Our Staff

Carolyn Ward

Chief Executive Officer

Carolyn Ward, Ph.D. serves as the CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the primary philanthropic partner to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Willa loves to hike Parkway trails and engage people in protecting the natural resouces and history of the Parkway.

Willa Coffey Mays

Chief Development Officer

Willa has an MBA/ MHA and extensive experience in non-profit management.

Jason Urroz

Director, Kids In Parks

Jason came to the Foundation in 2008 to assist in running the Kids In Parks program for which he now serves as Project Director.

Lynne Fletcher

Director of Administration

Lynne returned to North Carolina in 2001 to be near her family, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.    She was hired by the Foundation in 2002 while it was in its first stages of

Christy Bell

Director of Development

The Parkway holds a special place in the hearts of Christy and her husband: Christy grew up near the Parkway in Martinsville, VA and her husband has family ties to Asheville.

Liz Redding

Administrative Coordinator

Liz first came to the Foundation in 2005 as a volunteer to help us with our Family Photo Archives.  She joined us in 2008 as our Systems Consultant, helping our organization navigate the ever-chang

Tony Geiger

Interpretive Artist / Naturalist

Tony Geiger came to the Foundation in 2011 as an interpretive graphic artist/naturalist for the Kids in Parks program.

Elise Kahl

Interpretive Artist / Naturalist

Elise Kahl came to the Foundation in 2011 as a graphic artist/naturalist for the Kids in Parks program.