The Journey Through Hallowed Ground

Meet Our Team

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership  is a non-profit, four-state partnership dedicated to preserving our American heritage in the region running from Gettysburg, PA through Maryland and Harpers Ferry, WV to Jefferson's Monticello in Albemarle County, VA. Designated by Congress as a National Heritage Area, JTHG offers visitors from around the world a fascinating perspective on the people and events that shaped American history.

Cathleen (Cate) Magennis Wyatt,  Founder and President

Cate Magennis Wyatt is the founder and president of The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, a four state non-profit corporation dedicated to sharing the heritage in the 180-mile corridor from Gettysburg, PA to Monticello, VA. Previously Cate served in the public sector as the Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia within Governor Wilder’s Cabinet and in the private sector as President of Remington International, Vice President of Xerox Development and Vice President of Weston Capital Corporation.  She has specialized in developing strategic plans for troubled investments followed by directing the successful implementation of those strategies.  In this capacity she led the creation of businesses in London, Moscow and Kazakhstan.
  She serves or has served on many Boards, including: George Mason University, Board of Visitors; the University of Richmond Board of Trustees, the George C. Marshall International Center, The Center for Innovative Technology, the Waterford Foundation, Oatlands Plantation, The Women’s Center, Wolf Trap National Performing Arts Center, The British American Project, the Colonial Board George Washington University and Waterford Elementary School PTO. 
  Cate, her husband and two children reside in Waterford, Virginia.

Beth Erickson,  Vice President

With over twenty years experience in marketing for both consumer, business-to-business and non-profit organizations, Beth knows how to communicate information effectively and professionally. An experienced and published writer, Beth has worked in every medium from print to video/television and radio. With her many years of professional skills Beth chose to devote her remarkable acumen to serve as the JTHG Partnership’s Vice President from the first days of its creation. Since then, her capacity as project leader and knowledge of how to facilitate strategic planning, coupled with her ability to create awareness with cutting-edge technology, special events, and public relations have succeeded in creating the JTHG and benefiting every partner within the JTHG Partnership. Beth directs the following JTHG standing committees: Destination Marketing Organization Committee, the National Park Service Committee, Heritage Site Committee and African American History Committee. She serves on the Loudoun County (VA) Sesquicentennial Committee and the Gettysburg Sesquicentennial Committee.

John Jones,  Director of Communications

In addition to his love of history, John has 20 years of experience working with the media and developing a variety of digital communications for organizations such as the Associated Press, where he recently served as their Manager of Marketing Communications for its broadcast division in Washington, DC. Prior to AP, John ran grassroots lobbying campaigns and provided local grassroots training for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Before that, he pioneered a coalition-building effort for the US Council for Energy Awareness. In recent years, John has been renovating a one-time slave’s home in Gordonsville, VA while consulting with clients like National Geographic Television. John is a graduate of the University of Virginia and also serves as a board member of the Rivanna River Conservation Society. John is responsible for the planning and implementation of all media relations/communications outreach activity of the JTHG Partnership.

Jennifer Worcester Moore,  Executive Administer

Jennifer Worcester Moore, with a degree in history from Mary Washington College, serves as the Executive Assistant to the President, assisting in the President's meetings and initiatives. Jennifer manages the day-to-day collaboration with the JTHG Board of Trustees and Board of Advisors as well as corporate operations and oversees outreach efforts and fundraising. Jennifer joined the JTHG Team in 2007.

Robin Meyers,  Director of Education

Esther Turner,  Director of Regional and Strategic Partnerships

Esther joins the team with more than a decade of marketing, public relations and event planning experience including two serving as the Prince William County/Manassas Convention & Visitors Bureau Tourism Marketing Manager. As the JTHG’s Director of Regional and Strategic Partnership, Esther is responsible teaching the Journey’s certified tourism ambassador class, creating group tours, and planning logistics for our special events.

Denise M. Harris,  AICP, Director or the JTHG National Scenic Byway

Denise has almost twenty years of professional planning experience in transportation and local land use working for a variety of agencies, including a national multi-modal non-profit, Colorado State Parks, and counties in Virginia and Colorado. In her capacity as the Director of the JTHG National Scenic Byway, Denise oversees projects relating to the implementation of the Byway's Corridor Management Plan strategies which detail wayfinding, context sensitive design, landscaping, bicycle/pedestrian facilities, and various other goals.  She works with the partner jurisdictions along the 180-mile route to help ensure each individual community's vision for the JTHG National Scenic Byway is advanced. Denise served as President of the American Planning Association's Virginia Chapter from 2004-2008 and now is serving on the American Planning Association's Executive Committee as of the Chapter Presidents Council.  She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and received the APA CPC Outstanding Leadership Award in 2010.

Ed Lehman

Michelle Kellogg Production Manager

Blaine Horton Manager of Education and Director of Extreme Camps

Blaine is from North Fork, Virginia in Loudoun County and has lived there nearly all his life.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education, with a concentration in Social Studies, from Shepherd College (now a University). He also holds a M.A. in American History from George Mason University.  His fascination with history began while he visited Civil War battlefields with his Dad and was cultivated by his teacher Mrs. Arlene Washington, a fifth grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary.  Inspired by the many great teachers and professors he had over the years, he pursued a career in education in an attempt to promote the importance of studying the past.  Blaine has taught in various schools and worked with kids from many different grade levels before finding his way to the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership to serve as its Educational Programs Manager and Director of Extreme Camps.

Adrienne Birge-Wilson, Marketing Manager

Adrienne Birge-Wilson is a recent M.F.A. graduate in Historic Preservation from SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), with a focus on historic preservation planning. Most recently Adrienne was a historic preservation planning intern for The Savannah-Chatham County Metropolitan Planning Commission where she conducted a research and (archaeological) survey project and wrote a National Register of Historic Places nomination for Pennyworth Island. During her time with the MPC she also collaborated on the environmental justice report for the I-16 Flyover Removal Initiative.
Her background in internet marketing comes from a Webby award-winning multi-media design firm in San Diego, where she was a search engine marketer. She is currently tasked with managing the website and implementing online search engine marketing endeavors. Her diverse skill set, from years in search engine optimization and content writing, is now being applied in the larger context of cultural heritage preservation for the Journey Through Hallowed Ground. She is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Planning Association, Virginia chapter.