Bill Cooke

A native of Northern New Jersey, I lived in the Washington, D.C. area for 35 years, primarily in Silver Spring, MD, while I worked for the federal government for 31 years, of which 25 were at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. I have an accounting degree from Susquehanna University and an MBA in Business-Government Relations from George Washington University. My work at EPA involved a diverse set of accounting and financial management tasks in different organizations within the Agency. I retired in 2003. Although my work as an accountant was not directly environmental work, I am a strong environmentalist with membership in the Sierra Club dating back to 1978.

I have 2 adult daughters: Sandra (born 1979) and Alicia (born 1981).

My favorite vocation is, and always has been, hiking, camping, backpacking, bicycling, and enjoying the outdoors. I have backpacked the entire 2,184-mile Appalachian Trail (not as one hike, but over several decades)and other backpack trips as well. In 2011, I underwent my longest-ever single hike when I backpacked the entire 486-mile Colorado Trail. The beauty and experience of this hike inspired me to write my first (and probably last!) book, entitled Shades of Gray, Splashes of Color - A Thru-hike of The Colorado Trail. The book was published on May 21, 2014.

I've resided in Rutland, Vermont since 2016, having relocated after living 7 years in Lexington, KY. My historic house is a short walk to downtown Rutland and its many restaurants and small businesses. Moving to Vermont fulfilled a lifelong dream, enhanced by my 3 hikes in 4 decades of Vermont's 272-mile Long Trail. I have been a member of the Green Mountain Club since 1969 where I currently hike and perform trail maintenance on the Long Trail.