Mission Statement
Our mission is to create an inclusive and resilient urban riverfront trail that connects and inspires people and businesses in the region. The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation will provide the planning, fundraising, and marketing to generate public support for a healthy and dynamic regional trail.
Vision Statement
The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation will build a trail as diverse and vibrant as the land it sits on, the river it follows, and the community it serves.
Formed in 2016, the Elizabeth River Trail Foundation is responsible for master planning, fundraising and activating the trail. The Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization managed by a Board of Directors, several committees, an Executive Director and one staff.
Board of Directors
ex-officio
Committees
- Events
- Fundraising
- Marketing
- Master Planning
- DEI
our Staff
Growing the Trail into a resource that is seen as infrastructure as well as outdoor recreation is at the core of our mission and making the ERT inclusive and accessible to the whole region is what drives me every day.
Kindra McDonald Greene is the Foundation’s second Executive Director, starting in 2021. She has been a resident of Norfolk for over 20 years and the ERT has always been the first place she brings people to show off her city. A conservationist and outdoor enthusiast, she has hiked all of Virginia’s State Parks. Greene has a background in nonprofit management, personnel security and higher education. She has a BA in Liberal Studies from Virginia Wesleyan University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte. She spent two years serving in the Virginia Service and Conservation Corps through AmeriCorps as a Park Interpreter and Natural Resource Ranger. She has a passion for community building, green infrastructure and attracting and retaining talent in the region she loves. Greene is a Certified Interpretive Guide, a member of the Urban Land Institute of Virginia and a Tidewater Master Naturalist. “The success of the ERT is the success of Norfolk and our whole community. Growing the Trail into a resource that is seen as infrastructure as well as outdoor recreation is at the core of our mission and making the ERT inclusive and accessible to the whole region is what drives me every day.”
The trail was how I first got to know my new community, meet people, and get involved. I have loved seeing it grow and the many ways people use it.
Morgan Willett joined the Foundation in 2022 after serving on the Events Committee for four years and as a regular volunteer. She received her Bachelor’s in Leadership from Old Dominion University and is pursuing her Master’s in Public Administration with a focus on Nonprofit Management and Program Development. She has a passion for Environmental Stewardship and made an impact on the community in her role as the Public Services Coordinator with Keep Norfolk Beautiful. She’s lived in Norfolk for the past 7 years and has spent a lot of time enjoying the trail. “The trail was how I first got to know my new community, meet people, and get involved. I have loved seeing it grow and the many ways people use it.”
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