Rising Together
We bring together people, ideas, and resources to strengthen communities and encourage philanthropy. When you partner with us, you are working with a team of professionals who have deep community connections and decades of experience in philanthropy. More than that, you’re partnering with people whose hearts and homes reside in Appalachia.
Staff
Gerry Roll is the founding executive director of the Foundation, committed to helping create places where all people can thrive. Focused on building communities of people with the capacity to create solutions and the ability to leverage the resources needed, Gerry’s work in eastern Kentucky has been focused on engaging local people to create equity in housing, early childhood education, and health. She has led the creation of a regional Community Housing Development Organization, a federally qualified health center; a quality rated early care and education system and a full continuum of other support services for working families. Gerry is a founding member of Appalachia Funders Network and an alumni of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors Community Advisory Council. She is recognized locally, regionally, statewide and nationally as an advocate for rural development and community philanthropy. Gerry lives on the north fork of the Kentucky River in Busy, Kentucky.
Kristin Walker Collins is the Chief Operating Officer of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky (Foundation) in Hazard, Kentucky, the only nationally accredited community foundation in southeastern Kentucky. Before starting her career in philanthropy, Kristin worked as an attorney specializing in Family Law and Municipal Law with the law firm of Hollon & Collins.
Kristin is active in many community activities including serving as a member of InVision Hazard, Vice-President of the Hazard-Perry County Chamber of Commerce, and serves as President of Redbud Financial Alternatives, Inc, and of the Appalachian Early Childhood Network. She is the founder and President of the Hazard Rotary Club Foundation, Inc., which operates the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Perry County, Kentucky, a program providing a free book a month to children under the age of five, and is a member of the Perry County Literacy Coalition, and the Perry County Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative. In addition, she is Past-President of the Hazard Rotary Club, and former President-Trustee of the Perry County Public Library.
In her (little) free time, she enjoys traveling the world, visiting with family and friends, and reading. Kristin resides in Hazard, Kentucky with her husband, Jonathan, a local attorney, and their daughters, Palmer and Piper.
Tonya Shepherd is the Development Director for the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky in Hazard, Kentucky, the only nationally accredited community foundation in southeastern Kentucky.
Tonya started her career in the financial industry, where she stayed for many years before taking a brief leave to work as a stay-at-home mom. Upon returning to the workforce, she began her career in philanthropy with the Foundation as a Program Officer, where she transitioned into her current role.
Tonya is active in the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners. She is currently working on her CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive) through the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Tonya enjoys traveling, good food, and being outdoors (in warm weather) when not working or spending time at her children’s extracurricular activities. Tonya resides in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, with her husband, Gabe, and their son Griffin and daughter Juliana (Jules).
Kathy King Allen is a Community Engagement Officer for the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky.
Kathy has spent her entire career focused on making positive contributions to the community and
working to create opportunities for many in our region. She believes the best days lie ahead for
Appalachia Kentucky and promotes positive attributes of our region throughout her travels and through
networking. In her role at the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Kathy has been instrumental in the
development of geographic affiliate community foundations created to support local causes that
improve the health and well-being of residents and the communities. Kathy serves on various boards
and committees including the Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Appalachian Early Childhood
Network, East Kentucky Chapter of the American Red Cross, Baptist Learning Center Committee, and the
Floyd County Chamber of Commerce. Kathy and her husband Robert live in Prestonsburg and have two
grown sons, Rob and Wil.
Lora Smith is the Executive Director of the Appalachian Impact Fund, a place-based social impact investment fund, at the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky in Hazard, KY. The Appalachian Impact Fund supports economic opportunity in Eastern Kentucky through grantmaking and place-based investments. Previously, Lora served as the Network Officer for Central Appalachia at the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation where she directed the Foundation’s strategic grantmaking and program related investments in the region. Lora currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Appalachia Funders Network (AFN), a network of private and public sector funders focused on the shared goal of an equitable Appalachian economic transition. Smith is a former Southeast Council of Foundations (SECF) Hull Fellow and was chosen for the inaugural class of RSF Social Finance Integrated Capital Fellows.
Kaylie Miller is the Scholarship Director at the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky. After years of working in the manufacturing industry, Kaylie found her passion at the Foundation where she works with students pursuing their educational goals and the donors who want to help them achieve these goals through scholarships.
In her free time, Kaylie enjoys traveling and trying new restaurants, exercise, and spending quality time with friends, her fiancé, Alec, and their cats and dog.
Tracy joined the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky in 2015 after 36 years of corporate
accounting with a publicly traded holding company in Central and South Florida. Her current
role as Finance Director involves accounting for the Foundation’s growing list of funds, which
includes grantmaking, processing receivables, payables, and donations for each fund. In 2020,
Tracy implemented new fund accounting software and oversaw the conversion from the former
accounting system. Tracy is continuously fine-tuning accounting policies and procedures for the
Foundation paving the way for her successor.
Tracy lives in Busy, KY with her Miniature Pinscher Maya and enjoys being outdoors hiking,
skiing, and working in the yard. She is also an avid reader. Her favorite travel is going to see
her son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters in Florida.
Bobby Martin-Sullivan is a Community Engagement Officer at the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky. After six years of community experience through his work as an educator and coach, Bobby joined the Foundation to focus his efforts more directly with local leadership and organizations. As a Community Engagement Officer, he works alongside our affiliate foundations to provide support to community leaders and to connect them to our network’s resources.
Board of Directors
Joel Brashear
Board Chair – Hyden Citizens Bank
Kathy Atkins
Vice Chair – City of Pikeville
Corey Chesnut
Treasurer – Forcht Bank
Alison F. Davis
Secretary – CEDIK
Keith Gabbard
Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative
Josh Howard
Howard Law Firm
Danny Maggard
Founding Board Chair – Retired-Kentucky River Properties
Janet Smith
Kentucky Farm Bureau
Dr. Maria Braman
Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Ellen Conaway Williams
Ellen Williams Consulting
CRISSY FISCUS
Pepperpointe Partnerships
