Atlanta (April 2016) – Kimberly Estep has joined South Fork Conservancy as its executive director. She will help the organization continue its work building trails, and access to trails, along Peachtree Creek. She will also work closely with the organization’s board to steer expansion and fundraising efforts.
Kimberly Estep
“We are delighted to have Ms. Estep join us at this phase of our development and aspirations,” said Board Chair Bob Kerr. “She brings a wealth of enthusiasm, experience and intelligence.”
“I am passionate about urban trails,” Estep said. “They connect communities, create a natural wildlife corridor and provide places to exercise. Plus, South Fork’s trails are really remarkable – they exist in areas that desperately need greenspace, and I look forward to helping expand, and create access to them.”
Estep comes to the South Fork Conservancy from the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, where she directed communication and stewardship projects. Under her leadership, news coverage, social media presence, volunteerism and programs saw exponential growth. She also built robust partnerships with organizations including Georgia State Parks, Park Pride and Atlanta YMCAs. Throughout her career, she has worked to inspire a love of the outdoors and deep connections to local green spaces. Building and promoting trails and long-term stewardship programs has helped her accomplish this goal.
"Kimberly is a gifted builder of opportunities,” added South Fork’s founding executive director Sally Sears, who now serves on the organization’s board. “She makes us want to explore our urban creeks and reconnect them to ourselves. She's the perfect choice for South Fork's next chapter linking these new trails to the city. We are in sure hands with Kimberly."
Estep earned degrees in Environmental Studies and Communication from Florida State University and a Masters in Communication from Florida Atlantic University, with a focus on grassroots outreach.
About South Fork Conservancy
South Fork Conservancy is actively developing walking trails along Atlanta’s Peachtree Creek. Designated as an Urban Wildlife Refuge by The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the nonprofit organization is named for the South Fork of Peachtree Creek, where many of the trails are located. Its goal is to conserve the urban waterway, connect existing and future trails, and restore the area’s natural beauty. The trail system will eventually connect Buckhead, Atlanta’s upscale business and residential center, with the Emory University campus and beyond. Active trails include The Confluence, Cheshire Farm and Meadow Loop trails in Buckhead, and Zonolite Park in DeKalb County. For more information, visit www.SouthForkConservancy.org.