I wanted to take a moment and introduce myself. My name is Troy Eden, and I am serving in the newly created Chief Operations Officer position for the Light Foundation at Chenoweth Trails. I am very excited to have this opportunity to continue to serve and impact our nation’s youth.

I grew up in Fairfield County for the first 21 years of my life. I was an active member in FFA and hunted and trapped all over Fairfield and Hocking counties. I joined the Air Force and met my wife, Jennifer, in 1991. We proudly served for 27 years together. I deployed in support of operations in Bosnia, all through the middle east, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea and a whole host of other countries. I was very blessed to wear this country’s uniform for as long as I did. I retired from Active Duty in 2017 and worked for a defense contractor at Wright Patterson, AFB, until I assumed this position in October of this year.

The Air Force taught me the core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do, and I have tried to lead my life by those values. I have volunteered with many non-profit organizations, but I felt compelled to be a part of the Light Foundation at Chenoweth Trails. I felt like I have served the country against our foreign adversaries since I initially put on the uniform and now, I have the opportunity and responsibility to give back, to lead, develop and mentor the next generation of good citizens and leaders.

The Light Foundation welcomed me to the 2022 Camp Vohokase to be a camp counselor, which is where I was initially introduced to the work Matt & Susie and their team do. The mission to help young people develop the skills, values, and mindset they need to create a meaningful and productive future is much needed in today’s world and they excel at it each day. I’m ready to lead the Ohio team to not only higher impact numbers, but also to make sure we instill the highest of leadership qualities into the young people we meet through our eight hands-on, outdoor programs.

I am very excited about what the future holds.  Look out for all the big things happening at Chenoweth Trails in the near future.