PORT ANGELES — The deadline for priority consideration in the hiring of an executive director for the Peninsula Trails Coalition is approaching.
The organization’s executive director search is being conducted by KC Upshaw of Kinship HR based in Port Townsend.
The deadline to apply for priority consideration is July 18.
“We hope to have our first executive director in place no later than the fall,” said Rich James, the newly elected PTC President and Port Angeles resident, in a press release. “We need to bring new leadership and new energy to our work as the Olympic Discovery Trail’s principal advocate and caretaker. We’ve grown so much over the decades, but we still have a lot to do to complete the trail.”
To view the job description, visit www.olympic discoverytrail.org.
The search for an executive director is the first step in the trails coalition’s plan to transfer day-to-day management of the all-volunteer organization to a professional staff, according to the press release.
In 2021, the PTC’s board of directors determined that its all-volunteer operating model was no longer sufficient to keep up with the growth of both the Olympic Discovery Trail and the PTC, according to the release.
“Today, the Olympic Discovery Trail is part of an interconnected network of regional, state and interstate trails that — as a part of the Great American Rail Trail — stretches from La Push, Washington, to Washington, D.C.,” the release stated.
The PTC has more than 10,000 volunteers, members and supporters.
Thousands of local, national and international visitors enjoy the Olympic Discovery Trail each year, making it an economic powerhouse in the North Olympic Peninsula, according to the release.
“Our workload has rapidly outgrown the capacity of our all-volunteer organization,” James said. “We’ve been planning for this transition, and we’re excited to see it becoming a reality.”
