Andy Beers serves as Director of the New York State Empire State Trail, the nation’s longest multi-use state trail system—a transformative 750-mile route from New York City to Canada and from Albany to Buffalo that was completed on schedule in December 2020. Since his appointment in 2017, Andy has overseen final design, construction, and ongoing operations of this landmark project, which stitched together 400+ miles of newly built off-road trails with enhanced on-road connections, spurred economic development in hundreds of communities, and now welcomes millions of cyclists, walkers, and visitors annually while serving as a global model for statewide trail vision and delivery. With decades of leadership in conservation and public recreation, Andy previously spent ten years as Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, helping manage 215 state parks and historic sites, and 17 years with The Nature Conservancy’s New York chapter, where he protected critical landscapes and advanced greenway initiatives. He holds a Master of Science in Natural Resource Policy from Cornell University (1983) and brings a rare blend of policy expertise, large-scale project execution, and partnership-building that continues to drive New York’s reputation as a leader in trail-based tourism, health, and sustainable transportation.