Board of Directors
Bill Turman, Chair
- Oviedo, FL
Bill was born and raised in central Virginia and as a Boy Scout attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He enjoyed many backpacking trips on the AT. A graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Civil / Structural Engineering, he began his career as a construction engineer, then design engineer with Dominion Resources / Virginia Power. A unique work highlight included underwater inspection activities as part of the civil engineering dive team.
Bill moved to central Florida in 1990 when he took an engineering position with Westinghouse Electric Corporation, where he helped develop and implement gas turbine and combined cycle power plants. His responsibilities increased as he progressed into the positions of group and department manager within Westinghouse and later Siemens Power Generation when Siemens purchased Westinghouse. A career highlight was living in Germany, performing the integration manager duties.
A member of the Florida Trail Association since 1991, he has backpacked and hiked many of the trails in central Florida. Since retiring, Bill has been active with the Central Florida Chapter, helping to perform trail maintenance activities, acting as an activity leader, chapter chair, and representative at the Chapter Council. He is an avid hiker, cyclist and kayaker, and enjoys traveling the country with his A-frame camper, visiting the National Parks.
Maria Llorens, Vice Chair
- Miami, FL
Maria Llorens was born and raised in Miami, FL. She is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and has dedicated her career thus far to working with non-profit organizations advocating for affordable housing, immigrant rights, and workers’ rights. She is passionate about hiking, kayaking, and nature photography, particularly in the Florida Everglades. In March 2023, she completed an 1,100-mile thru-hike of the Florida National Scenic Trail.
In her spare time, Maria leads group hikes to help new hikers explore and appreciate the unique beauty and ecological importance of the Everglades. She founded the Miami Hiking Club to help grow South Florida’s hiking community, dispel fears about the outdoors, and to spread the word about the wide array of outdoor activities in Florida. As a board member of the Florida Trail Association, she hopes to increase awareness of the Florida Trail, attract a diverse array of hikers to the trail and the FTA, and deepen relationships between the FTA and the communities and small businesses that interact with the trail statewide.
Elwood McElhaney, Treasurer
- Tallahassee, FL
Elwood McElhaney is a retired Certified Public Accountant. He has been a member of the Florida Trail Association since 2012, where he has served as an Activity Leader and Chapter Chair of the Apalachee Chapter in Tallahassee. He enjoys hiking, cycling, paddling, and salt-water fishing, and has been known to crank out a few songs on his guitar around a campfire.
Chelsey Stevens, Secretary
- Chuluota, FL
Chelsey Stevens is an avid hiker, outdoor enthusiast, and conservation advocate. Although she was born in Richland, Washington, her family moved to Florida when she was a child. Her parents fostered a love for nature, taking her on trips across the state camping and exploring springs, beaches, and parks.
In her early 20s, Chelsey moved to Oregon where she developed a love for hiking. Although the Pacific Northwest boasts beautiful landscapes, she eventually realized that seasonal depression made it difficult for her to call Oregon home. Returning to Florida, she settled in Chuluota near the Econlockhatchee River and the Little Big Econ State Forest, where she started a family.
After returning to Florida, Chelsey was surprised to discover that the state had numerous hiking opportunities. Her interest in hiking grew even stronger when she met her future husband, Chris Stevens. Inspired by their shared excitement for the outdoors and conservation, they started the Sunshine State Seekers, a blog dedicated to Florida outdoor adventures.
Over time, Chelsey became more involved with the outdoor community, taking on various leadership roles. She currently serves as the Programs Coordinator for the Central Florida Chapter of the Florida Trail Association and sits on the board for FT Thru hike, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting those attempting to thru-hike the Florida National Scenic Trail. Chelsey is also on the Communications Advisory Board for the Florida Springs Council, an organization focusing on the culture and policy changes that will lead to the protection and restoration of Florida Springs and Waterways.
Chelsey and Chris are gradually section hiking the entirety of the Florida National Scenic Trail, among other outdoor adventures. Chelsey is dedicated to spreading awareness about the beauty and importance of nature, and her passion for the outdoors has encouraged many others to explore and protect Florida's natural wonders.
Tiffany Bright, Director
- Jacksonville, FL
Tiffany Bright is a Florida Master Naturalist, Outdoor Educator, and Wilderness EMT with a deep passion for the wild Florida!
Tiffany spent years as a wilderness guide immersing children in nature through an adventure-based model of learning leading countless hikes, tours, and surveys! She is currently the Director of Operations of The Rattlesnake Conservancy - a non-profit organization dedicated to the conversation of imperiled rattlesnake species where she's developed a wide range of curriculum and education programs meant to foster a deep connection with the natural world. She has taught safe venomous handling skills and emergency snakebite management to professionals throughout the United States, and maintains a public display of native venomous snakes.
Tiffany is a lifelong outdoor enthusiast originally from West Texas who has been in Florida for over a decade and actively pursues hobbies like kayaking, paddleboarding, hiking, free diving, and wildlife photography!
Karl Byars, Director
- Milton, FL
Karl is a retired Army Officer and currently licensed as a Florida Nurse Practitioner. He has been a life-long hiker and an active member of the Western Gate Chapter since 2018 where he volunteers 1-2 times a week on average (approx 3- 5 hours per session). He received his National Sawyer Certification Card (April 2019) and also helps his chapter by trail mowing, lopping, tree removal, bog bridge-building and repair, campsite cleaning, and equipment transport.
His background and commitment provide an ideal foundation for advising the Association’s missions in these areas: public health awareness and safety; skills training (especially in emergency first-aid response); budget management; trail work planning and implementation; equipment requirements; and personnel and volunteer recruitment and oversight.
He received a BSN from the University of Mississippi and an MSN from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He graduated and received a Nurse Practitioner certification from Johns Hopkins University Post-Masters/Nurse Practitioner in Baltimore.
While on active duty he held clinical and management positions in Germany, Hawaii, Maryland, and Kansas. He served on the medical transition team for Presidential inaugural activities in Washington D.C. and on a special healthcare team during a Presidential European visit. After leaving the military, he worked as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) in internal medicine and gastroenterology practices in Maryland and Florida. He was a Clinical NP instructor at Johns Hopkins University and Howard University in Maryland. His other interests include hiking/camping (he has done sections of the AT and FT, among others,), boating (American Sailing Association certifications: Basic Keelboat Sailing; Basic and Intermediate Coastal Cruising; Bareboat Chartering), and travel.
Tom Daniel, Director
- Pensacola, FL
Tom grew up in Hialeah, Florida and resided in Dade County for 35 years. In 1980 his family moved to Pensacola. He received a BS in Accounting from Florida State University. He began volunteering with the Florida Trail Association in 1998 and has held positions as Activity Leader, Trailmaster, Eglin Section Leader, Trail Coordinator, FTA Board member, VP Membership (3/2007 – 12/2009) and VP Trails (3/2011 – 3/2016).
He is a founding member of the Choctawhatchee Chapter which serves Okaloosa and Walton Counties. He served as Trail Coordinator from the Chapters inception until February 2017. He personally supervised and coordinated the routing and construction of 95+ miles of the Florida National Scenic Trail on Eglin, Nokuse Plantation and Northwest Florida Water Management Division lands.
In the aftermath the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, Tom coordinated trail recovery in the Western Panhandle with local volunteers and USDA-FS. His trail related schools include Trail Crew Leader Training at the University of North Georgia and participation in several American Hiking Society trail maintenance and construction Volunteer Vacations.
As an Activity / Crew Leader, Tom has organized and lead well over 100 Florida Trail maintenance and trail construction activities. He has served as the Choctawhatchee Chapter Meetup Organizer from October 2008 until present. He and Anne are Lifetime Members of the Florida Trail Association.
Michelle Duncan, Director
- Panama City, FL
Michelle Duncan has focused her career on strengthening students’ connection with their coastal backyard. She earned her B.S. in Marine Science, M.S. in Fisheries Biology, and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Counseling, where she conducted research on diversity barriers. For the past 20 years, Michelle has worked as a Fish Biologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and provides educators and K-12 students with hands-on touch tanks and beach seines to improve ocean literacy and stewardship. As a member of the Choctawhatchee Chapter, she has focused on improving membership communication and enrollment. Michelle will employ her research background to support increasing post-pandemic trail participation.
Eric Emery, Director
- Malabar, FL
Eric grew up in central Florida. While in Boy Scouts he completed hi 50 mile hike in Ocala National Forest. 40 years later he would read an article about the Florida National Scenic Trail and realize he had hiked part of it. In that time he would spend 28 years in the Navy, then five years owning a wine shop in Washington state before becoming a Resident Volunteer in the park system. He did not start thru hiking until he was 55. His first attempt at the FT was a disaster and he barely made it to Billies Swamp Safari. That was in 2017. Since then he has completed five FT thru hikes; 2018, 2020, 2021 and his 21/22 YoYo to celebrate turning 60. In 2021 he completed both sides of Orlando and Lake Okeechobee as well as the OTLHT and the Blackwater connector. He has also attended FT work parties in both the Ocala and Osceola National Forests.
Joshua Johnson, Director
- St. Augustine, FL
Josh “Pacecar” Johnson of Saint Augustine, FL is a long distance hiker and has joined the FTA Board of Directors for the first time. Josh currently serves as a Certified Brand Advocate for Caterpillar and comes to FTA with communication, marketing, and leadership experience with his professional and volunteer roles. He has served the hiking community through his work in the 2019 Granite Gear Groundskeeper program promoting Leave No Trace principles and his personal “hike with heart” endeavor where he promotes and raises funds for non-profit organizations (Hike for Mental Health, Ability Tree First Coast) while hiking.
Rick Robbins, Director
- Gainesville, FL
Rick was raised in southwestern Ohio and has spent most of his life enjoying the outdoors. He has undertaken many backpacking and hiking trips, which include the Continental Divide, AT, Ice Age, and Florida Trails.
After receiving his degree in Soil Science and Resource Management from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, he accepted his dream job ….mapping soils. He couldn’t believe that he found a job where he was paid to hike 40 hrs/wk, 52 wks/year.
Later in his career, he migrated to designing land use interpretations and working with Geographic Information Systems. Rick is now semi-retired and resides in Gainesville.
Leslie Wheeler, Director
- Jacksonville, FL
Leslie has been a member of Florida Trail Association ever since she went with the Western Gate Chapter on a field trip to Garcon Point and observed rare pitcher plants on her hands and knees. That would be 15+ years ago. After she moved to Jacksonville, she became active in the North Florida Trailblazers Chapter and has been instrumental in keeping that chapter going during a period of low activity. She considers her time serving at the state level as a learning experience and is grateful for the opportunity to meet many members of our great organization.
Leslie graduated from Millsaps College with a BS in Biology. She became a medical technologist and earned her Specialist in Blood Banking at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans. She has a Master of Healthcare Administration from Tulane University. After a long career of managing transfusion services at Florida hospitals, she now works part time as a validation specialist for a healthcare software company.
VACANT, Director
- Anywhere, FL
BIO HERE