Our Founders

The Muddy Sneakers Name

The son of John Huie, Muddy Sneakers’ inaugural Executive Director, suggested “Muddy Sneakers” as a reference to the type of experiences children long for – and the result if given the opportunity to learn by doing!

Organization Timeline

2007

• Chuck McGrady, Sandy Schenck, and Aleen Steinberg develop the idea for Muddy Sneakers.

2008

• Two Transylvania County schools participate in Muddy Sneakers’ pilot semester.

2009

• Muddy Sneakers expands across Transylvania Co schools and to neighboring counties.

2011

• Muddy Sneakers receives the NC Governor’s Award for Outstanding Conservation Organization of the Year, as presented by the NC Wildlife Federation.
• Muddy Sneakers is featured on UNC-TV’s Exploring North Carolina.

2012 – 2015

• Muddy Sneakers sees significant growth; school partnerships increase nearly 40%.
• A three-year pilot program in upstate South Carolina is launched.

2016

• $500,000 is received from the NC General Assembly to open a field office in Salisbury, NC and double program impact.

2017

• Muddy Sneakers receives another year of state support.
• Satellite programming debuts to aid underserved communities.

2018

• NC State University research partnership launches
• Muddy Sneakers celebrates its 10th anniversary
• Piedmont Advisory Council forms

2020

• Muddy Sneakers responds to COVID-19 by developing Remote Expedition Programming.

2021

• Muddy Sneakers Classroom Curriculum launches to support teachers and students as they return to the classroom post-COVID.