Mary Ellen Koontz | Photo courtesy Mary Ellen Koontz

Mary Ellen Koontz

Mary Ellen Koontz leads RTC’s TrailNation Collaborative and joined Team RTC in 2019. Mary Ellen Koontz grew up riding the Heritage Rail Trail in her hometown of York, Pennsylvania, a city that sparked her passion for creating healthy, sustainable communities with easy access to the outdoors.

Prior to joining RTC, Mary Ellen worked to help create community as a professional staff member at Georgetown University and as an AmeriCorps volunteer. She has a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Georgetown University and studied Political Science at Loyola University Maryland, and happily applies her knowledge and expertise in these areas to her work on RTC’s Policy and Trail Development teams.

When she’s not biking, cheering on the Orioles or exploring D.C.’s many farmers markets, Mary Ellen is slowly but surely section hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Related Posts

New TrailNation Collaborative Community to Escalate Trail Network Development Nationwide

November 16, 2022

For decades, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has served as the leading advocacy voice for trails and the foremost champion of the power that connected trails deliver to people and places. Through the TrailNation™ initiative, comprising eight geographically diverse trail-network projects ranging from 35 miles to 2,600 miles, RTC is demonstrating what’s possible when trail networks are central […]

Florida's Pinellas Trail in Dunedin | Photo courtesy Pinellas County Marketing and Communications

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Awards $300,000+ to Support Inclusive Trail Projects Across the Nation

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On Wednesday, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) announced that it has awarded a combined $300,000+ in grants to 25 organizations working in rural, suburban and urban communities across the country as part of the 2022 Trail Grants program. The program supports local and national organizations who share RTC’s commitment to building a welcoming and equitable outdoor experience for […]

Atlantic Greenway South Beach Trail, part of the Miami LOOP | Photo by Lee Smith

New Guidance for Transportation Alternatives: Transformative Funding for Trails, Walking and Biking

Last week, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released new guidance on the Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside. This guidance instructs state departments of transportation (DOTs) on how to implement the TA funding in alignment with policy changes included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which included a 70% increase in funding alongside critical policy changes to the largest […]

Herring Run Trail | Side A Photography

2021 RTC Fall Trail Grants Supporting Equitable Trail Access Around the Nation

November 17, 2021

On Nov. 17, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) announced the recipients of over $300,000 in grants as part of the 2021 Trail Grants Program. These grants were given to 45 organizations around the country to advance trail projects in their communities as part of TrailNation™ networks and along the preferred route of the Great American Rail-Trail™. This year’s […]

Washington's Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail in part of the Great American Rail-Trail | Photo by TrailLink user scfroehlich

2021 Trail Grants Awardees Support Community Connections On and Off Trails

This year’s awards are helping 11 trail projects across the country reach decades-long goals to complete trail networks and unlock larger grant dollars. On March 16, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) announced the recipients of its 2021 Trail Grants Program, awarding a total of $145,000 to support 11 trail projects across the country that have been strategically designed […]

Heartland Trail in Ohio | Courtesy Rails-to-Trails of Wayne County

COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020 Makes Funding Available for Transportation

January 25, 2021

In the final days of the 2020 legislative session, the 116th Congress passed the $900 billion COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020, a wide-ranging economic stimulus package that includes support for transportation systems impacted by the ongoing pandemic. The package contains $14 billion for transit and $10 billion in flexible transportation funding for states and […]

Photo courtesy RTC