HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. – Fifteen people have been elected to the board of managers for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the group that helps maintain the 2,174 miles of trail from Maine to Georgia.

The organization changed its name from the Appalachian Trail Conference on July 4 to better reflect its mission. The new board members come from towns across the eastern United States and will serve two-year terms.

They include Chairman Brian T. Fitzgerald, a hydrologist from South Duxbury, Vt.; Vice Chairman J. Robert Almand, a bank project manager from Suwanee, Ga.; Secretary Roger L. Moore, a professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh; and Treasurer Kennard R. Honick, a certified public accountant from Sarasota, Fla.

The trail has been part of the national park system since 1968 and draws about 2 million hikers a year, including about 500 who travel its entire length over several months.

Harpers Ferry, headquarters for the conservancy, is considered the psychological halfway point for through-hikers.

Technically, though, it’s about 80 miles shy: The actual halfway point is between the Tagg Run and Toms Run shelters near Gardners, Pa.