tsaravopoulos

Manager, Paths of Greece Social Cooperative

Fivos Tsaravopoulos is a specialist in sustainable tourism and the revival of historic trail networks. As the founder of Paths of Greece, he has developed extensive hiking networks across the Mediterranean, using trails to support local communities and preserve cultural heritage. For the AlUla project presented here, Fivos worked as a key member of Wild Guanabana. He specializes in bridging the gap between modern trail design and deep historical analysis. His methodology combines archaeological scouting with marketing research to uncover ancient routes that satisfy both tourism objectives and strict environmental conservation mandates.

Fivos works with municipalities and organizations worldwide, advocating for “slow tourism” as a tool for economic growth and ecosystem protection. He believes that the most sustainable trails are those that reconnect us with the history of the land.

Stewart Ross

ThruhikingHK, Teacher – International College Hong Kong

Stewart Ross is a passionate advocate for trail design and outdoor exploration, currently residing in Hong Kong with his wife and two children. Originally hailing from Inverness in the north of Scotland, Stewart brings a global perspective to his work and hobbies.

Professionally, Stewart is a dedicated educator, serving as a Teacher and BTEC Coordinator at International College Hong Kong, and is the former Head of Design at Malvern College Hong Kong. His professional expertise is deeply rooted in design thinking, human-centred design, and sustainability, principles he actively applies to the world of trails. A recognized leader in the local hiking community, Stewart is the Founder and Curator of thruhikinghk.com, Hong Kong’s premier hiking website. He is perhaps best known for designing and developing the Argyle Ross Trail, a significant contribution to the local trail network that has garnered media attention in publications like the South China Morning Post and Bloomberg. Stewart is also a seasoned outdoor leader, holding the Gold Award for Young People (Duke of Edinburgh Leader).

Emir Galilee

Associated Scholar, Ben-Gurion University

Dr. Emir Galilee is Director of the Human–Society–Environment Lab at the Azrieli Center for Israel Studies (MAALI), Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He is also a lecturer at the Kaye Academic College of Education in Beersheba. His research examines walking trails as cultural and political landscapes, alongside broader interests in the geography and history of Arab and Muslim societies, leisure geographies, and spatial practices of everyday life. His research interests include the social, cultural, and historical geography of minorities and former nomadic pastoralists in the Middle East.

Noa Ravinsky Raichel

PhD Candidate, Ben-Gurion University

Noa Ravinsky Raichel, Adv., is a doctoral researcher in Israel Studies. She completed her Master’s degree with distinction in the Woodman-Scheller Israel Studies Program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. She also holds a Master of Laws (LL.M) and is a qualified lawyer. Noa serves as the Managing Editor of Israel Studies (Indiana University Press). Her doctoral research focuses on National Trails, examining the interface between law and the sustainable preservation and development of these routes. Working title: “Balancing Rights and Sustainability: The Impact of Private Law on the Sustainable Preservation of National Trails.”

Havatzelet Yahel

Professor, Ben-Gurion University

Prof. Havatzelet Yahel is a faculty member at the Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel & Zionism, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Before she joined the academy, she served as the Deputy to the Southern District Attorney for Civil Matters and the Head of Land Department. Yahel received her PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She completed her MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government after receiving the Israel Wexner Fellowship for excellence in the public sector. She holds a BA in Economy and an LLB in Law from Tel-Aviv University. Her research interests include land policy and land rights, indigenous and minority rights, leisure patterns, the Bedouin population, historical geography and more.

Sarah Bennett

Director, Bennett & Slater

Sarah Bennett is one of New Zealand’s leading travel writers and visitor communications strategists. Starting her tourism career in the London office of Lonely Planet travel guides in 1995, she returned to New Zealand in 2000 and has spent the last 25 years writing specifically about her home country.

As well as writing extensively for mainstream media outlets, Sarah has more than a dozen books to her credit including Lonely Planet New Zealand (five editions), Lonely Planet’s Hiking & Tramping New Zealand, The New Zealand Tramper’s Handbook (two editions), Let’s Go Camping and her bestselling, independent guidebook to the capital city, The Best of Wellington (six editions).

Along with her partner Lee Slater, Sarah has provided content and tourism marketing services to most major New Zealand tourism organisations including the Department of Conservation, Tourism New Zealand, Holiday Parks NZ and Heritage NZ as well as many regional tourism offices and local operators. Sarah has also been involved in the Great Rides of New Zealand since their inception and until recently served on the New Zealand Cycle Trails Board.

For the last three decades, Sarah has maintained a secondary career as a book editor and publisher, and latterly publicist for New Zealand non-fiction publisher, Bridget Williams Books. This ongoing role sees her work with many leading authors across economics, politics, history, the environment and Te Ao Māori/the Māori World. Sarah also enjoys an association with Aukaha ki Kāi Tahu, the cultural agency of southern rūnaka/tribal councils of Ngāi Tahu.

Sarah Bennett and Lee Slater share a passion for truly regenerative tourism and believe community-led trails are uniquely positioned to drive the change urgently needed for a healthier planet.

Matthew Claridge

Chief Executive, Te Araroa Trust

Matt Claridge is the Chief Executive of Te Araroa Trust, the kaitiaki of New Zealand’s national walking trail – a continuous 3,039 km journey from Cape Reinga to Bluff. With a background in national-level sport, public safety and systems leadership, he supports the Trust to think intergenerationally – holding space for environmental renewal, cultural connection, and strong communities.

Throughout his career, Matt has worked in the service of movements that improve wellbeing, whether through community sport, public health, or water safety. His experience spans executive and governance roles across the not-for-profit and NGO sectors, with a focus on partnerships, values-based leadership and long-term strategy. He has contributed to national organisations including Water Safety New Zealand, The Tomorrow Project and Nuku Ora (formerly Sport Wellington), and has coached at international level in water polo.

At Te Araroa, Matt supports the work of a small team and board committed to regenerative trail practice. Under the lens of Whakahou, the Trust is focused on restoring the trail’s ecological footprint, building respectful relationships with iwi and landholders, and creating long-term benefit for communities connected to the trail. Much of the Trust’s infrastructure development occurs on land it does not own, requiring sustained dialogue, trust, and co-created solutions, particularly with mana whenua, farmers, the Department of Conservation, and regional partners. Rather than owning the trail outright, Te Araroa Trust is a steward, walking with others, rather than ahead. Matt’s role is to support that journey: aligning vision, enabling partnerships, and developing the operational requirements needed to turn aspirations into reality.

Panay Kumod

PhD Student Indigenous Studies, Victoria University of Wellington

Panay Kumod (she/her; Amis & Bunun/Taiwanese), is a PhD Student at University of Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand, focusing on Māori culture tourism, cultural development and education. Her professional background includes serving as the Principal Investigator of the Bunun Hunting Culture Recording Project and as Program Manager for Austronesian community development.

In her community, Kumod leads initiatives that combine digital technology, eco-tourism, and Indigenous cultural storytelling—offering hiking and e-biking tours that connect visitors with Bunun heritage. Through both academic research and hands-on community work, Kumod strives to bridge Indigenous knowledge systems across Taiwan and Aotearoa. Her vision is to return to Taiwan to share Māori insights, strengthen Indigenous resilience, and build sustainable cross-cultural collaborations for the future. She lives between Aotearoa and Taiwan.

Kylie Ruwhiu-Karawana

Managing Director, TRC Tourism

Kylie Ruwhiu-Karawana is the Managing Director of TRC Tourism and an Indigenous Māori woman of Ngāpuhi descent, based in Aotearoa New Zealand. She works alongside communities, Traditional Owners, councils and governments across Australia, Aotearoa and the Pacific to support values-led, culturally grounded and environmentally responsible tourism development.

With over 20 years’ experience in destination planning, experience design and community engagement, Kylie specialises in First Nations-led tourism, nature-based experiences and long-term place stewardship. Her work spans strategic planning, experience development and facilitation, with a strong focus on aligning tourism with community aspirations and intergenerational outcomes. Her approach positions tourism as an enabler of cultural, social, environmental and economic wellbeing—rather than a driver imposed on place.

Kylie speaks internationally on purposeful engagement with local and Indigenous communities, supporting agencies, governments and corporations to build enduring, values-based partnerships grounded in trust, reciprocity and shared outcomes. She also works alongside Indigenous communities on truth-telling journeys, supporting the articulation of cultural narratives, identity and place, and helping to unlock the potential of tourism and trails as vehicles for cultural revitalisation, environmental stewardship, social connection and economic opportunity.

She is the Global Lead for Indigenous Ways within the World Trails Network, where she champions the integration of Indigenous knowledge systems, cultural authority and community leadership across global trails initiatives.

Galeo Saintz

Founder CEO, Trails + Wanderlust | Biosphere Trails | Trail Standards Initiative

Galeo Saintz is an international trail and conservation specialist who consults on trail standards, design, and conceptual development, while his conservation work focuses on biodiversity corridors and connectivity, with an emphasis on the intersection of trails, ecosystems, and communities. He currently chairs both the World Trails Network Task Team on Trails & Conservation and the IUCN CEESP Task Force on Migration, Environmental Change, and Conflict.

Galeo is Founder and CEO of Trails + Wanderlust – a private trail concession company and international consultancy in trail development and tourism. CEO of Biosphere Trails – a global platform focused on enhancing the sustainability and marketing reach of trails in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. Since 2026 he is Founder of the International Trails Standards Initiative – a world-wide initiative to align trail standards.

A founding figure in several global initiatives, Galeo served for a decade as the Founding Chair of the World Trails Network, uniting leading trails and trail destinations worldwide. He has led numerous conservation and trail-related projects in his home country of South Africa and internationally, combining strategic leadership with on-the-ground experience. Galeo is also a wilderness mountain guide and nature poet. His creative work has been featured in anthologies, documentaries, and festivals that celebrate nature connection. In addition to his advisory roles, Galeo serves as Chair of the Schumacher Society UK, and sits on the boards of several African conservation and trail-focused NGOs. His work bridges conservation, culture, and systems change across multiple continents.

Chunyen Chang

Professor, Department of Southeast Asian Studies, National Chi Nan University

Professor Chang is a scholar of communication and sociology whose research focuses on the cultural, social, and political dynamics of Taiwan and Southeast Asia. His work explores how media practices, labor relations, and everyday cultural formations reveal underlying structures of power and conflict. He is currently engaged in two major research projects: the first examines the risks, violence, and structural vulnerabilities faced by journalists in democratic societies; the second investigates Southeast Asian migrant workers in Taiwan, with particular attention to the development and shifting meanings of ethnic-consumer clustering. Through qualitative and interdisciplinary approaches, his research contributes to critical debates on media, migration, and social change.

Hsiu-Tzu Chang

Associate Professor, National Cheng Kung University

Hsiu-Tzu (Betty) Chang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan. She also serves as Director of the Social Practice Division at NCKU’s Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, where she coordinates university-wide initiatives related to community engagement, place-based learning, and University Social Responsibility (USR).

Professor Chang’s research explores collaborative planning, asset-based community development, and governance, particularly in rural, peri-urban, and culturally significant landscapes. She has conducted empirical research on long-distance trails, cultural routes, rural regeneration, and territorial governance in Taiwan, examining how grassroots organizations, civil society actors, and public institutions interact across scales. Her recent work pays particular attention to the role of intermediary organizations, such as trail workstations, community platforms, and university-based engagement units, in mediating between formal policy frameworks and localized practices.

She is the Principal Investigator of Collaborative Badlands, a flagship USR project supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education. The project spans multiple rural communities in southern Taiwan and integrates teaching, research, and social practice to address issues of landscape degradation, cultural heritage, and regional revitalization. Through this long-term engagement, Professor Chang has developed participatory methods that combine field-based learning, co-production of knowledge, and reflective evaluation, contributing to ongoing debates on engaged scholarship and learning regions.

Ying-tzu Ena Chang

Assistant Professor, College of Education, National Dong Hwa University

Chenyin Chiang

Professor, National Central University

Chen-Yin Chiang is an Associate Professor at the General Education Center, National Central University, Taiwan. As a sociologist, her extensive research spans the fields of ethnicity and migration, gender studies, and the sociology of space. Her academic work critically examines how historical memory and complex power relations are negotiated and reproduced within contemporary governance practices. In recent years, she has extended her expertise to the socio-cultural study of long-distance trails, viewing them as vital spaces for social dialogue and historical reconstruction.

Her current research on the Raknus Selu Trail—Taiwan’s first national trail centered on ethnic history—explores how former conflict frontiers between Indigenous peoples and Hakka settlers are being transformed into contemporary “landscapes of reconciliation”. Through community-led stewardship and the decolonization of historical narratives, her work seeks to understand the role of trails in fostering inter-ethnic solidarity and sustainable community engagement. She has been actively involved in exploring the collaborative governance models that bridge civil society organizations and public agencies in the management of cultural heritage trails.

Ming-sho Ho

Professor, Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University

Ming-sho Ho is a professor in the Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University. He studies social movements, labor and environmental issues. He is also the principal investigator of the “Toward a Taiwan’s Hiking-and-Trailology” research project. He is the author of Working Class Formation in Taiwan: Fractured Solidarity in State-Owned Enterprises (2014), Challenging Beijing’s Mandate of Heaven: Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement and Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement (2019), and Be Water: Collective Improvisation in Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Protests (2025).

Ming Chien Hsu

Research Fellow (PhD) Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University

Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association (TMI Trail). Originally, Hsu simply enjoyed hiking until she discovered the ecological damage caused by the full-scale importation of granite into the mountains surrounding Taipei in 2002, which compelled Hsu to take action to care for and protect Taiwan’s mountain trails and natural environment to this day. Hsu is actively involved in promoting trail volunteering, trailology course curriculum development and trail master training systems. To date, along with TMI Trail and various public agencies, Hsu has been involved in hands-on work of over 180 eco-craft trail projects.

Sai Ng

Professor, Chinese Culture University

Sai-Leung Ng is a professor at the Department of Geography, Chinese Culture University, Taiwan. His teaching and research interests include sustainable tourism, pro-environmental behavior, visitor impacts, trail degradation and conservation, management of protected areas, nature conservation, environmental change, and environmental studies. His academic work emphasizes the analysis of interactions between humans and the environment in recreational and tourism settings, with particular attention to how patterns of use and management practices shape environmental outcomes. In the research field of hiking trails, he integrates perspectives from geography and environmental studies and focuses on assessing visitor impacts, trail conditions, and conservation strategies, with the goal of promoting sustainable trail use and the long-term protection of natural landscapes.

Dana Powell

Associate Professor, Taipei Medical University

Dana E. Powell (she/her; US citizen) is Associate Professor of Anthropology in the Graduate Institute of Medical Humanities at Taipei Medical University, Taiwan, where she also directs the Center for Humanities Innovation and Social Engagement. She has worked for 20 years alongside rural, predominantly Indigenous communities on issues of self-determination, energy infrastructure and environmental justice. Powell is author of Landscapes of Power: Politics of Energy in the Navajo Nation (Duke Press, 2018); co-author of The New Invitation to Anthropology (Bloomsbury, 2023); and has published in journals such as Native American Indigenous Studies (NAIS); Environment & Society; Journal of Political Ecology; Engaging Science, Technology, and Society; Collaborative Anthropologies; and in numerous edited volumes. She lives with her spouse and three children in Hualien City, Taiwan.

Jacky Tao

Head of International Relations, Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association

Aside from his work at TMI Trail, Jacky also serves as the Executive Secretary at Asia Trails Network Secretariat (ATN). He was in a foreign literature master’s program, but decided to quit school and work in NGO searching for his lacking activism. Jacky hopes to live in a degrowth society filled with trails maintained with eco-friendly methods.

Jan Bakker

Founder, Pamir Trail

Jan Bakker is the founder of the Pamir Trail. He works as an expedition leader in the remotest mountain ranges on the planet and writes about his adventures for Dutch and British magazines. He currently works as an outdoor tourism consultant in Kampala, Uganda. As the co-author of the guidebook Trekking in Tajikistan, published by UK-based Cicerone Press, he realised most of the trekking routes in Tajikistan are connected. To Jan, a long-distance hiking trail, stretching from the northeast of the country all the way to its most southern boundary, seemed like a logical next project. The first version of the Pamir Trail was completed in 2024, stitching a 1300km route across the mountains of Tajikistan.

Lora Aziz

Creative Director, Wyrd Flora

Lora Aziz is an artist, producer, and founder of Blue steps, a practice and platform exploring the relationships between water, landscape, culture, and justice. Her work sits at the intersection of arts, ecology, public space, and wellbeing, with a particular focus on how communities experience and access blue and green environments in everyday life.
Lora leads place-based, interdisciplinary projects that combine walking, mapping, ecological fieldwork, participatory research, and artistic commissioning to reconnect people with freshwater systems from chalk streams and rivers to urban waterways and tidal edges. She is currently leading Blue Steps Along the Saffron Trail, a large-scale feasibility study reimagining a historic 70-mile route from Saffron Walden to Southend-on-Sea as a shared cultural and ecological asset connecting communities, land, and water.
Her work often engages with themes of climate and water justice, inequity in access to nature, and the cultural histories embedded in landscapes. She collaborates closely with artists, environmental practitioners, local authorities, health and wellbeing partners, and community groups to develop projects that are both creatively ambitious and grounded in real-world policy and place-based contexts. Lora’s approach is arts-led but systems-aware: she is interested in how cultural practice can contribute to long-term environmental recovery, inclusive public infrastructure, and new models of stewardship. She has worked internationally on projects linking creativity with environmental resilience, public health, and community-led change, and is particularly committed to slow, relational ways of working that centre lived experience and local knowledge.

Julian Gray

Director, South West Coast Path

Julian is an environmental leader with over 35 years’ experience in access, sustainable tourism and protected landscapes. He has been actively involved with the World Trail Network since 2018 and became an International Board Member and Vice-Chair in 2020. Julian was elected Co-Chair of the WTN in 2024.

Julian is Director of the South West Coast Path Association, championing England’s longest National Trail. He created the Coastal Wildbelt concept to help connect people with nature. He helped establish and was founding Chair of National Trails UK, the charity giving a voice for trails across the UK and remains a Trustee of the charity.

Previously Julian was CEO of an international rainforest charity and set up an international water conservation programme and worked across Europe to develop tools to help brand protected landscapes. Julian is an Environmental Scientist with a Masters degree in International Communication. He is a member of Natural England’s Landscape Advisory Panel and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He is a highly effective environmental communicator and a passionate advocate of trails as drivers of sustainability and improving equity of access, to connect people to nature.

Ali Pretty

Artistic Director, Kinetika

Ali Pretty is a cultural activist and internationally recognised artist who uses walking, talking, and collaborative making as radical tools for connection and change. Her work transforms public environments into a shared platform where communities can address challenging issues such as climate action, peace, reconciliation, and inclusivity. Through artist-led walks, she mobilises people, landscapes, and stories into living artworks that spark dialogue, celebrate identity, and inspire action. These journeys are shared on an international stage, connecting local experiences to global conversations.

Ali is building on three decades of leading Kinetika. (1997 – 2027) She has collaborated on numerous large-scale events for diverse audiences worldwide, WOMAD (1989-1992), Atlanta Olympics (1996), Athens Torch Relay – London (2004), Beijing Cultural Olympiad (2008), FIFA World Cup Abu Dhabi (2009), London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant (2022), Cultural Olympiad Paris Olympics (2024).

Since 2012, Ali has developed transformative walking arts projects. Her innovative approach combines walking, talking, and creative making to foster connection and bring people together. She has led impactful walks across Wiltshire, the Isle of Wight, Lincolnshire, Essex, and Thurrock. In Thurrock, Ali established T100, a dynamic year-round programme of walking, talking and making activities. This innovative place-making model has been successfully replicated in India, Ethiopia, Chile, Costa Rica and Lebanon. She served as the Artistic Director of Silk River, a project commissioned by the British Council as part of the UK/India Year of Culture in 2017. Ali was the Artistic Director of Beach of Dreams, a UK-wide coastal arts festival supported by Arts Council England and Historic England. This year-long creative programme (2024- 5) explored and activated the unique heritage, cultures, communities and climate futures of the UK’s coast.

Delia Clark

Principal, Confluence

Delia Clark is Principal at Confluence, based in Vermont USA, and is a frequent trainer and facilitator in place-based education, heritage interpretation, and community engagement throughout the United States and Central/Eastern Europe, for organizations that include US National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance, and QLF/Atlantic Center for the Environment.

An avid hiker in the US and internationally, Delia’s wealth of trails management experience includes serving as board member for Appalachian Mountain Club, Stewardship Council member for Appalachian Trail Conservancy, co-chair of ATC’s Wild East Women, co-chair of the World Trails Network Advisory Council and the WTN Education & Inclusive Engagement Task Team, and board member for the Green Mountain Club. She has been a lead trainer for the Appalachian Trail to Every Classroom, Iditarod Trail to Every Classroom, Park for Every Classroom and Forest for Every Classroom programs. Delia is the co-author of Questing: A Guide to Creating Community Treasure Hunts published by University Press of New England; Learning to Make Choices for the Future: Connecting Public Lands, Schools and Communities Through Place-based Learning and Civic Engagement; Building Skills for Effective Facilitation; and other manuals and chapters; which have collectively been translated into seven languages.

She is a member of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Commission on Education and Communication.

Kate Harbour

Deputy Director, Eastern Oregon Visitors Association

Originally from a small town on Whidbey Island, WA, Kate has a passion for place and livability, and is inspired by working with communities to plan and pursue inclusive futures. With a background in nonprofit fundraising, capacity-building and collaborative processes, Kate currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association, a regional tourism organization. In this role she works with communities and organizations to support both emerging and mature destinations in a vast, rural region. She helps develop outdoor recreation and tourism that brings local benefit, and seeks collaborative solutions for preventing negative impacts on community livability and natural areas.

Kate studied urban and regional planning at Portland State University, with an emphasis on the planning dynamics of gateway and natural-amenity regions.

Julie Judkins

Co-Founder / Consultant, Just-Trails

Julie Judkins develops signature programs that help regenerate nature and communities through the connective power of trails. Julie works with trail organizations, communities, and partners to support inclusive trail design through community engagement, planning, advocacy, stewardship, and resilience.
Julie is the previous co-chair of the World Trails Conference Ottawa, and co-chair of the WTN Education & Inclusive Engagement Task Team. Her Task Team leadership has helped create and lead the World Trails Ambassadors program, which supports rising trail leaders from around the world. Her work focuses on building community-centered approaches to trail stewardship, leadership development, and belonging, with a strong emphasis on engaging young people and supporting diverse communities in shaping the future of trails.
Julie serves on the boards of the Partnership for the National Trails System and the World Trails Network. She holds a BA from North Carolina State University and a Master’s from Duke University. She’s a mom, gardener, cook, and outdoor enthusiast.

Yu-Fai Leung

Ph.D. Professor, North Carolina State University

Yu-Fai is a Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University, USA. His work aims to advance the science and practice of sustainable visitor management in parks and protected areas from local to global scales. Yu-Fai has developed and refined indicators and measurement protocols for monitoring of visitor use, trails, and recreation sites in the U.S. and other countries. He has also worked with protected area agencies in building capacity and evaluating effectiveness for recreation and tourism management.

Kent McNeill

CEO, International Mountain Bicycling Association

Kent serves as the President of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), the worldwide leader in advocacy dedicated to creating, enhancing, and protecting great places to ride mountain bikes. IMBA fosters strategic partnerships across international, national, regional, and municipal organizations, working collaboratively with stakeholders, funders, and land managers to protect mountain biking access on public lands while connecting public and private funding to trails. A lifelong advocate for mountain biking, he is honored to lead the IMBA team whom are passionate about model trail community development through the support of local trail champions, trail organizations and stakeholders.

Kent’s passion for mountain biking began on a borrowed hybrid bicycle navigating the steep river bluff trails of Nebraska, a moment that sparked a lifelong commitment to mountain biking. As a college student, he helped establish both a collegiate cycling team and the IMBA Local club T.H.O.R., while also taking on the role of Director for the Nebraska State Mountain Bike Championship Series. His dedication to mountain biking evolved into a career, leading him to found Midwest Cycling, a nationally ranked Trek retailer with locations across Omaha, Kansas City, and St. Louis. He also co-founded Omaha Devo, a youth mountain bike skills program, and completed 11 consecutive Leadville 100 MTB races while traveling and competing internationally.

With a deep belief in the power of trails to create healthier, happier communities, Kent is driven by a vision of equitable trail access, ensuring that diverse and inclusive mountain biking experiences are available close to home. His leadership at IMBA reflects his lifelong commitment to the creation, enhancement, and protection of world-class trails that inspire and unite riders of all backgrounds.

Matthew Nelson

Executive Director, Arizona Trail Association

Matthew has been the Executive Director of the Arizona Trail Association since 2012, helping to protect, maintain and develop the Arizona National Scenic Trail as an international destination for hikers, runners, mountain bikers and equestrians. Matthew has worked as an outdoor educator, backpacking guide, archaeologist, Native American repatriation coordinator, editor, and photojournalist. He has more than 500 published articles to his credit and is the primary author of Your Complete Guide to the Arizona National Scenic Trail. Matthew serves on the Board of Directors for Natural Restorations, and La Tierra del Jaguar; is a policy advisor for Bikepacking Roots; and is the Chairman of the Trail Leaders Council for the Partnership for the National Trails System. He has visited the summits of America’s highest peaks, and spent three winters removing trash from Cerro Aconcagua (6,962 m) in Argentina. He lives off-the-grid in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Arizona.

Nathaniel Scrimshaw

Executive Director, Pan American Trails | WTN Americas

Nathaniel Scrimshaw is Executive Director of Pan American Trails (World Trails Network – Hub for the Americas), a U.S. nonprofit working with trail organizations across the Americas. With over 40 years of experience, he works at the intersection of trail stewardship, recreation ecology, and education, leading international field schools, fellowships, and conservation partnerships in the U.S., Costa Rica, and Ecuador. When not attending to the above he can be found maintaining a section of the Franconia Ridge Trail for those who follow in his footsteps.

Kara Wooldrik

Trails Inclusion Specialist, Community Geographics

Kara (she/her) creates experiences that inspire and equip people to create communities that are more healthy, equitable, just and sustainable, for people and nature alike. Across twenty years of leadership in US conservation and trail organizations, she has supported trustees, staff and volunteers to co-create healthier and more connected and inclusive communities. Kara utilizes placemaking, active transportation, conservation and trails as tools to intentionally design organizations, infrastructure, policies and events. She currently works with Community Geographics and Elliotsville Foundation on accessible and inclusive trail projects and with First Light and Wabanaki Community Foundation on returning land and resources to Indigenous people and communities. Kara serves as the Treasurer of the International Board of the World Trails Network.