KCC Board of Directors

Gerry Seavo James (KCC President)

Gerry is the founder of the Explore Kentucky Initiative(EKI), a Black-owned and led outdoor oriented social enterprise dedicated to inspiring Kentuckians and visitors to the Commonwealth to engage in an active lifestyle fueled by outdoor adventure while preserving the natural resources of the Commonwealth's 120 counties. Since 2013 he has helped to further the field of environmental advocacy, outdoor recreation, citizen stewardship,& cultural preservation across Kentucky and beyond through EKI and as past steering committee member for the Kentucky Rural Urban Exchange. His work has found him embedded in many communities and counties for various initiatives that include outdoor recreational events, conservation projects, and more. He is an avid paddler who is certified by the American Canoe Association in the Stand-Up Paddleboard and Canoe disciplines, and winner of an ACA National Leadership Award. He is also a storyteller who uses photography, cinematography, and journalism to tell stories about the landscapes and people he encounters in his travels across the Commonwealth and beyond. In 2017, he was awarded by Lexonomics as the most impactful artist in Bluegrass.

Rachel Young (KCC Secretary)
Rachel is 26 years old and from Frankfort, KY but now lives in Lexington where she went to college at the University of Kentucky and received a BS in Animal Science. She worked for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife in the education division, from 2017 until 2021, where she educated children and adults of all ages on the importance of Kentucky's wildlife and resources. She has worked in the pet, horticulture, wildlife, and technology industries. She now works in marketing and in UX Design for an app based out of Lexington, helping her clients with marketing their businesses. Her outdoor hobbies include kayaking, hiking, exploring Kentucky's natural areas, traveling and visiting other state's State and National Parks, and searching for Kentucky's native birds, amphibians, and reptiles species across the state.

Nat Colten (KCC Treasurer)
Nat Colten is an agroecologist, community builder and multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter rooted in Franklin County. His work at Kentucky State University as the Community Sustainability Coordinator is focused on developing outreach programs that improve quality of life in marginalized and limited resource communities through sustainability education and resource development. His research interests include integrated crop-livestock systems and management of grass dominated ecosystems with domestic livestock. Through his work and music, Nat advocates for land management practices that optimize multifunctionality. He enjoys creative projects of all kinds, playing outside, and interacting with new people and places.

Joyce Bender
Joyce managed the Kentucky State Nature Preserves for 31 years and retired in 2017.  She continues to assist with natural areas management and to educate the public about being good stewards.  During Joyce’s career, she reviewed legislation and reported on potential impacts for natural resources relating to her agency mission.  “I was always grateful for KCC’s work to protect Kentucky’s natural heritage and continue to appreciate the efforts undertaken by this vital organization.  I am honored to be considered for board membership.

Emma Coakley
Emma is an avid outdoorsperson who spends most free time on the local trails she helps maintain in the area. She has degrees in Anthropology, Political Science, and Sustainable Systems from the University of Louisville. She is on the path to attaining an MSc in Sustainability & Ecology from the Centre for Alternative Technology. She has worked on farms, in forests, at bike shops, and on environmental campaigns while growing an ever-increasing love for the wilder & greener side of life. Emma now works at ECTC as Records Office staff and Inclusivity, Diversity, & Equity Advisory Committee Chair. When time permits, she champions anti-racism and LGBTQ+ success in off-road sports.

Tyler Hill
Tyler is the Western Kentucky Campus Organizer with the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition (KSEC). In addition to supporting student environmental groups in Western Kentucky, Tyler facilitates KSEC’s Political Working Group (PWG), a statewide team that focuses on engaging young people in Kentucky elections and the General Assembly’s legislative process. As a member of the PWG since 2016, Tyler has researched legislation, managed rapid response campaigns for and against bills, and planned lobby days.

Janae Lewis
Janae graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Masters Degree in Pan-African Studies from the University of Louisville. Her research focused on the intersection of art, race, gender, and the environment- which culminated in her thesis project titled, “There is Water in the World for Us: The Environmental Theories of Alice Walker.” The project surveyed the scholarship of prominent intellectuals within the growing field of African-American Environmental Thought and Ecofeminist Theory by using the work of Alice Walker as fundamental texts to provide insight into an understanding of African Americans and the environment. Particularly, as it relates to their understanding of healing and connection towards the self, community, and nature. Janae currently works at the Kentucky Foundation for Women (KFW), an art foundation that promotes social change through feminist expression in the arts, serving as their Residency and Communications Manager. She resides in Louisville, KY. Go Cards!

Anna Marie Pavlik Rosen
Anna Marie Pavlik Rosen is an artist and mechanical engineer, retired from 3M who moved to Frankfort from Austin, Texas ten years ago. Growing concern for the survival of natural areas and a need to understand the relationship of people to their environment have encouraged Anna Marie to explore nature related themes in her art. Anna Marie recently completed a four-year term on the board of directors of Frankfort’s municipal utility, the Frankfort Plant Board.

Rachel Norton
Rachel Norton is a member of the Mountain Association (formerly the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development) and has been with the organization since 2016 and works on issues related to commercial energy efficiency and has recently become a Certified Energy Manager, including expanding her knowledge on solar installations, to support businesses, non-profits and local governments as they work to save money and build resilience. Rachel is a certified Building Performance Analyst and is currently building her own energy auditing business outside of work. Committed to creating a healthier, more sustainable global environment, Rachel serves her local community through elected leadership roles in her professional community, and participating in volunteer work around the state involving energy efficiency and solar. As one example, Rachel is co-facilitator for the Advancing Equity & Opportunity (AEO) Collaborative. Additionally, her most recent project, Solarize Lexington, doubled the amount of solar panels on homes in her hometown of Lexington, Kentucky.

Dr. Benjamin Knoll (Immediate Past President)
Dr. Benjamin Knoll is the John Marshall Harlan Associate Professor of Politics at Centre College in Danville. He earned an B.A. in political science from Utah State University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Iowa with a specialization in public opinion and voting behavior. He is also currently an M.Div. student at Bexley Seabury Seminary. Dr. Knoll’s research focuses on the connection between religion and politics and he recently coauthored the academic book She Preached the Word: Women’s Ordination in Modern America (Oxford, 2018). More information about Dr. Knoll’s academic research is available on his website at www.informationknoll.com and he can be followed on Twitter at @benjaminknoll28.

Sarah Lynn Cunningham
(Past President)
Ms. Cunningham has the technical problem solving abilities of an engineer, the communication skills of an educator, the creativity of an artist and the passion of an advocate. She holds a Master of Science, Interdisciplinary Studies, with a major in environmental education and a minor in environmental history, Bachelor of Applied Science, Environmental Engineering both from the University of Louisville. She is a certified Professional Engineer and is a graduate of the Kentucky Certified Non-formal Environmental Educator Program. Ms. Cunningham is founder and director of the Louisville Climate Action Network.

William Martin (Director Emeritus)Bill is the former Chairman of the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund and resides in Lexington. He was formerly Commissioner of the Department for Natural Resources. Bill is Professor Emeritus at Eastern Kentucky University, where he was Director of the Division of Natural Areas and Professor of Biology, from 1969 until 2005. Bill is a charter member of KCC, having been there at the inception of the group, and is currently serving as Director Emeritus.