In 2008, Robyn Carlton became the CEO of the Lookout Mountain Conservancy after previous careers in education, healthcare and counseling. (At one point, she also owned a bookstore.)

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After earning both an undergrad and masters in psychological counseling, Robyn spent years teaching and coaching - from kindergarten to college - before starting her own direct counseling firm, specializing in adolescent mental health. 

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Before her professional career, she danced throughout the South and world. A member of the Atlanta Ballet Company, she also toured the globe with Up For People, performing at the 1972 Munich Olympics.  Later in life, she traded her ballet shoes for running shoes, finishing 18 marathons. Today, she’s in boots - hiking and fishing - and takes LMC interns to the Hiwassee River each summer. 

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As a child, Robyn was influenced by her mother, who often said: go play outside. The outdoor world became her foundation and refuge. Most of all, she considers parenting the greatest honor of her life. Her two daughters, one grandson - and the Howard School interns - are her greatest joy. 

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Brad graduated from the University of Georgia with a double major in history and religion, and received a master’s degree in history from the College of Charleston and The Citadel in South Carolina. It was during this time that Brad developed his passion for travel and adventure. During his summer vacations, he drove cross country camping in national parks from Georgia to California, traveled to Scandinavia, and spent a month in Costa Rica studying Spanish and hiking through rainforests in Central America.

After graduate school, Brad embarked on a 15 year teaching career at Stratford Academy in Macon, Georgia, and the Baylor School here in Chattanooga. At Stratford, Brad taught U.S. History, World History, and Geography. There, he also started an Ecology Club that blazed a nature trail on campus and established a school-wide recycling program. At Baylor, Brad taught AP U.S. History and World History, and began Raiders Against Prejudice (RAP), a club that addressed issues of discrimination and helped plan MLK service projects throughout Chattanooga.

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During his time as a teacher, Brad continued his education travelling to UNESCO world heritage sites on four different continents. He climbed Machu Picchu, explored the Amazon Rainforest, visited ancient Mayan and Incan ruins, went on safari in Africa, and visited the many cultural and historical sites throughout Western Europe.      

Brad recently joined the LMC team as its new Deputy Director. Brad works on all levels of LMC programming and helps oversee both internal and external operations. He is thrilled to be a part of LMC’s environmental education and community-based conservation projects, especially its Howard School Intern and Leadership Program.

David Cook is LMC's inaugural Director of Innovation and Storytelling, a position that allows him to spotlight LMC's unique story near and far.

The veteran writer is the co-founder of Food as a Verb, a media start-up that focuses on food, agriculture, chefs, restaurants and the common thread that food and drink have within our communities. Along with Sarah Unger and Alex DeHart, he is offering media that focuses on the common thread between us — food, drink, the table — while honoring the unsung heroes of our food and agrarian landscape. Readers call it their favorite media. "It helps me exhale," one said.

For more than a decade, he was the city columnist with the Times Free Press, winning local, regional and national awards, including the ASNE Mike Royko Award, the EWA's top prize for Education Reporting and the SPJ top prize for Serious Commentary, which he won twice.

He's been published in a variety of national publications, including The Sun and Oxford American. In 2024, he and Alex helped create the Journeybook application that led to Chattanooga being named the first National Park City in North America. David freelances for a variety of regional clients.

For two decades, he taught high school and middle school courses at Girls Preparatory School, McCallie School and St. Margaret's School in Tappahannock, Virginia. Twice named Teacher of the Year, David was also inducted into the Red Bank High Hall of Fame. He was named the NAACP James Mapp Citizen of the Year in 2021. Two years later, he bought a farm.

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