Rob Hillard sits on the Rock the Earth Membership & Outreach Committee. Rob is also an instructional designer and technical trainer by trade, working primarily in the areas of networking and telecommunications. He is married with one daughter and currently lives in Frederick, MD.

Rob was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania and attended Penn State University where he received an Economics degree. During his time in State College, he was a member of Eco-action, an environmental action group that helped the university phase in voluntary recycling seven years prior to state-mandated recycling requirements. He was also member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, the University Concert Committee, Unwed Fathers Ultimate Disc Club, and a founding member of the GreenJeans environmental think tank.

Music and writing are two of Rob’s primary passions. For seven years he was the lone wolf editor of the Deadheads Music & Festival Calendar, a self-published e-listing of musical events throughout the Ohio Valley region that reached 5000+ subscribers in seven countries at its peak. He is also a former contributing writer/editor to An Honest Tune and Signal to Noise magazines.

Rob was a backstage security crew chief for 10+ years at the all-volunteer Philadelphia Folk Festival in Schwenksville, PA. More recently, he has served as Master of Ceremonies and propagandist-at-large at several major music festivals here on the East Coast, including the Great Blue Heron Music Festival, Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance, Suwannee SpringFest, and MagnoliaFest.

Rob’s involvement with Rock the Earth began as an event volunteer in 2005 and more recently he took on the role of Mid-Atlantic Event Coordinator. He will continue in that capacity in addition to his new responsibilities as a Volunteer Coordinator.