Meet the Candidates: 2026 PATC Executive Committee Election
As PATC prepares to enter its second century, members will have the opportunity to help select the volunteer leaders who will guide the Club through this milestone and beyond.
The PATC Executive Committee (ExCom) is made up of elected officers who help oversee the Club’s programs, operations, volunteers, trails, lands, facilities, communications, membership, outreach, and other key areas. The 2026 election will determine the next group of officers responsible for helping carry PATC’s mission forward.
This year’s candidates bring a wide range of PATC volunteer experience, professional expertise, and fresh perspectives on the Club’s future. Get to know more about our candidates below.
Bob Gaylord: Candidate for President
Bob Gaylord brings extensive experience in both trail stewardship and PATC leadership. A longtime volunteer, Bob has served as a trail maintainer and District Manager for the Tuscarora South Trail District and currently serves on PATC’s Executive Committee as Supervisor of Membership.
His experience gives him a perspective that spans both PATC’s hands-on work in the field and the organizational responsibilities involved in leading the Club. As PATC approaches its centennial, Bob is seeking the presidency with an emphasis on supporting the volunteers, programs, and organizational systems that allow PATC to carry out its mission.
Lee Congdon: Candidate for Vice President of Operations
Lee Congdon is seeking to continue serving as PATC’s Vice President of Operations. A PATC life member and avid hiker, Lee has played a significant role in the Club’s recent efforts to modernize its technology and internal processes.
As Chair of PATC’s IT Steering Committee, Lee has helped lead projects including new volunteer work-reporting applications, replacement of the Club’s legacy membership management system, development of the new PATC website, and broader business-process reengineering efforts.
Lee’s professional background includes serving as Chief Information Officer at Red Hat and Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Ellucian. His priorities include continuing to strengthen PATC’s operations while engaging members and volunteer leaders in identifying the Club’s evolving needs.
Jayne Mayne: Candidate for Vice President of Volunteerism
Jayne Mayne is seeking a second term as Vice President of Volunteerism, with a particular focus on PATC’s centennial and the volunteers who have shaped the Club throughout its history.
A PATC member since 2008, Jayne has spent much of her time with the Club building volunteer programs and bringing members together. She led the hiking program for the 2015 ATC Biennial, an effort involving approximately 400 volunteers and 70 hikes. She later served as Supervisor of Membership and created TrailFest in 2024, followed by VolunteerFest in 2025. She is currently co-chairing CentennialFest 2026 and helping plan PATC’s broader centennial activities.
Jayne’s priorities include recognizing PATC’s longtime volunteers while welcoming new generations into the Club and developing new volunteer leaders. Her professional background includes finance and budgeting, organizational development, and labor relations.
Rush Williamson: Candidate for Supervisor of Membership
Rush Williamson brings more than 25 years of PATC membership and volunteer service and 17 years of experience on PATC’s Council and ExCom.
His PATC involvement began with the South Mountain trail crew. Following his 2008 Appalachian Trail thru-hike, he became a trail maintainer at Annapolis Rock and later on the Catoctin Trail. His service has also included work as a District Manager, crew chief, Trail Talker, and Supervisor of Outreach.
Rush sees membership growth and volunteer recruitment as closely connected. His priorities include building on PATC’s recent membership growth, finding additional ways to introduce people to the Club, and strengthening the volunteer base that makes PATC’s work possible.
Outside PATC, Rush worked professionally as a project manager and has held volunteer leadership positions with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Project Management Institute, and Boy Scouts. He received PATC’s Myron Avery Award in 2012.
Matt Waurio: Candidate for Supervisor of Communications
Matt Waurio currently serves as PATC’s Supervisor of Communications and has been involved in strengthening how the Club tells its story to members and the broader trail community.
During his time in the role, Matt has contributed extensively to the Potomac Appalachian and PATC’s communications surrounding its upcoming centennial. He is leading the Club’s Centennial Stories/community history initiative, which is working to collect and preserve photographs, videos, documents, oral histories, and personal stories from PATC members and volunteers.
His work has also included representing and documenting PATC’s involvement in the broader Appalachian Trail community, including the Club’s participation at Appalachian Trail Days. As PATC enters its centennial year, communications will play an important role in connecting the Club’s history with its future and sharing the work of its volunteers with new audiences.
Bob Malkowski: Candidate for Supervisor of Outreach
Bob Malkowski is seeking to serve as Supervisor of Outreach, a position focused on strengthening PATC’s connections with members, prospective members, partners, and communities throughout the Club’s service area.
Bob has been involved with PATC’s Hikes Committee and other efforts that introduce people to the Club and its programs. His recent volunteer work has also included helping develop PATC’s Centennial Stories submission system, which allows members and friends of PATC to contribute photographs, videos, audio recordings, documents, and other materials for preservation as part of the Club’s history.
In the outreach role, the focus will include expanding opportunities for PATC to connect with the public through events, partnerships, ambassadors, and programs that introduce more people to the Club’s trails, cabins, volunteer opportunities, and conservation work.
Anstr Davidson: Candidate for Supervisor of Facilities
Anstr Davidson is seeking to continue serving as Supervisor of Facilities, overseeing an area that includes PATC’s cabins, shelters, and other facilities.
Anstr has approximately 15 years of experience volunteering at the PATC Cabin Desk and has served multiple times as Acting Cabin Coordinator. He currently chairs the Cabin Reservation Committee and previously helped draft the first half of PATC’s cabin book. His trail experience includes serving as Manager of the North Massanutten Trail District and as a trail maintainer.
Anstr has also accumulated 10 years of ExCom experience, including service as Supervisor of Communications, Vice President for Volunteerism, Secretary, and Supervisor of Facilities.
His stated priorities for PATC’s facilities program center on providing a positive experience for cabin renters and shelter visitors, making volunteer service rewarding, and ensuring the Club receives a fair return from its cabin program. He also points to long-term questions involving aging facilities, volunteer recruitment, maintenance costs, potential new cabins, rental rates, and the future of PATC’s cabins in Shenandoah National Park.
Pete Minderman: Candidate for Supervisor of Lands
Pete Minderman brings extensive hands-on trail and land stewardship experience to his candidacy for Supervisor of Lands.
Pete currently serves as PATC’s Supervisor of Lands and is also a District Manager for the Catoctin Trail District. His involvement with PATC includes leadership in the Old Scouter Trail Crew and work supporting trail maintenance and stewardship in Maryland.
The Supervisor of Lands plays an important role in PATC’s work to protect the lands and trail corridors entrusted to the Club. The position works at the intersection of conservation, property stewardship, partnerships, and the long-term protection of the landscapes that support PATC trails.
Tom Fay: Candidate for Treasurer
Tom Fay is seeking the position of Treasurer, bringing his professional and volunteer experience to one of PATC’s key organizational leadership roles.
In addition to his professional background, Tom has become involved in PATC’s hands-on trail stewardship work. In 2026, he participated in PATC’s Crew Trail Maintainer training program with the Hoodlums in Shenandoah National Park, learning core trail-maintenance skills including erosion-control work, blazing, weeding, and other maintenance techniques. Following the training, he signed up to become the maintainer for the Sugarloaf Trail.
As Treasurer, the position is responsible for helping provide financial oversight and supporting sound stewardship of the resources members, donors, volunteers, and partners entrust to PATC.
Juliana Nicolini: Candidate for Secretary
Juliana Nicolini is seeking to continue her service as PATC Secretary.
As a member of ExCom, the Secretary plays an important role in maintaining the records of the Club’s leadership and supporting effective governance and continuity. The position helps ensure that decisions, meetings, and other official ExCom business are appropriately documented as PATC manages a wide range of volunteer programs, properties, partnerships, and organizational responsibilities.
Juliana’s experience on the current Executive Committee provides direct familiarity with PATC’s governance and the administrative work required to support the Club’s elected leadership.
Positions Without Candidates
At the time of publication, no candidates have come forward for Supervisor of Marketing or Supervisor of Trails.
Make Your Voice Heard
PATC has always been powered by volunteers. From maintaining trails and cabins to leading hikes, protecting land, welcoming new members, managing programs, and serving in elected office, members have shaped the Club for nearly a century.
The 2026 election is an opportunity for members to learn more about the volunteers who have stepped forward to serve and to participate in selecting PATC’s next Executive Committee.
Voting will begin October 1st and end on October 31 – all eligible voters will receive an email from Electionbuddy with their unique link to vote, so stay tuned.
We encourage all eligible PATC members to review the candidates’ full statements and participate in the 2026 election.
Learn more about the election and read the candidates’ complete statements at patc.net/elections.