Board of Directors

R. Glen Hilliard, Chair Emeritus

Bill Baskin

Bill Baskin grew up in Lee County, SC, where he had the duel benefit of town and farm experiences. He attended Bishopville High-1953, Wofford College-1957 and USC Law School-1960.

He is a widower and has 2 children. During his adult years, he practiced law, served as municipal judge, was chief of the Rescue-EMS squad and on the NBSC and SC EMS advisory boards. Upon retirement in 1999, he directed the establishment of the e-911 communication system.

Bill began hiking about 1982, joined the FTC in 1984, served as hike leader on numerous occasions, became a director in 2004 and served as chairman of the bylaws and annual meeting committees.

He has hiked in 7 SE states (FL, GA, SC, NC, TN, VA & WV), including Foothills Trail, Bartram Trail, most of the Palmetto Trail and many of the upstate trails.

Greg Borgen

Tom Brown, Treasurer

Mike Despeaux

Heyward Douglass, Executive Director

Originally from Columbia, SC, I attended Clemson University and received a B.S. and M.S. in the Biological Sciences, graduating in 1971. I served as a pilot/Instructor Pilot in the USAF from 1971 to 1976. I returned to Clemson University in 1976 and worked as an Extension Entomologist (Insects) until 1979. From 1979 to 1981 I earned my living as an aviator again by towing banners, dropping skydivers, taking aerial (photo)s, flying charter flights, and giving lots of flight instruction. In 1981, I returned to Clemson Univ. again, this time as the administrative pilot, flying administrators, faculty, and staff (and sometimes coaches) all over the country. I am still employed at Clemson as a pilot.

I am married to Carolyn Douglass and have 3 grown children. Working with Boy Scouts has been a primary avocation for many years, and as part of that, I have completed the Woodbadge leadership training. I began hiking on the Foothills Trail in the early 80’s, and in 1989 joined the Board of FTC, where I have served as chairman, maintenance coordinator, and as a shuttle driver. Carolyn says FTC work is my second full-time job.

John Garton, Emeritus

Jack Hudish

Jerry Harvey

Born and raised in Oconee County South Carolina, Jerry Harvey grew up hunting, fishing and hiking the mountains of upper South Carolina long before the days of the lake impoundments in the area. He is married to Mary Singleton, his high School sweetheart and hiking partner (in warm weather.) Jerry graduated from Tri-County Technical College and earned a BS degree from Clemson University in 1974. H retired after 34 years in Tool Design, Engineering and Management from Reliance Electric/Rockwell Automation in Greenville. Jerry loves to spend as much time as possible in all things outdoors. He was recruited into the Foothills Trail Conference by Bill Baskin in 2004, and has been hooked ever since. He works as a Maintenance/Trail Captain on the trail section from Fish Hatchery Road to Burrells Ford. Presently, Jerry and Mary live in the Powdersville area of Anderson County but will always consider the foothills their real home.

Greg Lucas

A native South Carolinian, Greg Lucas is a conservation educator and recreation specialist and has been with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources for 19 years. A field editor for South Carolina Wildlife magazine, he has thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and Foothills Trail and is a certified coastal kayak instructor with the American Canoe Association and an instructor with the S.C. Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program. Greg is a board member with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Clemson University and the Foothills Trail Conference, and he is DNR's coordinator for the Upstate Master Naturalist Program. Greg is married to the former Angela Smith, a teacher at Pickens High School, and has three sons and a daughter. He lives in Easley and is a member of Easley Presbyterian Church.

Steve Pagano

Steve holds an AAS degree in Forestry / Outdoor Recreation from Paul Smith’s College in New York and a BS degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He has worked for the North Carolina State Parks since. Started as a Ranger at Falls Lake State Recreation Area (Raleigh / Durham) until I moved to Gorges State Park in 1999 as the Park Superintend to start North Carolina’s newest and only park west of Asheville. Prior to this, I worked for the State and County park system in Georgia. I have been on the FTC board since 2002.

My family and I live on Gorges State Park near the Frozen Creek Access. My wife Renee, is a teacher at Brevard Middle School. I have two daughters, Katy and Aly. We enjoy camping, hiking, traveling, and taking mission trips with our church, First United Methodist Church of Brevard.

John Park, Chair

Born and raised in Columbia, SC and started hiking in high school with a hike on the AT from Clingman's Dome to Cades Cove. Graduated from Furman University with a BS in chemistry. While at Furman I spent many weekends hiking in the upstate and western NC, mostly Pisgah National Forest and Jones Gap. I was a middle school teacher for 10 years and earned a Masters of Education from Clemson. After teaching, I worked in information technology for 10 years. During this time my son was a Boy Scout and I was re-introduced to the woods and forests in the area. I joined the Foothills Trail Conference to do trail maintenance work and introduced my daughter to the trail. She and I have hiked the entire trail together as a father daughter project. My son is married and lives in Kansas City, MO and my daughter is married and lives in Greenville. I am an avid hiker and have hiked most of the trails in Upstate SC and much of Western NC, including 250 miles of the AT and all 400 miles of trail in the Pisgah Ranger District. My wife, Susan, and I have been married 35 years. I have been a business owner for the past 15 years and currently own two The UPS Stores in Greenville, SC.

Cathy Reas-Foster

Cathy is from the Hoosier State and she started hiking at a young age when her family vacationed at State and National parks. She graduated from Indiana University with a B.S. in geology and from the University of South Florida with a M.S. in hydrogeology and worked for an environmental consulting firm for 15 years in Tampa, FL and Oak Ridge, TN before moving to Anderson, SC. Cathy is a Natural Resource/Carolina Clear agent for Clemson University Extension Service in Pickens County and is involved with many conservation organizations including the Master Naturalists, Native Plant Society, and Lake Hartwell Association, and she is a "Leave No Trace" trainer.

Cathy's favorite hobby is hiking, which she likes to share with family and friends. She has spent many summers in Montana, Canada, and Norway hiking, camping, and geologic mapping, but her favorite places to hike are the Cumberland Plateau and Blue Ridge Mountains. Cathy, her husband, and three daughters all enjoy nature and hiking, especially on the Foothills Trail.

Mike Stafford, Emeritus

Scott Stegenga

I have been the Interpretive Ranger at Table Rock State Park since November 17, 1989. I was raised and worked on a potato farm in Minnesota and received a Biology degree from Northwestern College in Iowa. Before moving to South Carolina I worked seasonally as a naturalist between 1984 -1988 at an Environmental Education camp in California and married in 1986. My wife Christine and I have three sons. I enjoy birding, hiking, trail work, many types of sports, keeping weather data, and home cooking. I completed my last section of the Foothills Trail in 2006.

Robert Stephenson

Robert Stephenson has been a conference member since 1990, a member of the board since 1997, and currently serves as chairman. He works as an attorney for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and is a lifelong hiking enthusiast and advocate for natural resource conservation. Robert lives in Greenville.

Les Storm

I was born and raised in a small farming community in central Illinois. My wife, Cheryl, and I and our 2 sons, Kyle and Keith, moved to Charlotte, NC in 1986 and I was transferred with my job at Texas Instruments to Greenville, SC in 1988. In 1988 I made a lateral job move to Hewlett Packard where I currently work as a senior Technical Engineer. My son Kyle and his wife Tracy have 2 sons, Jebediah and Colt, and Tracy also has 2 daughters, Dakota and Sadie. Our son Keith and his wife Kayla have a daughter, Chloe with another due in Feb 2009. Cheryl and I moved to our current residence near Table Rock State Park in 2001, where we enjoy hiking and (photo)graphy. We have been FTC members since about 1990, and I have served on the FTC board since 2005 as the FTC Trail Maintenance Coordinator

Dan Whitten

I grew up in Huntsville, AL and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Wildlife Management. Then I went to work for Michelin in Dothan, AL and worked most of my 30 years in Spartanburg, SC. I retired in Spring of 2008 and have been involved in several organizations which include the Upstate Master Naturalist Association, the Catawba Master Naturalist Association, the Native Plant Society, the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, Spartanburg County Parks & Recreation, Road Scholar Program and SPACE. I joined the Foothills Trail Conference in 2008 and the Board in 2012. My favorite activities include kayaking, canoeing, camping, flyfishing and above all, hiking. I began section hiking the AT in the Smokies at age 12 and have so far completed from I-81 in VA to the southern terminus. I have also section hiked the Foothills Trail in the 80’s and 90’s and through hiked it in March of 2010. The wonders of God’s creation fascinate and inspire me. To discover these wonders and share them with others keeps me happy. I live in Spartanburg County with my wife, Sherrie. Our two daughters are grown and live in Brevard and Charleston.

Bobbie Wilhite

Bobbie grew up in Red Springs, NC, graduated from UNC Pembroke and moved to the upstate in 1971 when she found that almost every weekend was being spent traveling across state to play in the mountains of Oconee County. She received a masters degree from Western Carolina University in guidance and counseling. After 17 years in the classroom as a math teacher Bobbie changed positions to be a guidance counselor at Walhalla High School. Now being retired, she has found a passion participating in the Upstate Master Naturalist training and working with UMNA projects. In the fall and winter of 2011/2012, Bobbie and four fellow Master Naturalist hiked, or maybe wandered - looking at the flora and fauna, the Foothills Trail in segments. Bobbie and her husband Bo live in Walhalla. They have one son and daughter-in-law. She is an active member of St. Luke United Methodist Church and Walhalla Woman’s Club.