Darcy is a Chattanooga native, spending many of her childhood days losing track of time in the woods exploring the many trails in her backyard of Signal Mountain, making friends with the wildlife and skinning her knees climbing trees in the wilderness park that surrounded her home. Prior to joining Conservation Legacy, Darcy spent over 20 years serving in the Nonprofit community in and around the Chattanooga area, beginning her career with the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and serving most recently as the Executive Director of the United Way of Loudon County. She received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and is a 2024 alum of the Social Enterprise and Effectiveness Program with UTK’s Haslam College of Business Graduate School. Darcy’s own personal passions have always been rooted in nature. As a Certified Tennessee Naturalist, she serves on the Town of Walden's Environmental Committee, is a member of the Tennessee Valley Wild Ones and helped to launch the Rock the Ridge! festival to promote the conservation of Walden’s Ridge. Darcy and her husband Zach, their two sons Griffin and Lucas, their golden retriever Monty and tabby cat Emmet live on six acres on Signal Mountain in Walden. Darcy enjoys spending her free time weeding, planting and planning out her woodland and permaculture gardens, hiking, taking pretty pictures, and hanging out with family and friends while soaking up sunshine.

Kelsey Durr joined Southeast Conservation Corps in 2021. She is originally from the Greater Philadelphia Area and has previously worked with AmeriCorps NCCC, The Student Conservation Association New Hampshire Corps, and the Colorado Mountain Club. Kelsey continually strives to foster leadership, growth, and development within young adults. Kelsey is a member of the Green Team at Conservation Legacy and has spearheaded composting efforts with SECC crews. Outside of work, she enjoys live music, hiking, biking, eating meals made with love, and finding the best donuts in America.

Caitlin Scott joined SECC in October 2021 as the Administrative Specialist. Originally from Montana, Caitlin considers herself a Chattanooga after moving to the Chattanooga area in 2011. After working many years in the hospitality industry and managing a hotel, she decided to kick off her fitness journey to live a healthy lifestyle. This had inspired her to become a certified personal trainer and has been training clients at the local YMCA for over 5 years. With many years of customer service and non-profit experience, Caitlin finds a purpose in supporting staff and members across SECC and Conservation Legacy. Outside of the office, she enjoys cooking, binge watching medical dramas, live music, hiking/trail running, and lifting heavy things for fun.

My experience comes from many backgrounds, but most importantly is my innate respect and love for our natural world. I have spent much time working in the hospitality industry, where my passion for people has thrived. Working both domestically and internationally, with my travels taking me through Central America, Puerto Rico, and across the US. Those travels have been focused on sustainable tourism, culture & diversity, and community development. I was honored to receive and finish my BA in Parks and Recreation Mgt. from Western Carolina University. I am thankful and excited to continue the work of SECC and help connect others to career paths that positively impact our lives and the world around us. May we leave the world a better place for those that come after us.

Angela Gerstner is originally from St. Louis, MO, where she grew up exploring the Missouri Botanical Gardens, camping, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors in the surrounding region.

Angela has built a diverse career in customer service and project management across both nonprofit and outdoor industries. Her experience includes roles with the City Sewing Room, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Kent State Adventure Center, Climb So iLL, Snowshoe, and River Rat. Her most cherished position was as a trip leader, facilitator, and outdoor educator at Kent State University’s Outdoor Adventure Center, where she discovered her profound passion for conservation.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Kent State University, Angela relocated to Chattanooga and joined SECC as recruitment coordinator in 2024. She is excited to contribute to Conservation Legacy’s mission and is dedicated to rekindling the connection between people and the planet.

In her free time, Angela enjoys rock climbing and a variety of other outdoor activities, including trail running, hiking, camping, backpacking, and paddling. She also enjoys playing guitar, writing poetry, watercolor painting, and photography.

Carlyle Grundon has been working in conservation since 2022. She attended Warren Wilson College where she first found her passion for conservation work while leading an ecological landscaping crew. She has since, worked many seasonal jobs where she led youth corps and adult corps in places such as Acadia National Park and Virginia. She also spent a year in Bartow, WV where she worked in Watershed and Fisheries with the Monongahela National Forest. In her free time, she enjoys biking, rock climbing, hiking, and reading.

Cass graduated from North Carolina State University in 2017 with a degree in Science, Technology, and Society. Right out of college, she worked as a paralegal at a law firm for several years before pulling a career 180 and signing on as a crew member with the North Carolina Conservation Corps. Originally intended as a one-season diversion, she returned to CCNC four more times, working first as an Assistant Crew Lead and then moving up to leading her own crews as Staff Crew Lead. After a brief stint doing native seed collection with BLM and NPS based out of Reno, Nevada, she is back in the east, excited to continue her work with Conservation Legacy. In her free time, she GMs TTRPGs like Pathfinder for her friends, drinks too much coffee, and reads weird existential literature.

Aidan Parks joined Southeast Conservation Corps in 2024 where he has served as a Member, Leader, and Field Supervisor.

Aidan grew up in Chattanooga, TN, where nature and recreation run in abundance. It was only right for him to continue this path and learn how to give back to the areas that fostered him. It was this love that brought him to East Tennessee State University, graduating with his B.S. in Parks and Recreation Management in 2023.

Outside of work, Aidan enjoys Disc golf, mountain biking, snowboarding, backpacking, fishing, weightlifting, and his cat Michael.

In a small Mississippi town, Rhett grew up in a neighborhood full of trees and trails. He roamed and wandered in the woods, often sneaking off on non-school nights to a favorite spot to camp and read by the fire light. At 16 years old, as a scout, he served on his first trail crew in New Mexico, an experience that left him with an unshakeable draw towards conservation. Since then, Rhett has devoted a large amount of time to the outdoors, spending summer seasons guiding backpacking and canoeing expeditions, thru hiking the Appalachian Trail and Colorado Trail, and obtaining certifications in wilderness medicine. Before joining Southeast Conservation Corps, Rhett worked as an EMT on an ambulance for Helen Keller Memorial Hospital in north Alabama. Since 2024, he has served with SECC as a member, assistant crew leader, and crew leader primarily on fire/fuels and chainsaw crews.