Miranda Murphy, Operations Assistant.
After completing an internship at the Alliance as the Field Engagement Intern, Miranda Murphy is officially joining the team as the Operations Assistant!
Growing up in East Madison, the Ice Age Trail has long been a presence in her life, even before Miranda was aware of it: “I’ve done sections before, but without really thinking about the fact that it was Ice Age Trail, it was just, you know, a trail to hike on.”
Miranda was initially introduced to the Ice Age Trail Alliance during her last semester of college at UW-Madison, when she spent a day at the Alliance headquarters through a job shadow program with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. The Field Engagement Intern was a perfect fit for Miranda because it allowed her to combine the skills she developed from her degree in Environmental Studies and Psychology.
As the Field Engagement Intern, Miranda helped organize, plan, coordinate, and host Alliance events. She played an integral role in building and strengthening meaningful relationships with partner organizations. For example, Miranda planned more formal hiking and backpacking events with groups like Girls Inc. of Greater Madison and Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR).
When reflecting on her time as the Field Engagement Intern, Miranda says, “I really enjoyed participating in outreach events and meeting new people, whether they were seasoned volunteers or first timers on the Trail!”
The new role of Operations Assistant requires Miranda to help with day-to-day office tasks, provide IT support, and assist with outreach for the Trail Operations and Land Conservation departments. In continuing her outreach duties, Miranda will attend MSC Program projects, meet with volunteers, teach people about how the Alliance acquires/protects land and creates Trail, and reach out to local community groups to introduce them to the Ice Age Trail.
“I’m excited about my new position as the Operations Assistant. Being able to work more closely with volunteers and promote the work of volunteers is an exciting and important aspect of this job. I’m also looking forward to working with the Board of Directors and supporting their meetings,” says Miranda.
Outside the office, Miranda enjoys hiking (especially with her rescue dog Mabel), climbing with office friends, playing video games, board games or movie nights with friends, and visiting natural history museums.
And don’t worry, Miranda will continue to rep the Monty the Mammoth mascot costume at outreach events because “even being Monty is fun!”
We look forward to continuing to work with Miranda to conserve, create, maintain, and promote the Ice Age Trail!
