About the George Masa Foundation
We want to inspire young people to be like Masa and creatively face the environmental challenges of their generation.
What’s in the works:
Educational opportunities through virtual workshops and an annual conference held in Asheville, NC.
An annual media contest where young people will have an opportunity to tell their stories and inspire others.
Provide grant funding and technical support for conservation and climate adaptation projects within their own communities.
Meet the team
David Huff
Founder & Chair
David Huff is a writer, photographer, conservationist, and storyteller whose work explores the relationship between people, place, and participation.
His interest in George Masa grew from his own connection to the mountains of Western North Carolina and a journey to Japan that deepened his understanding of the Japanese immigrant experience and the cultural connections between Japan and Appalachia. Discovering Masa’s remarkable—and largely forgotten—story ultimately led David to co-found the George Masa Foundation.
David is an Appalachian Trail maintainer with the Carolina Mountain Club and serves as a trustee of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. His award-winning photography and writing have appeared in regional and national publications, and his work has been used by conservation organizations including the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Friends of the Smokies, and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
He is also a TEDx speaker and regularly speaks about conservation, stewardship, community participation, and George Masa’s legacy. Through the Foundation, David is working to carry Masa’s story forward not simply by preserving the past, but by using it to inspire a new generation to see, value, and protect the natural world.
Directors
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James Warlick, Vice Chair
President and Owner, White House Gifts
Founder, Worker’s Legacy Project
Alexandria, VA -
Caché Heidel, Treasurer
Director, Corporate Tax
Guardian Pharmacy
Atlanta, GA -
Daniel Huff, REHS, Secretary
Executive Director
Metropolitan Mosquito Control District
Minnepolis, MN -
Sarah Jones Decker
Photographer / Writer / Farmer / Outdoorswoman
A.T. Thru-hiker & author of “The Appalachian Trail: Backcountry Shelters, Lean-Tos, and Huts”
Greenville, TN -
Jenn Maer
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Knitted
Former Design Director, IDEO -
Jennifer Zuckerman
Zuckerman Consulting, LLC
Trustee, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
Durham, NC
Advisors
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Paul Bonesteel
Founder and Director, Bonesteel Films
Director, The Mystery of George Masa
Asheville, NC -
Bill Chameides, PhD
Dean Emeritus, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University
Member, National Academy of Sciences -
Vonna Cloninger
CEO/Owner, Biltmore Iron and Metal Company
Past President, Southeast Region, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
Asheville, NC -
Carl Elefante, FAIA, FAPT
President, American Institute of Architects (2018)
”The greenest building is one already built.”
Takoma Park, MD -
Katey Foster
Mother / Writer / Environmental Educator
Presenter, The Climate Project
Walden, VT -
Mark Gordon, FACHE
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
The University of Vermont Health Network
Burlington, VT -
Patrica Houghton Clarke
Award-winning international photographer
Founder, Facing Ourselves Project
Carpinteria, CA -
Rachel James, Esq.
Staff Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center
Richmind, VA -
Donald Jonas, PhD
AVP, Social Strategy & Impact, Atrium Health
Board of Directors, Charlotte Center for legal Advocacy
Charlotte, NC -
Anna Rawlins
Chief Marketing Officer, Eagle Nest Outfitters
Immediate Past Chair, Outdoor Business Alliance
Asheville, NC -
Stephen Sumner
Director, NC Japan Center
NC State University -
Ricardo Tejeda
Founder & Creative Director, Show And Tale Creative
Photographer & Graphic Designer -
Rosalia Torres–Weiner
Chief Executive Artist, Red Calaca Studio
Founder, El Papalote Mágico (The Magic Kite)
Charlotte, NC -
Juanita Wilson
Training & Development Manager, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Board of Directors, Noquisi Initiative
Cherokee, NC -
Lucinda Wykle–Rosenberg
Educator / Philanthropist
Hull, MA
