EAST BURKE, Vt. (BRAIN) — Following a search process that began in August, the Kingdom Trails Association announced Friday that it has hired Abigail Long as the organization's new executive director.
Tim Tierney, who served as the association's executive director for more than a decade, resigned last May.
Currently the executive director of the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation, Long was one of nearly 100 applicants for the position and one of three finalists who participated in community forums organized by the Kingdom Trails Association in December. She will join the KTA staff in February.
"We are absolutely thrilled that Abby has accepted our offer to join the KTA team," said Matt Langlais, president of the association's board of directors. "She brings a wealth of translatable experience and fresh perspective from her tenure with the Leadville Race Series and Legacy Foundation as well as her community work in Lake County. Her career commitment to service and outdoor recreation will serve KTA and the community as a whole well and we look forward to working with her."
Long, a native New Englander, said, "It's an honor and thrill to join such a solid staff, board of directors and welcoming community, and I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this amazing organization. I thank them for their confidence in me and look forward to making a home and career in the Burke area, committing to the future of Kingdom Trails and the communities it serves."
Established in 1994, the Kingdom Trails Association is a charitable nonprofit organization encouraging ecologically responsible recreational use in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. As part of that mission, KTA builds and maintains 100-plus miles of mountain bike trails spanning more than 60 member landowners' properties.