RUX announces the 2024 cohort

The Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange (RUX) is pleased to announce the selection of its 2024 leadership cohort. After our most competitive application process to date, RUX alumni have selected 48 Kentuckians from 23 counties with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. These leaders in the arts, agriculture, community development, education, government, health, and business represent all regions of Kentucky, including Allen, Barren, Bell, Breckinridge, Calloway, Casey, Daviess, Fayette, Franklin, Graves, Jefferson, Kenton, Laurel, Lawrence, Madison, McCracken, Montgomery, Ohio, Perry, Rockcastle, Rowan, Taylor, and Warren counties.

Now in its tenth year, the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange program is known for facilitating conversations about Kentucky’s biggest challenges and uplifting a Kentucky narrative that is as exciting, diverse, and complex as Kentuckians themselves. Each summer, RUX is hosted in two regions of the state to help participants understand and value the culture, landscape, context, and people of each place. This year’s cohort members can look forward to Community Intensive conferences in Campbellsville & Taylor County from May 17-19 and Owensboro & Daviess County from June 14-16. They will also join alumni at a third conference at Carter Caves State Park in August.

Meet our 2024 cohort members below!

Mohammad Ahmad is a former journalist and multimedia content creator who has recently taken a lead advocating for the Palestinian Cause in Northern Kentucky and the Tri-State Area. He created the "Ceasefire Now Covington" coalition to push the City of Covington to take a stand in support of Palestine while encouraging and rally others in the city to stand with Palestinian rights. A proud first-generation Palestinian Muslim, Mohammad uses his background as a Palestinian to empathize with common causes that seek to increase the overall quality of life for those around him. He spent almost three years as a sportscaster and sportswriter - most recently covering the Cincinnati Bengals for cleveland.com's digital coverage. Now looking for his next adventure outside of sports reporting, he's hoping to learn more about common causes across our Commonwealth through the rural exchange program so he can help cultivate a better tomorrow for all Kentuckians.
Priya Alexander was born and raised in Louisville, KY. She lived in various parts of the country, namely California, but came back to her hometown, after meeting her husband, coincidentally also from Louisville, while on her first big backpacking adventure in Glacier National Park. She became hooked to the serenity and awe she found in nature and found ways to share that love with others. She is particularly passionate about increasing the diversity in the outdoors. She currently is a volunteer hiking guide for Inspiring Connections Outdoors program for the Greater Sierra Club of Louisville, organizing hikes throughout parts of Kentucky for community-based organizations in the city. She also has organized events as part of the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition as part of their Diversity and Equity Outreach arm to give rock climbing a try in our own backyard. She continues to find ways to connect with fellow Kentuckians in nature, where no judgement or political factions lie and appreciates the community she has built through that lens.
Bayley Amburgey is an educator, community organizer, former teacher and current Manager of Student Recruitment at the Louisville-based non-profit Educational Justice, which provides free peer-to-peer tutoring for underserved youth.
Bayley was born in Whitesburg, and raised all throughout the state, living in Lexington as a child, and eventually finishing her K-12 education in Eastern Kentucky, graduating from Harlan County High School.
Bayley has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Louisville where they graduated magna cum laude in 2020. At UofL, Bayley completed research on the politics surrounding the hopeful beginnings and eventual dramatic downturn of Kentucky coal miners
unions.
Bayley has organized around climate justice, reproductive rights, racial justice and more. During the uprisings of 2020, Bayley cultivated an online audience of folks across Kentucky and
continues her work through mutual aid, her online platform (@__bayonce), and career within education and schools.
In her free time, Bayley enjoys reading, traveling, singing, listening to podcasts, spending time
with friends, going to the movies, watching reality TV, and hanging with their cats!
For the past ten years, Amy has been working at Campbellsville University with two roles. She works as an instructor of a general education course in the Natural Science Division and serves as the environmental educator at Clay Hill Memorial Forest, a 325-acre nature preserve managed by the University. She obtained her master’s degree in environmental education at the age of 48. She was employed in various capacities before making the decision to return to the academic arena. As a young woman, she was a self-employed craftsperson, making dolls and was a juried member of the Berea Art Fair. She supplemented her income with costume design and as a wardrobe seamstress. Other enriching experience includes working as a recreation director for an Alzheimer’s facility where she was able to incorporate art therapy and being active in a puppeteering group supporting other’s creative visions and also creating a few works of her own. She is excited about the RUX organization because, as someone who grew up in a very rural area of Western Kentucky and moved away as quickly as she could, she sees a need for better understanding between the two demographics.
Amanda Briede is the Senior Curator of Exhibitions at the Frazier History Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Louisville and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Amanda’s curatorial work centers on the everyday Kentuckians and sharing diverse stories so that everyone can see themselves in Kentucky’s history. Her exhibitions West of Ninth: Race Reckoning and Reconciliation and The Commonwealth: Divided We Fall have been recipients of state, regional, and national awards including from the American Association of State and Local History, the Southeastern Museums Conference, and the Kentucky Historical Society. In 2023, Amanda’s work contributed to the Frazier History Museum being recognized by the American Alliance of Museums for Advancement in Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion. In her most recent project, Amanda worked with a group of colleagues to collect and share stories and songs from each of Kentucky’s 120 counties. This summer, Amanda will serve as a supervisor in the Smithsonian Leadership for Change internship program, where she and two interns will work on an exhibition highlighting love and marriage traditions, focusing on the history of women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ+ community in Kentucky.
Adrian Paul Bryant is a writer, musician, and sustainable transit advocate living in Lexington. Adrian works as a Civic Information Specialist for CivicLex where he covers and reports on Lexington City Council meetings. He is also a Board of Directors member for Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop, Co-Chair and co-founder of the Golfview Estates Neighborhood Association, and a mandolin player in Lexington's old time music scene. Previously, he served as a First-Generation Student Advisor for the University of Kentucky, Testing Coordinator at Madison Southern High School, and a Course-Embedded Consultant Coordinator at Eastern Kentucky University's nationally recognized writing center, The Noel Studio for Academic Creativity. Adrian is proud to have grown up in Jackson County, Kentucky, where his family has lived even before the county's 1858 founding. His upbringing inspired him to study Appalachian Studies at EKU which led to an ongoing call to serve the Commonwealth he calls home. Adrian is most interested in work exploring how locals can be meaningfully involved and engaged in residential and economic development initiatives in their communities. Adrian hopes to help create a Kentucky where all Kentuckians have the agency and opportunities to build their dream lives for themselves inside the Commonwealth.
Crystal Bryson-Obrer is the CSBG Grant Contract Coordinator for Louisville Metro Government's Office of Resilience and Community Services. She made the jump to the social sector after a decade-long career in the service industry, and has since worked in youth development, academia, eviction prevention, and Latinx service access until landing her current role in Community Action. When not working, she's volunteering, reading cozy mysteries, or camping with her husband and two dogs. She has a passion for infusing hospitality and joy into the everyday, for workers' dignity and rights, and for normalizing excessive exclamation points in professional emails.
Cheryl Burks-McCarthy is a mother to 28-year-old Bryan, wife to her
amazing husband Bill and an Extension Assistant for All Programs for The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service).

Cheryl is honored to have been selected as a cohort member. Cheryl looks forward to meeting new people, building relationships, helping solve problems, visiting new places, having fun, and making memories across the great state of Kentucky.

Cheryl enjoys her family, friends, work and reading a good book.

Cheryl also enjoys serving on the following: Chair Woman for The Building Stronger Families Coalition (child abuse prevention program), Board Member of The Center ( a community resource center serving families and children in The Green River Area), Board Member with The Community Farm Alliance, NAACP, MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences), Ambassador for The Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Owensboro Class of 2023, Family Resource Youth Service Center Advisory Council Member for (6) schools in The Daviess County and Owensboro Public School Districts and Chi Epsilon Sigma (National Cooperative Extension Support Fraternity of the University of Kentucky).
Alexa grew up on her grandparent’s farm in Barren County KY. Following high school, Alexa pursued a Criminal Justice Administration and Sociology degree at Campbellsville University. Her educational journey introduced doors to diverse experiences, including interning at a correctional facility and mentoring first-generation college students. By being apart of the 2024 cohort, Alexa hopes to expand her experience’s by immersing herself in local communities and connecting with other Kentuckians. In her free time, Alexa enjoys live music, trying new food, and spending time with loved ones.
Chris Clair lives in Frankfort, Kentucky, with his wife Kimberly and cats Lucky and Nulu. He grew up in Southern Oregon and later spent 19 winters in Chicago and New York before migrating to the Bluegrass State. He worked for nearly 30 years as a journalist covering sports, schools, government, and finance. He now works in the communications office for the Kentucky Public Pensions Authority. In his spare time, he enjoys motorcycle riding, reading, walking, and writing his own short stories. Despite and because of his career in journalism, which often uses tension and conflict to tell deeper truths, Chris is committed to the idea that there is more that connects us than separates us – across the rural-urban gap, across ideologies, and across income disparities. Everyone has a story, and it is through the telling of those stories that we connect with one another.
Ryan Combs (he/him) is a native Louisvillian and a proud descendent of several generations of Eastern Kentuckians. He returned to Louisville in 2014 after a decade living in England, where he earned his master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Manchester. Ryan works as an Associate Professor at the UofL School of Public Health & Information Sciences, where his research and teaching focus on health equity. He has been an LGBTQ+ community leader for over twenty years, serving as chair of the University of Louisville LGBTQ+ Faculty & Staff Association, co-chair of the Fairness Campaign, and Vice President of Louisville Youth Group. In recognition of his community work, Ryan attended receptions at the White House and 10 Downing Street (the British Prime Minister’s residence). Ryan enjoys traveling, UofL women’s basketball, and Broadway shows. He is the parent of two teenage girls and has a sweet pit bull named Sami.
Robert S. Cox was born in Hawaii in 1954 to military parents. He grew up and attended public schools in rural Appalachian Ohio.

Robert holds a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master's in English Education from Morehead State University, and a Master's in English from Marshall University.

He has taught in Appalachia for 40 years at all levels, from 2nd grade to university. He retired completely in 2016.
Jody Dahmer (he/they) owns and operates plant nursery and media company Beargrass Thunder with their partner in business and in marriage , Mariah (she/they). A Louisville native, they are the first generation of their family to grow up in the city, with both sides of the family coming from Appalachia. They are also the founder of the Louisville Seedbank program, focused on finding heat resistant varieties of crops that can thrive in Louisville neighborhoods.

Jody is currently running as a candidate for Metro Council District 4. They plan on creating a Beargrass Creek trail plan, making walkable design a standard in future neighborhood design plans, and readapting our public spaces like parking garages and empty office buildings to allow residences and gardens.
LaToya Drake is a dedicated professional currently employed by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, specializing in Kentucky's Nutrition Education Program (KYNEP). With a Master of Science in Integrative and Functional Nutrition from Saybrook University, CA, and an undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Louisville, LaToya brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Throughout her career in public service, she has held various positions, including Extension Agent and Program Coordinator for KYNEP. LaToya's passion for ensuring access to fresh, healthy food is evident in her community involvement, serving on boards such as Feeding America Kentucky Heartland, Community Farm Alliance, and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. Committed to promoting local foods, food and nutrition security, sustainable agriculture, and nutrition education, LaToya continues to make a positive impact on the well-being of individuals and communities.
Though from Texas, Alexis has spent most of her life living throughout various places in Kentucky. After moving to Bowling Green in 2013 for college, she immediately fell in love with the people, stories, and geography of South Central Kentucky. As an artist and avid advocate of play, Alexis seeks to create invitations for folks of all ages and backgrounds to engage in and experience the benefits of play in our lives. You will often find her foraging nature treasures for placed- based moss art, hiking with her dogs, reading, and painting on every surface she can find.
Ashley Evans-Smith, born and raised in Hartford, Kentucky, learned the value of family, leadership, and commitment to community from observing the manner in which her parents operated their own small businesses. She began her career at CASA of Ohio Valley in 2017 and assumed the role of Executive Director of CASA in August 2021.

Ashley is honored to be able to serve the community through Impact 100, Junior League Owensboro, and the Building Stronger Families Board. She also enjoys volunteering with the International Center Owensboro.

Ashley obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and Master’s degree from the University of Louisville. She most recently completed a Masters degree in children’s law and policy from Loyola University Chicago in December 2023. Ashley also worked to enhance her skills and passion for her state and community through ELEVATE Kentucky and Leadership Owensboro. She was named to Owensboro’s 40 under 40 in 2023. It is with the love and support of her husband, Lance, that she is able to effectively juggle her dedication to being a lifelong learner, passion for her work, and the absolute joy she finds in their four children: Michael, Case, Jesse, and McKinley.
Bob Foshee is the father of a grown son and daughter; married to Cindy Lewis for 37 years. He lives in Louisville but loves the places and people he’s found in other parts of the state. Bob is retired after teaching high school English and post-secondary Literary Studies. He is an advocate for Kentucky’s artists. He believes all Kentuckians should be proud of where they come from — and have plenty of reasons to feel that way.
Crystal Fox is a local activist, community leader and organizer. She has over 25 years of experience working with at-risk youth and serving families in the Purchase area through several roles over the years such as case manager, family preservation specialist, mental health associate, and sexual assault response coordinator. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and is pursuing a Master’s of Public Administration from Murray State University. She is a founder and Executive Director of Mayfield Minority Enrichment Center, working to bridge gaps in the BIPOC, low income, elderly and often underserved communities in Western Kentucky. Crystal was named the 2022 Wellcare Region 1 Community Champion and has most recently received the 2023 Social Justice Star Award. She is an advocate for mental health awareness, food security, women empowerment and social justice and equity. Crystal resides in Mayfield, KY and is the mother to 4; Aneisha, Aniya, Anovion, and Aniji, and she is also grandmother to 1 year old Xa’Khari. Crystal enjoys being of service to her community, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Stacie Fugate, a proud native of Hazard, Kentucky, is a lifelong daughter of Appalachia. Born and raised in the picturesque mountains of Eastern Kentucky, Stacie's upbringing instilled in her a deep appreciation for her community, culture, and the beauty of her region.
Stacie is a first-generation college graduate from the University of Kentucky, with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Appalachian Studies. After completing her education, Stacie returned to Hazard, eager to contribute to the place she calls home. She is currently serving as the interim Executive Director of Appalachians for Appalachia, a grassroots advocacy organization, as well as the Director of InVision Hazard, a citizen's action group dedicated to downtown revitalization.
Beyond her professional and community endeavors, Stacie enjoys spending time with her friends, her three dogs, and her family. She loves crafting, a good board game, and anything to do with thrift shopping.
Stacie is so excited to see what the future for Hazard, and Eastern Kentucky at-large, holds and looks forward to being a part of continued successes for the region!
AJ Garnett is an educator and counselor who has lived his entire life in Kentucky with a strong passion for improving health in communities that are commonly overlooked. He lives with his two cats that randomly wandered into his home and decided to stay while surrounded with items from as many nerdy hobbies as humanly possible.
After growing up and attending college in Calloway County, Liz Hammonds found her forever home in Paducah in 2015. She is a writer, performer, and tourism professional with a Master's Degree in English from Murray State University. A lover of chamber music and live theatre, Liz is a member of Paducah Singers, a semi-professional choral ensemble uniting vocal artists from McCracken County, Southern Illinois, and surrounding areas. She is especially passionate about poetry, having spent most of her higher education studying works by 18th and 19th Century poets while cultivating a deep desire to read and share poems written by women. Liz seeks to discover the roots of Kentucky's diverse cultural heritage while forging lifelong connections with people across the Commonwealth.
Siera Rayne Hanks is a community worker, artist, diasporist and organizer from Louisville, Kentucky. She currently works as the Youth Services Coordinator for Kentucky Refugee Ministries and serves on the Board of Keneseth Israel Synagogue. Siera Rayne is an organizer with Jewish Louisvillians for Peace and a member of Sustainable Agriculture Louisville. They love public art and history, interpretive foodways and works in (and on) translation. Siera lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her two cats, Dibby and Shmi-Shmon.
Eleanor Hasken-Wagner, Ph.D. is the Museum and Historic Sites Supervisor for the city of Frankfort. She holds a Master’s Degree in Folk Studies from WKU and a Doctorate in Folklore & Ethnomusicology from Indiana University. Her graduate work produced two publications: a dissertation titled: The Migration of a Local Legend: The Case of Mothman and a thesis titled "Performing Gender in Bowling, or, 'I Was in Shock Other Girls Could Bowl." Throughout her graduate programs, she was well-known for her love of teaching, which has led her to continue to teach an Introduction to Folklore Course at University of Kentucky as a lecturer in the Modern and Classical Languages Department. As the Museum and Historic Sites Supervisor, her primary responsibility is to manage administrative duties, plan events, ensure the preservation of the historic Fort Hill at Leslie Morris Park, and curate exhibits at the Capital City Museum. She is a graduate of Leadership Frankfort, class of 2023, and a Kentucky Colonel. She is a frequent community lecturer and the writer and host of the award-winning, Kentucky Deceased: Hauntings of Frankfort podcast. In her spare time, she can be found tinkering on vintage mopeds and doing fiber-based arts.
Dan Heckel lives in Owensboro with his wife, Sherri. After a 21-year newspaper career, he is serving in his 17th year as the Director of Mission Advancement and Communications for the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph in Maple Mount. In 2022, he published his first book on the history of that group of women religious, titled “Hope and Firm Faith.” He is active with Theatre Workshop of Owensboro, where he has served as an actor, director, playwright and host of the podcast “Take TWO.” He is a trained spiritual director and serves as chairman of the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church parish council. A native of Louisville, he graduated from Murray State University with a degree in journalism, and has lived in Owensboro since 1986. He is a graduate of Leadership Owensboro. He has one son, Max, who lives in Northern Kentucky. This year marks his 50th year as a Boston Red Sox fan.
Nathaniel Hendrickson is an interdisciplinary artist, painter, curator, documentary filmmaker, and freelance producer based between Casey County and Louisville, KY. Their work explores the edge of performance and visual art and has worked on collaborative projects internationally; They most recently staged an intervention with Pietro Varrasso at the University of Liege School of Architecture’s Borderscapes 2023 on the unique geopolitical region of Mt. St. Pierre, and presented their work at the Multispecies Ethnography and Artistic Methodology conference at the University of Liege School of Anthropology. Currently, their focus lies on exploring themes related to the ecological crisis, human perception, and the metamorphic sublime. Aside from their artistic pursuits, Hendrickson is committed to education. They have served as Drawing and Painting faculty at the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts since 2022. In the academic year of 2022-2023, they served as the Art & Design Artist-in-Residence at Campbellsville University. They currently serve as Visiting Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Kentucky College of Art + Design in Louisville, KY.
Alex Hezik is a proud naturalized Kentuckian who grew up in Campbellsville and now resides in Scottsville. She has a passion for all things food—gardening, food equity, baking/cooking for herself and others, and trying new things when traveling, to name a few. Alex graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.S. in Honors Self-Designed Studies (Sustainable Agriculture). While at WKU, she also completed an undergraduate thesis project pertaining to edible landscaping and graduated from WKU's Chinese Flagship Program. She has worked at Community Farmers Market in Bowling Green since late 2019 and currently serves as Market Co-Manager. She and her partner, Russell, co-own The Local Good Mini Market, a low-waste grocery pop-up that provides locally/regionally-produced food items in a bulk refill format.
Claire is a labor organizer with United Campus Workers of Kentucky (UCW-KY), a wall to wall pre-majority union in public universities across the state. Prior to coming on as a full-time organizer with UCW-KY, they were a graduate worker in the Geography Department at UK, which is where they found and fell in love with organizing. Alongside labor rights, Claire cares deeply about climate and environmental issues, and wants to live in a world where the wellbeing of our planet is prioritized over profit so that humans and nonhumans can coexist freely and peacefully. They cofounded a conversation card game to help people talk about climate change in a way that feels personal and accessible to them. Claire is in love with the plants with whom they share this earth, and spends a lot of their free time sitting amongst them and learning their lifeways.
Levi River House is a multimedia artist whose work often focuses on home, place, identity, nature, and contrasts, and is influenced by spending time outside, being in solitude, and recognizing moments of magic in daily life. He is passionate about pushing himself to learn and do more in the face of anxiety and fear while being honest and open about those struggles, as well as climate justice, social justice, and music.

Levi was born and raised in Southeastern Kentucky but has lived the past few years in Central Kentucky cities. His experience in growing up rural, then moving to a larger city deeply impacted his interest in and understanding of his Appalachian identity as well as his relationships to place and people, both of which are explored in his work.

He currently serves as the Communications Specialist for the Division of Mental Health and Division of Substance Use Disorder within the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, where he works to bridge the gap between services and awareness of services through visual media.
John David Hurley hails from the foothills of Appalachia (Rockcastle County to be exact). This is his second year with RUX, and his passion for Kentucky and her people is about preserving local history, local culture, and local heritage. The stories that we tell, that we share, and that we preserve tell the hopes, the dreams, and backstories of a people, a region, and a state. Outside of his work at a public library and volunteering with civic or historical preservation groups, you can find him in a coffee shop reading a book or trying to find the next great meme.
Kierahn Johnson, a dedicated advocate for justice and equality, brings a wealth of experience and passion to his work in fostering positive change. With over six years of dedicated study towards becoming a Baptist pastor, Kierahn embodies the spirit of faith and compassion that guides his actions.

As a board member of the United Nations Association of the USA Kentucky Division, Kierahn channels his fervor for global engagement into local action, striving to make a profound impact on both a local and global scale. Through his efforts, Kierahn seeks to promote understanding, cooperation, and transformative change in and between communities near and far.

An ardent student of philosophy, Kierahn is inspired by the timeless wisdom of great erudites, like Dr. King and St. Augustine, whose legacies continue to shape his worldview and inform his advocacy efforts.

Kierahn's passion for bridging cultural divides is evident in his work as a board member of Focus on Race Relations based in Frankfort, Kentucky, where he engages in vital conversations about race and endeavors to forge pathways toward unity and reconciliation.

Kierahn's leadership extends to his role as a former conference administrator for Innovation to Action, where he facilitated collaboration and innovation in addressing global health challenges.

Driven by a deep sense of purpose and a vision of a brighter future for all, Kierahn is dedicated to the relentless pursuit and proliferation of good.
Stephen (Steve) M. Johnson of Owensboro, Kentucky, is a seasoned leader renowned for his expertise in governmental and public affairs. Steve brings extensive experience in strategy development and cross-functional team leadership. Currently serving as the President of RepresentGPA Governmental and Public Affairs, he navigates legislative complexities and fosters community relations in alignment with organizational goals. Johnson's entrepreneurial drive is evident in his founding roles at RepresentGPA and Heaven by Health, where he promotes personal health initiatives through workshops and outreach programs. Previously, as Vice President at Owensboro Health for over 15 years, he secured funding and facilitated cross-team alignment. With diverse experience spanning county administration, travel and tourism, and legislative roles, Johnson’s proficiency in technology and dedication to public service set him apart as a professional.
Colby Lilly, a native Berean whose family roots date back multiple generations in the Appalachian foothills, brings his queer, leftist, and rural perspective to Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange’s 2024-2025 cohort. With experience in non-profit community development, fundraising, investment, and grassroots organizing, Colby is excited to contribute his views to a collective narrative that gives voice to Kentuckians of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences. Values of justice and equity are at the core of his volunteer activism, which spans LGBTQ+ advocacy, racial justice, food security, and anti-oppressive pedagogy. He is passionate about dismantling existing power structures in order to restore power to everyday Americans, thereby strengthening democratic institutions. A true gourmand, he enjoys gardening, cooking, and eating well. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, reading political exposés, and watching historical documentaries.
Laurel Mallory (she/her) is a marketing professional at the nonprofit Metro United Way, where she has worked for nearly three years. She creates videos and other content to inspire empathy and understanding, promote equity, and make our community a better place for all to live. A 10-year veteran of local TV news, she’s always been passionate about writing and communicating to connect people with new ideas and important information.

Laurel believes equity starts with the youngest among us, which is why she helped found Louisville’s chapter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which mails free books every month to kids under the age of 5. She was recently selected to serve as that nonprofit’s board president. She is also a member of the Young Professionals Association of Louisville and is a recent graduate of YPAL’s Emerging Leaders program. In her free time, she dances at Ambo Dance Theatre and enjoys exploring her community.

Laurel was born and raised in the smallest county in Kentucky: Robertson County. She currently lives in the Germantown neighborhood of Louisville with her rescue dog and cat. They enjoy spending time outdoors and with family and friends.
Lorna grew up on a small farm in northern Indiana that had been in her family for generations. Four years ago she moved to Rowan County, KY, after having lived for 40 years in Texas. She has fallen in love with the rugged beauty of Eastern KY. On her 5-acre piece of property, most of which is steeply inclined woods, she is transitioning to organic her mixed vegetable gardening and chickens for eggs. She is passionate about using sustainable, regenerative farming practices, and intends to use her harvested products to benefit the community. Lorna has been working with Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) and Grow Appalachia to improve her management of the farm. Additionally, she is organizing with KY Tenants in Morehead on campaigns to increase affordable, safe, high-quality housing. Lorna also enjoys assisting the Cave Run Lake Chapter of the Sheltowee Trace Association to maintain the northernmost 60 miles of the trace, sharing her care and love of the natural resources of the area.
Michael Massey is a rising Senior majoring in Public Health at the University of Louisville. Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, he lived in various cities across the American Southwest due to the assignments of his military parents. After his mother retired, he moved to Louisville at the age of nine to help take care of his grandparents. Throughout his eleven years within the 502 area, he has involved himself in various community organizations (Baptist Health Louisville Student Volunteer Program; Archdiocese of Louisville's Youth Advisory Board; and Louisville Youth Philanthropy Council). These opportunities exposed him to many different Kentucky backgrounds, which sparked his curiosity about the many folks who live within the Bluegrass State. His biggest goal for his Kentucky RUX experience is to learn more about the specific unique factors that impact how rural communities function which play into how its community members live their lives. After graduating college, he hopes to go to medical school to get him one step closer to serving medically underserved communities in the United States Public Health Service as a physician.
Talleri (she/her) is pronounced like Valerie, with a T. Talleri grew up in Michigan and California, and is now based in Louisville, KY. Talleri loves swimming (especially long distances), trying new food, visiting with her family in other states and traveling with spouse Jeremy and their 7-year-old, Kieran. Talleri is also passionate about her work in arts and disability, and can be seen riding around town on her new mobility scooter, Rusty Red. As a teaching artist and professional development provider, she has worked with several arts organizations, including: Arts for All KY, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indiana, and La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego California. Before moving to Louisville in 2011, lived in Chicago, IL Talleri while studying theatre at Northwestern University, and in Austin, TX while studying theatre, education, and communities at The University of Texas at Austin.
Rachel Noble-Varney is a lifelong learner who loves exploring the relationships between people, places, and ideas. Born and raised in Versailles, she has lived and worked in both central and eastern Kentucky for organizations like the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, Berea College, and most recently, the University of Kentucky. There, Rachel works full time for the newly established Monuments Workshop housed in the College of Law and is pursuing a PhD in geography. Her research focuses on social and environmental justice in Kentucky. She also holds an MFA in poetry from the Ohio State University. When she’s not reading, writing, or talking about ideas, Rachel loves just puttering around her home in Lexington with her husband, two daughters, and their dogs, starting crafts and garden projects that never seem to get finished.
Darryl "Dee" Parker's impactful journey unfolds as a beacon of inspiration, marked by an unwavering dedication to education, community involvement, and the pursuit of social and racial justice, especially within the black American community. Dee's commitment extends beyond educational institutions, as evidenced by his active participation in various boards and organizations spanning Eastern Kentucky and beyond. Dee is a staunch advocate for initiatives fostering positive change.
Dee remains at the forefront of inspiring others to take the lead and contribute to meaningful change in their communities.
Tamara has a deep passion for creating a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable world through a multi-pronged approach.
Jennifer Schworm is a social worker and public servant, holding a BSW from Morehead State University and an MSW from the University of Kentucky. Currently occupying a statewide leadership position within the child welfare system, she emphasizes collaboration, creative problem-solving, and comprehensive system knowledge to address the needs of children in foster care. Jennifer's leadership approach is grounded in service, empathy, and advocacy, underscored by a commitment to fostering critical thinking, vulnerability, and ongoing personal growth.
Residing in Morehead with her husband, Brian, Jennifer enjoys their shared love for animals, nature, and travel. In her free time, she finds solace and inspiration outdoors through activities like hiking, kayaking, and simple porch sitting. Additionally, Jennifer channels her creativity through pottery and photography, often showcasing her work at small craft fairs, relishing in both the environment and the meaningful connections forged with fellow artisans and attendees.
Zoë Scott, originally from Barren County and born and raised there, graduated from Campbellsville University with a major in Environmental Science and a minor in Criminal Justice Administration. Passionate about ensuring environmental fairness, especially in local projects, Zoë contributed to the EPoCH Legacy Project, which received one of the first microgrants. With experience in outdoor education and youth programs, Zoë is dedicated to community engagement. Zoë was honored with the John Chowning Diversity and Community Award, recognizing longstanding dedication to promoting diversity and fostering community connections. Outside of professional pursuits, Zoë enjoys hunting for antiques, particularly Bybee Pottery and KY made furniture!
Nikki Siababa (she/síya) is a third generation Visayan/Iloko American born & raised in California's East Bay. Since moving to Northern Kentucky, she's been active in organizing with grassroots groups like OPAWL - Building AAPI Feminist Leadership, Black Power Initiative (BPI), Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC) and Ceasefire Now Covington. Nikki believes that making learning accessible can be a radically beautiful act, and enjoys the challenge of figuring out how to share information in a way that inspires personal connection and continued curiosity. When she's not organizing or working her day job in specialty coffee, you can find her exploring the outdoors with her little family or lounging at home with their adorable and rascally cats.
Kat Smith is a long term artist and community organizer. They first started organizing in 2014 as a member of the KY Student Environmental Coalition (KSEC) and now works as a co-director, continuing to help steward a political home for young people across the state of Kentucky. In their free time, they are a member of KY Tenants, a tenant-led organization fighting for safe, high quality and affordable housing. They are passionate about blending arts and organizing to support autonomous storytelling, cultivate stronger community ties, provide resources, and to increase participation in social and environmental solutions. Their interest in this overlap has manifested in facilitating community-based quilt workshops, hosting puppet builds, and creating community resource zines. They additionally utilize themes of nature, tradition, identity, and social issues in their own art practice, and explore media like zines, printmaking, and quilts which serve as a meditative act. When they aren’t making art or organizing, you can find them riding their bike, gardening, or getting down on the dancefloor!
Rae Strobel (she/her) is passionate about building an equitable local food system, the power of the arts to create social change, and supporting trans youth in Kentucky. As co-owner of Barr Farms, a farm that raises and distributes organic vegetables, grassfed beef and pastured chicken to over 400 families through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, she loves writing the weekly newsletter and helping people connect with the farm and where their food comes from. She works part time for the Kentucky Foundation for Women, developing programs that support feminist artists and art for social change in Kentucky. Inspired by a young person close to her, Rae is an advocate/activist for trans youth in Kentucky, publicly as well as behind the scenes. She is grateful to her lineage of ancestors, especially her grandmothers, who taught her the values of presence and connection. Rae is a mother of three children, a writer, and a lover of the outdoors. Communicating and connecting with heart are motivating values in her life and work.
Jessica Taylor is an arts administrator from Lexington, Kentucky. In 2017, she graduated from Seattle University with an MFA in Arts Leadership with an emphasis on cultural equity. A frequent flyer of local poetry readings, her inspiration comes from the writers around her as much as the cicada sounds of southern summers. Jessica is the host of the Teen Howl Poety Series and membership chair for the Kentucky State Poetry Society. While her pen is down, she spends time annoying her cats, playing the ukelele, or hiking at the gorge
T'Von Terry is 19 now turning 20 still exploring and experiencing with life, evolving and elevating every day while still making music/rap and even exploring a recent pathway in poetry. T'Von has also become more dedicated to fostering positive social change in Kentucky. As an active member of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange and an alum of the Governor's School for the Arts, T'Von holds a strong commitment to agriculture, artistic expression, and civic participation. Additionally, his wealth of experience in community engagement, project management, event planning and coordination, and grassroots organizing lends well to his current role as a Community Food Leader with the Food Literacy Project and recent his recent role with Sacred Earth Garden as a Young Urban Gardener.
Currently based in Louisville, Belle Townsend is a writer, organizer, and baker from Robards, Kentucky. They have worked on 8 Kentucky election cycles, including on both of Andy Beshear’s campaigns for Governor.

Belle has written 3 poetry collections: Push and Pull, The Observer Effect, and The Holy in the Humdrum. They have had poetry published by the America Library of Poetry, Flailhouse Press, Bible Belt Queers, and over a dozen indie publications. Belle writes about forgiveness, girlhood, resilience, rurality, community, queerness, and justice, all in an attempt to invite people into political conversations through the folk practice of storytelling.

Belle is the Political Correspondent at Queer Kentucky, a diverse LGBTQ+ run non-profit working to bolster and enhance Queer culture and health through storytelling. Belle has covered the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being pushed in the 2023 and 2024 Kentucky legislative sessions.

Belle’s full-time work is in digital organizing for social and civic campaigns. The internet is a tool Belle uses in their personal capacity on social media as well, in order to make information about politics and culture accessible. When Belle is not working, writing, baking, or doomscrolling, they are spending time in community and with their cats, Cowboy and Lovebug.
David Wolff is a tour guide, film festival director, LGBTQ+ activist, marathon runner and life-long Kentuckian. He has lived in four of Kentucky’s 120 counties. After working for 30+ years in the airline and publishing industries, David now is excited to follow his passions. He now leads food tours in Covington and Cincinnati (OH). He enjoys sharing details about the area he loves with visitors. He is a founding member of and is currently the festival director of OutReels Cincinnati. Greater Cincinnati’s LGBTQ+ film festival is now in its 13th year. David works to improve the lives of the LGBTQ + community. Among other efforts, he chairs the “LGBTQ+ & Allies” group at the church he has attended for over 50 years. Last year, he received the Northern Kentucky Pride Center’s “Activist of the Year” award. In his spare time David runs to explore neighborhoods and towns while he trains for marathons. He has completed 26 marathons and 16 half-marathons around the world. David has also appeared as an extra in over a dozen films, several of which are set in or have been shot in Kentucky.