Staff
Jenny Duggan – Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Jenny is our Marketing & Communications Coordinator. She brings over 12 years of experience in graphic design, web design, social media marketing, and public relations. Jenny is a graduate of both University of Kentucky with a Bachelor’s in Arts Administration and Bluegrass Community & Technical College with an Associate’s in Information Management & Design. When she isn’t working or spending time with her husband and son, she enjoys outdoor distance roller skating, cooking, bullet journaling, web design, and photography.
CONTACT: jenny@bggreensource.org
Chris Howard – Watershed Coordinator
Chris is our Watershed Coordinator. He has a passion for protecting the environment and educating about everything outdoors. Originally from Grayson, KY he has spent almost 20 years in the outdoor education field focusing on program development, community engagement and nonprofit operations. Over the years, Chris served on the board of directors for a local non profit, organized dozens of community events, operated 2 different summer camp programs, facilitated countless workshops focused on environmental & outdoor education, is project wet & wild certified, and he is the former challenge course manager for Georgetown College & Life Adventure Center. Combined with his most recent role as the outreach coordinator and instructor for Canoe Ky, Chris’ experience gives him the unique skills necessary to to be successful in this role.
CONTACT: chrish@bggreensource.org
Jadyn Hughes – AmeriCorps VISTA
Jadyn comes to us as our AmeriCorps VISTA member. She is a recent graduate from Eastern Kentucky University, with a degree in Biology, focusing on Environmental Education and Outdoor experiences. Native to Harlan County, KY, she often associates her love for nature to growing up in Appalachia and a love of Steve Irwin, “The Crocodile Hunter,” who instilled a passion for animals and the environment when she was a child. Today, her inspiration comes from a desire to bring Environmental Education to Appalachia, one of the most biodiverse places in North America. “From a scientific perspective, those mountains are ancient and special, and I didn’t know it until I was in college. The environment there is also in danger, and I think if more Appalachians knew how special their home was and felt empowered to take care of it, it could make a lot of difference in the communities there.” In her free time, Jadyn loves to play with her cats, look for frogs, and collect strange antiques and knick-knacks: “If it’s weird or seems cursed, I’d like to have it on my shelf.”
CONTACT: jadyn@bggreensource.org
Noel Osborn – Outreach Specialist
Noel has been our Outreach Specialist since 2017. Holding a degree in Political Science from the University of Kentucky, her background is in politics with experience in the Kentucky General Assembly and lobbying with The Madison Coalition. Noel has since chosen to center her career on environmental issues. She is a Leadership Lexington alum, member of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Environmental and Corridors Commissions, and currently sits on the DiverCity Festival Lexington Board and Keep America Beautiful’s Young Leaders Advisory Council. In her spare time, she enjoys hunting for vintage vinyl, advocating for the Rebel Alliance, and making statements like “Stevie Nicks is a better songwriter than Bob Dylan.”
CONTACT: noel@bggreensource.org
Rachel Patton – Environmental Educator
Rachel is one of our Environmental Educators. She is a graduate of Transylvania University with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. In addition to her classes at Transylvania, Rachel coordinated litter cleanups of the surrounding area and spent many hours in local schools. She has worked at the Lexmark Center for Children and in Fayette County Public Schools with elementary school students. Rachel enjoys spending her free time kayaking and hiking with her husband and dog.
CONTACT: rachel@bggreensource.org
Maxine Rudder – Deputy Director
Maxine has been with Bluegrass Greensource since 2004. She was the Education Coordinator for two years before taking on the role of Education Director, then Deputy Director. Before joining Greensource, Maxine was a teacher in London, Kentucky for 28 years. She attended Eastern Kentucky University where she earned a teaching certificate in Biology and Chemistry. She also has certifications in Supervision K-12 and Secondary Principalship. Maxine’s responsibilities at Greensource are to oversee compliance with contracts and grant funding, develop new environmental programs, and organize activities with the county liaisons in our service area. Maxine has two grandchildren and a cat. Contact Maxine with questions about environmental education in Central Kentucky and Greensource’s administration.
CONTACT: maxine@bggreensource.org
Kara Sayles – Environmental Educator
Kara is one of our Environmental Educators and the Rain Garden Project Coordinator. Her background is in Environmental Science and she holds a B.A. with a focus on Ecological Design and Sustainable Agriculture from The Evergreen State College. Kara chose to become an environmental educator because some of her fondest childhood memories are from observing tadpole ponds near her home: “Seeing a small tadpole transform into an adult frog was not only amazing but it sparked this lifelong desire to learn about nature.”
CONTACT: kara@bggreensource.org
Rebecca Shobe – Finance Officer
Rebecca Shobe serves Bluegrass Greensource as a Finance Officer on a part-time basis. She is an accounting graduate of California State University, Fullerton, and holds an MBA from California State University, San Marcos. She brings to the organization over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting management with a variety of industries including government, manufacturing, and healthcare. After spending most of her working years in San Diego, Rebecca has recently relocated to Kentucky to become a full-time farmer, but maintains an intellectual interest in accounting. She and her husband spend most of their days on their farm in Estill County with their many dogs, cats, chickens and ducks; and they are devoted to improving the land and living a self-sufficient lifestyle.
CONTACT: rebecca@bggreensource.org
Pattie Stivender – Education Director
Pattie works with pre K – 12 schools and also coordinates community outreach activities and volunteer opportunities. She attended Eastern Kentucky University where she majored in Occupational Therapy. Pattie developed a passion for nurturing the environment as a young child watching television! The Crying Indian PSA developed by Keep America Beautiful opened her eyes to the negative impact that humans can have on the earth. Litter cleanups are some of her favorite activities. Contact Pattie with questions about environmental education in area schools, or to schedule an event in Fayette County.
CONTACT: pattie@bggreensource.org
Amy Sohner – Executive Director
Amy has been with Bluegrass Greensource since the beginning. She started at its inception and became Executive Director in 2006. She has a background in environmental education and a degree in Natural Resource Conservation and Management, but spends most of her days on program development and people/money management. Though she misses being in actual contact with the environment, she has come to enjoy managing the great staff and working with our community partners. When not at work, Amy likes to play nature hunter with her two daughters at their home near the Kentucky River Palisades. Contact Amy with questions about Bluegrass Greensource’s administration and program development.
CONTACT: amy@bggreensource.org