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 Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky where she oversees strategic initiatives in the region and supports the CEO and COO with strategic planning, operations, and organizational development. Prior to becoming CSO, Lora served for five years with the Foundation as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Appalachian Impact Fund. Previously, Smith worked 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) and is a member of the Community Advisory Council (CAC) of the Federal Reserve. Feeding her love of the arts, Lora is a co-creator and member of the Waymakers Collective, a multi-million dollar regional fund, network, and democratically controlled collective supporting artists, arts and culture organizations, and culture bearers in Central Appalachia. 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 (now the Just Economies Institute). In her free time, Lora travels, spends time with family and friends, and writes. She lives in an overflowing and happy home where cornbread and feijoada are usually on the stove and the rooms are filled with the sound of kids and music. Her blended “Brazilachian” family includes her partner Ruda, their (combined) four children Alma, Wiley, Vaughn and Violet, and two very mischievous poodles.
Amelia Kirby is the director of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky’s justice revisioning project. She has a twenty five-year career in Appalachian social justice, working as an activist, cultural worker, and entrepreneur. As a media producer at community media center Appalshop, she co-founded and co-directed the nationally recognized Thousand Kites and Calls from Home media projects addressing the prison industrial complex, and the documentary film Up the Ridge. In addition to her work as a media producer, Amelia served as the development director at the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, a non-profit law firm providing free legal work for people impacted by the extraction industries of the Appalachian coalfields and was the co-owner of Summit City Lounge, an experimental community space and live music venue in the coalfields community of Whitesburg, KY. She has a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in gender-based violence intervention from Virginia Commonwealth University.
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.
Geoff Marietta currently serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of the Cumberlands, Executive Director of the Appalachian Impact Fund, and Founder of Invest 606, Eastern Kentucky’s first and only business accelerator and pitch contest. Geoff is also Co-Founder of Harlan County Beer Company, the first legal brewery in Harlan County, Kentucky. His real estate company, Trillium Ventures, invests in and restores historic main street buildings like 2nd & Main and Moonbow Tipple. During his career, Geoff also founded two technology firms, Mountain Tech Media, a diversified front-end digital media company in Eastern Kentucky, and Giant Otter Technologies, acquired by Drift.com. He is also the former Executive Director of Pine Mountain Settlement School. Geoff was born and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota on the Mesabi Iron Range and attended University of Montana where he studied forestry. He graduated summa cum laude and joined Teach For America’s Charter Corps on the Navajo Nation, advancing in leadership from teacher and department head, to assistant principal, to district-level coordinator. He then went on to earn his MBA from Harvard Business School and a doctorate from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Geoff has written three books—Rural Education in America: What Works for Our Students, Teachers, and Communities, Improving Education Together: A Guide to Labor-Management-Community Collaboration, and Achieving Coherence in District Improvement: Managing the Relationship Between the Central Office and Schools—and more than 30 case studies, articles, and reports. Geoff currently serves as Board Chair of Canopy and is a Board member of One Harlan, Kentucky Commission on Small Business Innovation and Advocacy, and the National Institute of Hometown Security. He is the past Board Chair of the Harlan County Industrial Development Authority and Harlan County Chamber of Commerce. He currently lives in Whitley County, Kentucky with his wife, Sky, and their sons, Harlan and Perry.
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.
Previously, Mae managed the start-up and growth of Redbud Financial Alternatives, a
certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) focused on helping low-
income families in Appalachian Kentucky leverage credit as an asset. In this role, Mae
developed both lending and organizational policies and procedures, secured CDFI
certification and lending licensing, managed a consumer lending portfolio, developed
investor relationships, and guided staff and board in education on an unfamiliar
industry.
Mae also previously served as the Organizational Development Director of Community
Farm Alliance where she designed and implemented remote-work systems, produced a
monthly radio show, and developed funding strategies to ensure farmers’ voices are
represented in legislation.
Mae currently serves on the board of Human Economic Appalachian Development
(HEAD).
In her personal time, Mae volunteers with organizations that focus on helping people
access the outdoors.
Zack is a Community Engagement Officer of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, the only nationally accredited community foundation in southeastern Kentucky. After teaching middle school, Zack shifted his focus to serve the community he loves in a different capacity. Zack has a passion for Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia and hopes to help the region grow and prosper.
In his free time, Zack enjoys traveling, watching sports, trying new food, and spending quality time with his friends, his wife, Hannah, and their cats.
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
Haley McCoy
Executive Director of Economic Development at KCTCS
CRISSY FISCUS
Pepperpointe Partnerships
