KCC Board Elections 2021
The KCC board may consist of between 8 to 13 directors. KCC elects half of their board every year. Directors may serve no more than three consecutive 2-year terms. We presently have seven Directors who are continuing in their second year of their current 2-year term, and those include: Kay Harker, Joyce Bender, Nat Colten, Tyler Hill, Alice Jones, Anna Marie Pavlik Rosen, Tamara Sluss (KCC’s current/2020 board page here).
This means that the KCC membership must elect at least ONE additional candidate and no more than SIX additional candidates this year for the 2021 board, to serve for a 2-year term.
We are presenting you with a slate of FOUR qualified candidates. Please read their statements below. (This slate includes two current incumbent Directors, one former Director, and one new candidate). We may also consider up to two write-in nominations if you choose to suggest names (write-ins are not automatically elected, but instead would be considered by the board for an appointment once vetted). KCC Partner Organizations are eligible to recommend candidates for the KCC board. Ballots must be submitted by current members in good standing. (If you have not renewed your membership, you may do so here).
Please read the four candidate statements that follow, and then VOTE using the blue button below.
PLEASE NOTE: if you have any problems in casting a vote for more than one candidate, please submit ballots for each candidate separately. If you continue to have issues in selecting multiple candidates please contact us.
Emma Coakley
Emma is an avid outdoorsperson who spends most free time on the local trails she has 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 with a focus on rewilding. 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 Elizabethtown Community & Technical College (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.
Gerry Seavo James
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.
Don Dott
Don retired from being the Director of the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission in 2016. As Director he met with legislators on biodiversity conservation issues, served on the Heritage Land Conservation Fund board and coordinated with other state, federal and private conservation partners in Kentucky. He was a southeast representative to NatureServe, a non-profit international biodiversity data collection and distribution organization. Prior to his time at KSNPC, Don was a supervisor/attorney in the Office of Legal Services in the former Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet. Don is currently president of the Kentucky Land Trusts Coalition, providing training and networking services for Kentucky's land trusts and affiliated organizations. He serves on the board of the Kentucky Natural Lands Trust and is a volunteer stream sampler for the KY Water Watch program, and basically greatly prefers the great outdoors to the indoors.
Dr. Benjamin Knoll
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.