Paul McDonald, Director of Traveler Services; Angela Stokes, Director of Education Programs

For Immediate Release  
August 20, 2007
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Waterford, Virginia –– The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership announces the addition of two nationally recognized professionals to its executive team. The JTHG Partnership has hired Paul McDonald, an international expert in guided traveler experiences, as Director of Traveler Services and Angela Stokes, a former gifted and talented Albemarle County Public School teacher, as its new Director of Education Programs. Each will play an integral role in bringing the educational programming and traveler experience to every student and visitor along the 175-mile Journey Through Hallowed Ground (JTHG.)

“The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership is thrilled to have two fantastic new team members who combine their passion for American history with creativity and proven experience,” said Cate Magennis Wyatt, president of the JTHG Partnership. “Angela Stokes brings to us years of classroom experience and the ability to engage both students and teachers, while Paul McDonald draws on his understanding of what appeals to travelers and his fine-tuned knack for delivering that experience. We are excited to watch the fruits of their efforts unfold.” 

As the JTHG Partnership’s new Director of Traveler Services, Mr. McDonald is charged with enhancing the traveler's experience along the Journey. In this role, Mr. McDonald will produce one-of-a-kind family, individual and group itineraries for travelers interested in walking in the footprints of those who created America. The JTHG Partnership has funded this position to ensure that every possible effort is made to provide all Americans and foreign visitors with the opportunity to experience, Where America Happened TM. Mr. McDonald explained that what excites him most about this role is "the opportunity to direct my passions – history and travel – to creating lifetime experiences for visitors of every age."
Mr. McDonald comes to the JTHG Partnership from TAUCK World Discovery, North America’s oldest tour operator. As a director at Tauck, McDonald led groups on 1-3 week excursions to destinations including Africa, Europe and Central America. For two years, Mr. McDonald also served as a tour manager for several scholastic tour companies, leading students through the metropolitan Washington D.C. area, as well as Civil War sites in Pa., Md., and Va.

Prior to his career in traveler services, McDonald worked for AOL Technologies as a project manager. He grew up in New England and Fairfax, Va., and graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in history. He now lives in Charlottesville, Va.
Angela Stokes, the JTHG Partnership’s new Director of Education Programs, is the visionary behind the Extreme JTHG Summer Camp, a two-week extreme American heritage and leadership program for sixth through eighth grade students.  A 13-year veteran of the Albemarle County Public School system in Virginia, Ms. Stokes contacted JTHG about her visionary idea of engaging students in American heritage and suggested JTHG work with the Albemarle school system in offering a summer program which takes campers through the paths of history between Gettysburg and Monticello by foot, bike and canoe—each documenting the experience with state-of-the-art video iPods, video cameras and digital cameras.  A partnership was forged in 2006, and the camp is now in its second year and has expanded to Loudoun County Public Schools.

In addition to her tenure as a public school teacher, Ms. Stokes co-authored Democracy Corp a teacher resource that prepares students to be active participants in their democratic government. And for three years, she served as Director of Education at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, building the Youth Leadership Initiative, a civic education program that provided teachers with hands-on civic projects including the YLI Mock Election and e-Congress programs.

Ms. Stokes, a resident of Charlottesville, Va., will work to produce a variety of education programs along the Journey from the JTHG Summer Scholars program to online education and field trip planning to producing curriculum for teachers to educate students about the rich history of the corridor. “As a teacher, my mission has been to teach students about American history,” said Ms. Stokes. “In my new role with the JTHG Partnership, I am excited to broaden that reach and engage students and others nationwide in the incredible American history found along the Journey.”