Rails to Trails Conservancy
Donations deductibleRails to Trails Conservancy's network
21 people1 organisationi21 people and 1 organisation on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (21). Violet dotted lines (1) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
21 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Time served and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed time served is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 18 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI; we list 21 in Part VII (Part VII does not always name every voting member).| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Chang Chair | Chair | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Ajoa Abrokwa | Board Member (From 2/2025) | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Andrew McCormick | Board Member (From 2/2025) | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Ayesha McGowan | Company secretary | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Balaji Bondili | Board Member | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Catherine Sloss Jones | Board Member | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Daniel Rodriguez | Board Member | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Douglas Monieson (also filed as Doug Monieson) | Treasurer | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Elizabeth Lynn | Board Member | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Gail Lipstein | Board Member (Until 2/2025) | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| James Brainard (also filed as Jim Brainard) | Board Member | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| James F Sallis (also filed as James Sallis, Jim Sallis) | Board Member | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| John Friedmann | Board Member (Until 2/2025) | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Jon Cofsky | Board Member | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Juliette Rizzo | Board Member | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| M Katherine Kraft | Board Member | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Mark Filippell | Board Member | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Marvin Plakut | Board Member | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Noel Kegel | Vice Chair | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| TIM Petri | Board Member | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Vanessa Garrison | Board Member (Until 2/2025) | 2018 | 8 yrs |
Officers and senior leadership
11 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| Alisa Borland | VP of Development | since 2020 |
| Arion Ryan Chao | President (From 1/2019) | 2019 |
| Brandi Horton | VP of Communications | since 2018 |
| Cynthia Dickerson | Chief Operating Officer | since 2018 |
| Elizabeth Thorstensen | VP Trail Development | since 2018 |
| Frederick Schaedtler | CTO | since 2021 |
| Keith Laughlin | President (Until 2/2019) | since 2018 |
| Kevin Mills | VP of Policy | since 2018 |
| Marianne Fowler | Sr Strategist Policy Advocacy | since 2018 |
| Mary O'Connor | VP of DVLPT/Prtnrsp (Until 10/2018) | since 2018 |
| Ryan Chao | President | since 2020 |
Pay and hours
year to 30 September 2025iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Chao | President | 40 | $318k | $47k | |
| Cynthia Dickerson | Chief Operating Officer | 40 | $212k | $42k | |
| Kevin Mills | VP of Policy | 40 | $188k | $41k | |
| Frederick Schaedtler | CTO | 40 | $185k | $33k | |
| Brandi Horton | VP of Communications | 40 | $180k | $40k | |
| Elizabeth Thorstensen | VP of Trail Development | 40 | $176k | $34k | |
| Alisa Borland | VP of Development | 40 | $175k | $40k | |
| Edward Chang | Chair | 5 | $0 | ||
| Noel Kegel | Vice Chair | 5 | $0 | ||
| Ayesha McGowan | Secretary | 5 | $0 | ||
| Douglas Monieson | Treasurer | 5 | $0 | ||
| Ajoa Abrokwa | Board Member (From 2/2025) | 5 | $0 | ||
| Balaji Bondili | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| James Brainard | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| Jon Cofsky | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| Mark Filippell | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| John Friedmann | Board Member (Until 2/2025) | 5 | $0 | ||
| Vanessa Garrison | Board Member (Until 2/2025) | 5 | $0 | ||
| Catherine Sloss Jones | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| M Katherine Kraft | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| Gail Lipstein | Board Member (Until 2/2025) | 5 | $0 | ||
| Elizabeth Lynn | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| Andrew McCormick | Board Member (From 2/2025) | 5 | $0 | ||
| Tim Petri | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| Marvin Plakut | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| Juliette Rizzo | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| Daniel Rodriguez | Board Member | 5 | $0 | ||
| James Sallis | Board Member | 5 | $0 |
Colorado roster
22 listediOfficers, directors and trustees from the latest filing with the Colorado Secretary of State (document 20263006402). Titles are as filed; some entries are registered agents or custodians of records rather than board members. Source: data.colorado.gov, public domain.| Name | Title as filed |
|---|---|
| Edward Chang | Chair |
| Douglas Monieson | Treasurer |
| Catherine Sloss Jones | Board Member |
| Alisa Borland | VP of Development |
| Ajoa Abrokwa | Board Member |
| Juliette Rizzo | Board Member |
| Andy McCormick | Board Member |
| Daniel A Rodriquez | Board Member |
| Ryan Chao | President |
| Mark Filippell | Board Member |
| Noel Kegel | Vice Chair |
| Jon Cofsky | Board Member |
| Cynthia Dickerson | COO/CFO |
| Elizabeth Lynn | Board Member |
| Marvin Plakut | Board Member |
| Ayesha McGowen | Secretary |
| Leslie Bethke | Controller |
| Cynthia Dickerson | |
| M. Katherine Kraft | Board Member |
| Tim Petri | Board Member |
| Balaji Bondili | Board Member |
| James Brainard | Board Member |
About
- Legal name
- Rails to Trails Conservancy
- EIN
- 521437006
- Address
- 2445 M St Nw Ste 650, Washington, DC, 20037-0005
- State
- District of Columbia
- Mission
- The rails-to-trails conservancy is the nations largest trails org. With a grassroots community more than 1 mil. Strong dedicated to building a nation connected by trails, reimagining public spaces to create safe ways for everyone to walk, bike & be active outdoors. (as filed on the Form 990)
- Activity (NTEE)
- C500 Environment
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Classified purpose
- Environment
- Size band
- 8 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 1985
- Principal officer
- Ryan Chao (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 April 1986
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 8, latest 2025
- IRS Publication 78
- PC (contributions deductible)
Most connected
Longest observed on the filings
≥8years on the filingsDouglas Monieson
≥8years on the filingsGail Lipstein
≥8years on the filingsJames F Sallis
≥8years on the filingsJon Cofsky
Latest return
year to 30 September 2025iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 30 September 2025. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $23m
- Total liabilities
- $6.2m
- Net assets or fund balances
- $16.8m
- Contributions and grants received
- $11.6m
- Program service revenue
- $935k
- Grants and similar paid out
- $737k
- Employees
- 58
- Volunteers
- 25
Filed finances
1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $14.7m | $14m | $751k |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.
Grants paid
25+ listediFrom Schedule I of the Form 990: grants and assistance to organisations in the United States, largest first (up to 25). Schedule I is filed only by organisations that gave more than $5,000 to any one recipient.| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey Bike Walk Coalition | Trail development | $180k |
| 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corp | Trail development | $77k |
| Hace | Trail development | $35k |
| New Hampshire Snowmobile Association | Trail development | $28k |
| East Bay Regional Park District | Trail development | $25k |
| Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa Inc | Trail development | $25k |
| Friends of the Market Inc | Community engagement | $25k |
| Harrison County Commissioners | Trail development | $20k |
| Park County Montana | Trail development | $20k |
| Wyoming Pathways | Capacity building | $20k |
| Anchorage Park Foundation | Trail development | $15k |
| Catawba Lands Conservancy | Trail development | $15k |
| Delaware River City Corporation | Community engagement | $15k |
| Friends of the Merrimack River Greenway Trail | Trail development | $15k |
| Laramie County Wyoming | Trail development | $15k |
| Rivanna Trails Foundation | Trail development | $15k |
| Kansas Trails Inc | Technical assistance | $12k |
| Wisconsin Bike Fed | Trail policy advocacy | $10k |
| City of Great Falls | Trail development | $10k |
| City of Oak Hill | Trail development | $10k |
| Friends of Herring Run Parks | Trail development | $10k |
| Friends of Madison County Parks & Trails | Trail development | $10k |
| Groundwork Jacksonville Inc | Community engagement | $10k |
| Morgan State University | Trail development | $10k |
| Urban Oasis Inc | Trail development | $10k |
State registration
1 entityiBusiness-entity registers published by US states. These records are matched to this organisation by name and state, not by EIN, and are labelled as likely matches. Street addresses are not shown.Rails To Trails Conservancy likely matchiMatched by exact name and state (and ZIP where shown). State registers do not publish EINs, so this is not a confirmed match. Source: DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), corporate registrations (opendata.dc.gov). Licence: CC BY 4.0. Attribution: DC DLCP. Data last fetched 18 October 2026.
- State
- District of Columbia
- Entity type
- Domestic Nonprofit Corporation
- Status
- Active - In Good Standing
- Formed
- 22 November 1985
- Registered agent
- Arion Chao (city and state not held)