Ghost Ranch, a Presbyterian education and retreat center, encompasses 21,000 acres 60 miles north of Santa Fe. Photo by Jamie Clifford/Ghost Ranch
Scene at Ghost Ranch. Photo by Jamie Clifford/Ghost RanchNGRF News:
Newly appointed Executive Director Paul FoggABIQUIU ― The National Ghost Ranch Foundation announced Tuesday the appointment of Paul Fogg as new executive director of the Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), effective Sept. 30, 2019.
The previous executive director, Debra Hepler, retired in February after serving as Ghost Ranch’s chief executive since April 2008.
Fogg has been serving for the past 12 years as the executive director and CEO of the Calvin Center, the camp and conference facility for the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. Fogg brings deep experience in conference center management, having previously been the executive director of Geneva Center in Indiana and Bethelwoods Camp & Conference Center in South Carolina, and has been a member of the Consultants Network for Camp & Conference Ministry of the PC(USA).
Fogg holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Montreat College, and earned a Certificate of Achievement from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.
“Paul brings a proven track record of faith-motivated and visionary leadership in retreat ministry,” said Rev. Dr. Mark Hostetter, board chair of the National Ghost Ranch Foundation. “With over 25 years of experience, Paul has repeatedly demonstrated meaning-filled innovation in areas so close to the heart of Ghost Ranch: transformative programming and radical hospitality.”
Fogg is excited about the opportunity.
“I’m excited at building on the positive momentum that Ghost Ranch currently enjoys,” Fogg said. “I’m looking forward to partnering; to relate, motivate and celebrate with board, staff and volunteers; to help keep the Ranch doing truly amazing things in a sustainable future.”
In 2017, day-to-day management of Ghost Ranch transferred from the Presbyterian Mission Agency to the National Ghost Ranch Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established in 1972 to support the Ranch. The Presbyterian Foundation’s role with Ghost Ranch is to provide oversight and support to the Presbyterian Board of Christian Education, which is a constituent corporation of the Foundation and which owns the land and buildings at Ghost Ranch.
Tom Taylor, president of the Presbyterian Foundation that holds Ghost Ranch in trust for the denomination, said that the transition to Fogg’s leadership comes at an exciting time.
“We are grateful to the team that worked so diligently and tirelessly through the process to find a new leader of Paul’s caliber for Ghost Ranch,” Taylor said. “Paul has impressive experience in the denomination and particularly with outdoor ministries. We wish Paul the greatest success as he takes the helm and look forward to seeing Ghost Ranch build its ministries to the denomination and to the Southwest region.”
Hostetter noted that the search committee had reviewed more than 100 applications in the past six months, and that Fogg had been selected from a pool of extremely strong candidates.
About Ghost Ranch
Ghost Ranch is one of three national education and retreat entities of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and is located 60 miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It encompasses 21,000 acres and is open year-round.
Ghost Ranch offers many programs and gatherings for spiritual formation and growth, including weeks for youth and families, among many other offerings.
About 45,000 visitors come to Ghost Ranch each year from every U.S. state, plus 40 or more countries. Visitors can take tours of Ghost Ranch to visit places Georgia O’Keeffe captured in her paintings, and can see locations made famous in films. Ghost Ranch museums showcase world-renowned paleontological fossils and archeological artifacts, and workshops include programs in spiritual/religious development, arts, sciences, environmental education and outdoor adventure, and health and wellness.
To find out more about Ghost Ranch, visit www.ghostranch.org, or call 505.685.1000.
