With more than 50 years in the hiking trails business, the Keystone Trails Association is fortunate to have accrued a lot of friends and dedicated volunteers.
We're proud to introduce our talented and dedicated staff members, board of directors and representatives who support KTA's work through outreach, program management, advocacy, administration and more. Meet them here until you can meet them on the trail!
Staff
Casey Schneck, Program Administrator
Email: ktaadmin@kta-hike.org
Phone: 717-766-9690
Casey Schneck is the newest addition to the KTA team, as of August 2019. He earned his degree in Community, Environment, and Development at Penn State, and currently resides in Hamburg, PA.
At the Keystone Trails Association, Casey is responsible for event planning and execution, volunteer coordination, website development, editing the newsletter, merchandise sales, social networking, growing the member base, and building partnerships to further KTA’s mission.
Joseph Neville, Executive Director
Email: jneville@kta-hike.org
Phone: 717-766-9690
Joe Neville has been Keystone Trails Association's Executive Director since June, 2015.
Joe began a career in conservation in the 1980’s that included a stint teaching environmental education, working with various non-profit organizations including the Girl Scouts and the PA Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, and most recently with 15 years of employment with the Commonwealth.
Joe is an avid outdoorsman, a life member of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and several other outdoor organizations. Joe holds a B.S. in Biology from Penn State University, a B.S. in Recreation from Penn State University and a M.S. in Recreation Administration from Eastern Kentucky University.
He is committed to continuing the effort to preserve and enhance Pennsylvania’s remarkable trail system. By working with our members, volunteers, supporters and partners he will continue to seek innovative ways to promote and protect trails while providing extraordinary hiking in Pennsylvania.
Joe, his wife Susan, and their daughters reside in Mechanicsburg, PA.
Board of Directors
President: Ernest Werstler, Stevens, PA
Ernest (Ernie) W. Werstler, Jr. lives in Reamstown, PA but was born and raised in Boyertown, PA. In 2008, he retired after 22 years as Business Manager/Board Secretary for the Exeter Township School District. Prior to working at Exeter, Ernie held several accounting and financial management positions in the Reading area.
Ernie has hiked a lot of trails in Pennsylvania as well as some in New York and West Virginia. It's hard for him to pick a favorite, but he has come back to the Mid State Trail many times over the years. His favorite gear includes boots that stay dry and tents that don't leak. As far as a favorite trail story, Ernie can’t decide between the “Velcro and the Bear in the Campsite” or “Proving White Men Can Jump by stepping on a Rattlesnake.”
Why join KTA? Ernie says "The only way the many trails we have in Pennsylvania will remain is by each of us getting involved. Joining KTA was another way to get involved and try to ensure my grandchildren will have trails to hike."
Vice President: Bob Merrill, Jersey Shore, PA
Bob retired from DCNR and the Bureau of Forestry after a 32-year career that included service as the District Forester for Moshannon State Forest. In that capacity, he coordinated the expansion of recreation opportunities in the forest, including the Quehanna Trail System. Bob was also a Program Specialist for the Bureau of Forestry in Harrisburg. He has been an avid hiker for over 40 years and currently maintains sections of the Quehanna and Allegheny Front Trails. Today, he owns a forestry services consulting business. Bob will bring many years of recreation management experience on public lands to KTA's Board of Directors. As a Board member, Bob has a particular interest in preserving Pennsylvania’s endangered hiking trails.
Treasurer: Rob Altenburg, New Cumberland, PA
Rob is an avid hiker and is director of the PennFuture Energy Center. Based in Harrisburg, he has been with the statewide organization since January 2014. Before coming to PennFuture, he spent nearly 22 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Initially working in the Bureau of Air Quality on computer models and procedures to forecast pollution levels, he then served as an executive policy specialist in the department's policy office advising the governor's office and DEP's executive staff on a variety of environmental and public health issues.
A native of Pennsylvania, Altenburg holds a B.S. in Earth Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, a certificate from Penn State University in Geographic Information Systems, and a J.D. (cum laude) from the Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Secretary: Kathryn Barker, Carlisle, PA
Kathryn (Katie) Barker's love of the outdoors began with family trips to National Parks and continued at Girl Scout Camps in Wisconsin. She served on the Board of Directors of the Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club for 14 years, including five as President, and chaired the Hikes Committee for the 2001 Appalachian Trail Conference held in Shippensburg, PA. She has served on the KTA council for over a decade, and now leads children's hikes, along with her husband Sam and daughters Kelly and Hannah. Katie serves with KTA in appreciation for two valuable resources: Pennsylvania's beautiful trails and the volunteers who help open. She wants to help KTA advocate for hikers and work for the protection of
Pennsylvania's natural beauty.
Dave Gantz, State College, PA
Dave is a long distance hiker who has hiked most of the backpacking trails in PA.
He has been serving as a Keystone Trails Association Representative-At-Large since
October, 2015. He also spends a significant amount of time encouraging others to
explore the outdoors. He does this through employment at Appalachian Outdoors,
as a backpacking leadership instructor at PSU, and by volunteering to lead hikes with
several different organizations. Dave maintains a section of the AFT and has authored
two guide books (Old Loggers Path and the Chuck Keiper Trail).
Jack Hauler, Malvern, PA
Jack is an optometrist in Malvern PA. In recent years, his outdoor interests have evolved from running and trail running to hiking and backpacking. As an avid hiker and backpacker, he “found” KTA and has been a frequent participant in slackpack and hiking weekend events. Jack brings extensive volunteer Board experience to KTA; most recently, he served on the Board of his local library, where he provided leadership in fundraising and advocacy efforts. He is the founder of the Optometric Service Group, providing voluntary optometric services to developing and underserved countries. As a KTA Board member, Jack has a particular interest in expanding KTA membership to include, among others, young people and trail runners.
Donna Thompson, Millville, PA
Donna is employed as a sales data analyst for Kydex LLC in Bloomsburg PA. She is a member of the Mid State Trail Association, Alpine Club of Williamsport and Susquehanna Trailers, and maintains two sections of the Mid State Trail. Over the past three years, she has become a very active participant in KTA’s Trail Care events, very much enjoying the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie these events provide. She is also a big fan of the KTA hiking weekends and the Prowl the Sproul event. As a KTA Board member, Donna has a particular interest in the support and continued success of the Trail Care program.
Carl Davis Jr., Shippensburg, PA
Carl spent 39 years in education. He coached wrestling and girls’ gymnastics, coordinated the after school activities, and introduced environmental activities such as orienteering, trail building, and four hikes a year. He retired in 2003 and moved to Wellsboro where he did trail work in the Tioga State Forest and hiked most of the trails in Tioga, Lycoming, and Potter Counties.
His students built the Buck Ridge Trail from Kings Gap to Pine Grove Furnace, the Lamberton and Briar Trails at Mount Holly Nature Preserve, and the Creek Trail in Pine Grove Forest State Park. Carl’s interest in the outdoors began when he was nine and attended a YMCA camp. Years later he was the nature counselor, trail camping counselor, and canoe counselor. He has received numerous awards including the Carlisle YMCA Adult Service Award, George M. Leader Excellence in Education Award, Conservation Education Award from the PA Nature conservancy, Carlisle YMCA Youth Service Award, and KTA’s Certificate of Recognition Award.
He has hiked the Appalachian Trail in all of West Virginia and Maryland, half of Pennsylvania, and parts of Maine and Vermont. He’s completed the Susquehannock and West Rim Trails, parts of the Mid State, Tuscarora, and Black Forest Trails. Other trails he’s hiked include the “Old Rag” in Virginia, Dolly Sods in West Virginia, and the Paint Brush Canyon in Grand Teton. He and his wife are “High Pointers” who like to hike the highest points in different states. He has completed this feat in the New England states.
Carl has been a KTA member for 22 years and loves hiking (of course), gardening, traveling, cutting firewood, and WWII history.
Carl is married to Bonnie and they have three children. He currently lives in Cumberland County.
Ben Cramer, State College, PA
Ben Cramer has hiked more than 4,000 miles on Pennsylvania hiking trails and has completed many of the state’s major backpacking trails multiple times. He has been a lifetime member of KTA since 2000 and served as editor for the KTA book Pennsylvania Hiking Trails, 13th Edition in 2008. He has since written four point-by-point trail guidebooks: Guide to the Allegheny Front Trail (2014), Guide to the Quehanna Trail (2015), Guide to the Elk Trail (2015), and Hiking the Susquehannock Trail (2017). He recently embarked on a project to write the first-ever guidebook for the Donut Hole Trail. Cramer is also a volunteer maintainer on various segments of the Allegheny Front Trail, Quehanna Trail, and Susquehannock Trail System, and in 2016 he spearheaded an effort to rehabilitate and reopen the dilapidated North Link and South Link Trails in Potter County. He lives in State College and teaches at Penn State University, where one of his research specialties is the environmental impacts of advanced telecommunications networks.
Representatives at Large
Joyce Appel, East Brady, PA
Diane Buscarini, Gouldsboro, PA
Jim Catozzi, Newton, PA
Gary Decker, State College, PA
Cecil Dobbins, Akron, OH
Linda Enders Roxberry, Shillington, PA
Henry Frank, Philadelphia, PA
Vicki Porto, Carlisle, PA
Tom Schmick, Montoursville, PA
Jennifer Ulmer, Millville, PA
Barbara Van Horn, Duncannon, PA
We're proud to introduce our talented and dedicated staff members, board of directors and representatives who support KTA's work through outreach, program management, advocacy, administration and more. Meet them here until you can meet them on the trail!
Staff
Casey Schneck, Program Administrator
Email: ktaadmin@kta-hike.org
Phone: 717-766-9690
Casey Schneck is the newest addition to the KTA team, as of August 2019. He earned his degree in Community, Environment, and Development at Penn State, and currently resides in Hamburg, PA.
At the Keystone Trails Association, Casey is responsible for event planning and execution, volunteer coordination, website development, editing the newsletter, merchandise sales, social networking, growing the member base, and building partnerships to further KTA’s mission.
Joseph Neville, Executive Director
Email: jneville@kta-hike.org
Phone: 717-766-9690
Joe Neville has been Keystone Trails Association's Executive Director since June, 2015.
Joe began a career in conservation in the 1980’s that included a stint teaching environmental education, working with various non-profit organizations including the Girl Scouts and the PA Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, and most recently with 15 years of employment with the Commonwealth.
Joe is an avid outdoorsman, a life member of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and several other outdoor organizations. Joe holds a B.S. in Biology from Penn State University, a B.S. in Recreation from Penn State University and a M.S. in Recreation Administration from Eastern Kentucky University.
He is committed to continuing the effort to preserve and enhance Pennsylvania’s remarkable trail system. By working with our members, volunteers, supporters and partners he will continue to seek innovative ways to promote and protect trails while providing extraordinary hiking in Pennsylvania.
Joe, his wife Susan, and their daughters reside in Mechanicsburg, PA.
Board of Directors
President: Ernest Werstler, Stevens, PA
Ernest (Ernie) W. Werstler, Jr. lives in Reamstown, PA but was born and raised in Boyertown, PA. In 2008, he retired after 22 years as Business Manager/Board Secretary for the Exeter Township School District. Prior to working at Exeter, Ernie held several accounting and financial management positions in the Reading area.
Ernie has hiked a lot of trails in Pennsylvania as well as some in New York and West Virginia. It's hard for him to pick a favorite, but he has come back to the Mid State Trail many times over the years. His favorite gear includes boots that stay dry and tents that don't leak. As far as a favorite trail story, Ernie can’t decide between the “Velcro and the Bear in the Campsite” or “Proving White Men Can Jump by stepping on a Rattlesnake.”
Why join KTA? Ernie says "The only way the many trails we have in Pennsylvania will remain is by each of us getting involved. Joining KTA was another way to get involved and try to ensure my grandchildren will have trails to hike."
Vice President: Bob Merrill, Jersey Shore, PA
Bob retired from DCNR and the Bureau of Forestry after a 32-year career that included service as the District Forester for Moshannon State Forest. In that capacity, he coordinated the expansion of recreation opportunities in the forest, including the Quehanna Trail System. Bob was also a Program Specialist for the Bureau of Forestry in Harrisburg. He has been an avid hiker for over 40 years and currently maintains sections of the Quehanna and Allegheny Front Trails. Today, he owns a forestry services consulting business. Bob will bring many years of recreation management experience on public lands to KTA's Board of Directors. As a Board member, Bob has a particular interest in preserving Pennsylvania’s endangered hiking trails.
Treasurer: Rob Altenburg, New Cumberland, PA
Rob is an avid hiker and is director of the PennFuture Energy Center. Based in Harrisburg, he has been with the statewide organization since January 2014. Before coming to PennFuture, he spent nearly 22 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Initially working in the Bureau of Air Quality on computer models and procedures to forecast pollution levels, he then served as an executive policy specialist in the department's policy office advising the governor's office and DEP's executive staff on a variety of environmental and public health issues.
A native of Pennsylvania, Altenburg holds a B.S. in Earth Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, a certificate from Penn State University in Geographic Information Systems, and a J.D. (cum laude) from the Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Secretary: Kathryn Barker, Carlisle, PA
Kathryn (Katie) Barker's love of the outdoors began with family trips to National Parks and continued at Girl Scout Camps in Wisconsin. She served on the Board of Directors of the Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club for 14 years, including five as President, and chaired the Hikes Committee for the 2001 Appalachian Trail Conference held in Shippensburg, PA. She has served on the KTA council for over a decade, and now leads children's hikes, along with her husband Sam and daughters Kelly and Hannah. Katie serves with KTA in appreciation for two valuable resources: Pennsylvania's beautiful trails and the volunteers who help open. She wants to help KTA advocate for hikers and work for the protection of
Pennsylvania's natural beauty.
Dave Gantz, State College, PA
Dave is a long distance hiker who has hiked most of the backpacking trails in PA.
He has been serving as a Keystone Trails Association Representative-At-Large since
October, 2015. He also spends a significant amount of time encouraging others to
explore the outdoors. He does this through employment at Appalachian Outdoors,
as a backpacking leadership instructor at PSU, and by volunteering to lead hikes with
several different organizations. Dave maintains a section of the AFT and has authored
two guide books (Old Loggers Path and the Chuck Keiper Trail).
Jack Hauler, Malvern, PA
Jack is an optometrist in Malvern PA. In recent years, his outdoor interests have evolved from running and trail running to hiking and backpacking. As an avid hiker and backpacker, he “found” KTA and has been a frequent participant in slackpack and hiking weekend events. Jack brings extensive volunteer Board experience to KTA; most recently, he served on the Board of his local library, where he provided leadership in fundraising and advocacy efforts. He is the founder of the Optometric Service Group, providing voluntary optometric services to developing and underserved countries. As a KTA Board member, Jack has a particular interest in expanding KTA membership to include, among others, young people and trail runners.
Donna Thompson, Millville, PA
Donna is employed as a sales data analyst for Kydex LLC in Bloomsburg PA. She is a member of the Mid State Trail Association, Alpine Club of Williamsport and Susquehanna Trailers, and maintains two sections of the Mid State Trail. Over the past three years, she has become a very active participant in KTA’s Trail Care events, very much enjoying the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie these events provide. She is also a big fan of the KTA hiking weekends and the Prowl the Sproul event. As a KTA Board member, Donna has a particular interest in the support and continued success of the Trail Care program.
Carl Davis Jr., Shippensburg, PA
Carl spent 39 years in education. He coached wrestling and girls’ gymnastics, coordinated the after school activities, and introduced environmental activities such as orienteering, trail building, and four hikes a year. He retired in 2003 and moved to Wellsboro where he did trail work in the Tioga State Forest and hiked most of the trails in Tioga, Lycoming, and Potter Counties.
His students built the Buck Ridge Trail from Kings Gap to Pine Grove Furnace, the Lamberton and Briar Trails at Mount Holly Nature Preserve, and the Creek Trail in Pine Grove Forest State Park. Carl’s interest in the outdoors began when he was nine and attended a YMCA camp. Years later he was the nature counselor, trail camping counselor, and canoe counselor. He has received numerous awards including the Carlisle YMCA Adult Service Award, George M. Leader Excellence in Education Award, Conservation Education Award from the PA Nature conservancy, Carlisle YMCA Youth Service Award, and KTA’s Certificate of Recognition Award.
He has hiked the Appalachian Trail in all of West Virginia and Maryland, half of Pennsylvania, and parts of Maine and Vermont. He’s completed the Susquehannock and West Rim Trails, parts of the Mid State, Tuscarora, and Black Forest Trails. Other trails he’s hiked include the “Old Rag” in Virginia, Dolly Sods in West Virginia, and the Paint Brush Canyon in Grand Teton. He and his wife are “High Pointers” who like to hike the highest points in different states. He has completed this feat in the New England states.
Carl has been a KTA member for 22 years and loves hiking (of course), gardening, traveling, cutting firewood, and WWII history.
Carl is married to Bonnie and they have three children. He currently lives in Cumberland County.
Ben Cramer, State College, PA
Ben Cramer has hiked more than 4,000 miles on Pennsylvania hiking trails and has completed many of the state’s major backpacking trails multiple times. He has been a lifetime member of KTA since 2000 and served as editor for the KTA book Pennsylvania Hiking Trails, 13th Edition in 2008. He has since written four point-by-point trail guidebooks: Guide to the Allegheny Front Trail (2014), Guide to the Quehanna Trail (2015), Guide to the Elk Trail (2015), and Hiking the Susquehannock Trail (2017). He recently embarked on a project to write the first-ever guidebook for the Donut Hole Trail. Cramer is also a volunteer maintainer on various segments of the Allegheny Front Trail, Quehanna Trail, and Susquehannock Trail System, and in 2016 he spearheaded an effort to rehabilitate and reopen the dilapidated North Link and South Link Trails in Potter County. He lives in State College and teaches at Penn State University, where one of his research specialties is the environmental impacts of advanced telecommunications networks.
Representatives at Large
Joyce Appel, East Brady, PA
Diane Buscarini, Gouldsboro, PA
Jim Catozzi, Newton, PA
Gary Decker, State College, PA
Cecil Dobbins, Akron, OH
Linda Enders Roxberry, Shillington, PA
Henry Frank, Philadelphia, PA
Vicki Porto, Carlisle, PA
Tom Schmick, Montoursville, PA
Jennifer Ulmer, Millville, PA
Barbara Van Horn, Duncannon, PA