As a Senior Manager on the LEED for Cities team at the U.S. Green Building Council, David works directly with over 100 local governments to use data to benchmark sustainability and drive progress. Through developing relationships and training staff on the LEED for Cities framework David assists local leaders to create stakeholder coalitions, prioritize sustainability actions, and build essential cross-departmental relationships to achieve LEED certification. David also provides the local governments’
perspective to product developers, to ensure the rating system’s evolution meets the needs of cities and pushes them to meet their sustainability goals.

David has been working with local communities for several years. Prior to joining USGBC, he was with STAR Communities, where he worked with cities, towns, and counties to ensure that communities had the tools and resources needed to create a more sustainable future.

In practice, David deeply engages his client base to identify how his organization can offer solutions to their pressing needs. He excels at developing relationships and taking a collaborative approach to tackle complex problems. By using data, building capacity, and making connections he works with stakeholders to meet goals.

David lives in Louisville, KY with his wife and kids and spends as much time outdoors hiking, biking, and exploring as he can. He received his Master’s of Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from Centre College.

Lane Boldman has been with the Kentucky Conservation Committee since 2014 and has been a leader on environmental advocacy issues in Kentucky since 1992, where she works on environmental policy development, grassroots advocacy and social justice issues. Over her career, Lane has held leadership roles related to mining, forestry, wildlands, energy and communications. She currently serves on the board of the Kentucky Solar Energy Society and the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign Leadership Team. Lane is also a former Board Executive Committee member of the National Sierra Club and board member of the Citizens’ Coal Council.

The Kentucky Conservation Committee is a state-based conservation policy collaborative, and is one of the longest-running environmental advocacy organizations in Kentucky, serving the Commonwealth for 47 years. They provide a trusted voice for the environment through their base of nonprofit lobbyists, allies, members and supporters. KCC works in a nonpartisan manner to ensure that our democracy works for all citizens in Kentucky, particularly those who are not able to advocate for themselves. KCC’s issue areas include a focus on climate change, land conservation, biodiversity and energy transition.

Emily Elliott started with Lextran in 2017 as the Community Relations Coordinator. She became the Community Relations Manager in 2018 and took over Customer Service. The focus of her work centers around engaging passengers and the community to better understand how Lextran works and the value the service brings to Lexington. Emily became the Director of Planning and Community Development in January 2024.

Coming Soon

Kenzie Gleason is a Principal Planner with the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the transportation planning agency for Fayette and Jessamine County.  She coordinates with a team of planners and local officials to guide how federal transportation dollars are invested in our region.  Kenzie began her work with the city developing bicycle, pedestrian and trail plans – a passion that still informs her work today, helping Lexington achieve its goals for a more human-scaled, walkable and transit-friendly transportation system.

Kristin Hughes currently serves as the Co-Executive Director and Director of Education and Outreach, bringing her deep-rooted passion for education and community enrichment to the forefront of her work. Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Kristin’s journey took an international turn when she lived in Spain for four years, an experience that broadened her perspectives and deepened her appreciation for global cultures.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Valparaiso University and a Master’s of Education from Georgetown College, Kristin’s academic background laid the groundwork for her impactful career. Initially contributing as a dedicated Spanish teacher for seven years, she drew upon her experiences from Maxwell’s Spanish Immersion Program to inspire and educate.

Kristin’s career trajectory took a meaningful shift when she joined FoodChain, driven by her burgeoning interest in food education. This role has allowed her to merge her educational expertise with her enthusiasm for culinary exploration, particularly in understanding the diverse tapestry of global cultures through their food traditions.

An advocate for sustainable and equitable food practices, Kristin is heavily involved in Farm to School initiatives, striving to bridge the gap in food access and literacy. Her commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to learn about and enjoy wholesome food underscores her professional endeavors.

Ryan Lark is a sustainability professional currently serving as the University of Kentucky’s Zero-Waste Specialist Sr. At this position, Lark oversees UK Recycling, including all operations, education, and outreach, as well as leads the university’s efforts towards becoming a zero-waste campus. Lark’s scope encompass all waste diversion efforts within the university’s campus, Healthcare, Dining, and Athletics.

Josh Littrell has been a residential energy auditor for KY’s touchstone energy cooperatives since 2004. He has extensive experience helping individuals identify and resolve high bill issues resulting from HVAC
and building insulation/air sealing issues. Josh is a Building Performance Institute certified Building Analyst, a RESNET certified Home Energy Rater, and an AEE Certified Energy Manager.

Tresine Logsdon spearheads the SEE KY program in Fayette County Public Schools and supports school-based, student-driven sustainability and energy efficiency projects by working closely with teachers, principals, students and community partners.  She has over 20 years of classroom teaching experience, most recently at Henry Clay High School teaching AP Environmental Science and Biology.  Tresine is married to Matthew Logsdon, a Language Arts teacher at Henry Clay High School, and they have two daughters.

Sustainability and environmental education have been Tresine’s passion since beginning her teaching career.  She is inspired everyday by FCPS teacher leadership and students’ inherent enthusiasm for sustainability, innovative school improvement project ideas, and voracious desire to learn and do more.

• Bachelor of Arts, Transylvania University, Teaching Biology
• MLIS, University of Kentucky, Masters Library & Information Science
• Rank I, University of the Cumberlands, School Administration
• Professional Environmental Educator Certification, KY Env Education Council
• LEED Green Associate Certified, US Green Building Council

Malissa McAlister has worked at the Kentucky Water Research Institute since 2002, serving in various roles to help others understand water quality issues in the state.  This has included focused work in the Kentucky River Basin, help with developing watershed plans and carrying out their recommendations for improvements, and leading the state’s Watershed Watch volunteer stream sampling organization.

Jeffery Nazarko, VP of Sales, Marketing & Business Development. Mr. Nazarko is responsible for the oversight and management of all sales and marketing processes at Solar Energy Solutions. Mr. Nazarko started his career in the power conversion business working to develop and market the first generation of grid-tied energy storage system and renewable integration. After that, Mr. Nazarko worked for a world class manufacturer of highly engineered, precision electrical steel products used in energy conversion systems. As Global Marketing Director he collaborated with clients to develop innovative technologies for commercial, Industrial, and electric propulsion systems with a focus on efficiency improvements to reduce energy consumption.

Mike is a Lexington native,  an Electrical Engineering graduate of UK, and a retired development engineer from IBM/Lexmark.  He has owned six electric vehicles and has not bought a drop of gas since 2012.  He is the Publicity Chair for EVOLVEKY and a member of this non profit EV advocacy group’s Board of Directors. He currently drives a 2024 Tesla Model Y.

Christine Smith is the Executive Director of Seedleaf. Trained academically as a geographer, she has been with Seedleaf since 2017. Her gardening experience is rooted in the sub-tropics of Florida where she grew up and her grandmother’s Kingston garden and menagerie filled with ginep, breadfruit, pomegranates, scotch bonnet peppers, fish, pigeons, chickens and stray dogs. She is most proud of her title as ‘Ambassador of Flowers’. She can be reached at christine@seedleaf.org.

Sharon Stone operates Two Suns Farm, an urban farm nestled in East Lexington, Kentucky. The farm produces a mixture of vegetables, herbs and fruits. The roughly third of an acre farm is dedicated to providing customers and community members with fresh grown produce that is produced safely and efficiently by using non-certified organic methods, low-impact machinery and hand tools and no harmful pesticides.  

Two Suns Farm offers a wide variety of greens, turnips, carrots, green beans, peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, basil, and various herbs.

In addition to farming, Sharon is the farmer liaison and a grower for the Woodhill International Market, a sliding scale bi-weekly market located at the Woodhill Community Center, that offers a CSA to any member of the community.

@twosunsfarm

Over the last five years, Abby has worked extensively with the City of Lexington’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program. She provides day-to-day support for the city’s 186 Measurable Goals listed in its Stormwater Quality Management Plan, conducts trainings, develops public education materials, and assists with technical tasks such as Stormwater Manual, ordinance, and other policy revisions.

Scott is a Graduate of the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. Scott has 22 years of experience and has worked in the public a private sector as a Designer, Project manager, and Resident inspector for projects ranging from residential site design; park designing and master planning; storm and waste water management; trails, roads and highway design and planning; and community design and planning. Scott has always had an interest in public health and how the built environment is directly tied to daily physical activity. Currently Scott is a Senior Transportation Planner, and the Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator for the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government and the Lexington Area MPO. He has been in his current position since 2013. His current work includes working to increase bicycle and pedestrian transportation system access, developing safe, high quality, interconnected facilities for bicycling and walking and promoting the increase of their use.

Stuart Ungar is the Executive Director of the Louisville Sustainability Council (LSC). Through his work at LSC he is able to “connect the dots” on all the different and important sustainable areas such as transportation, solar, building and remodeling, healthy eating, planting trees and, in general, working mindfully to better care for our one and only planet. Stuart has over 30 years of nonprofit experience. Most recently, he co-founded Evolve KY,
Kentucky’s nonprofit electric vehicle group and many in the community see him as a “go to” resource for anything and everything EV. He also hosts the Stu’s EV Universe podcast (available wherever you listen to your podcasts).
Stuart is passionate about work that brings sustainability to all of our community.

Laura Veldman is the Recycle Plant Buyer at WestRock Recycle in Louisville, KY.  She is passionate about recycling and environmental stewardship, working closely with partners to maximize the recovery of recyclable materials. Striving to create innovative recycling initiatives to increase recovery, education and promote environmental literacy to businesses, municipalities and schools.

Coming Soon

Brett Werner is a professor of environmental studies at Centre College, where he teaches classes on environmental sustainability, climate change, and the ways we address complex issues by integrating science and values into policy and action. Much of his research investigates how climate change and other environmental stressors have an impact on the human well-being and biodiversity conservation.

Coming Soon

Esther White has worked as a Project Grants Manager for UK’s Hazard Mitigation Grants Program (HMGP) and KYEM since 2007, working with communities, agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private sector partners statewide to develop and secure FEMA funding for numerous technical multi-hazard mitigation projects. Esther holds a BS degree in Business Administration from Berea College and Master of Public Administration degree from the University of KY. She has served on the KAMM Executive Board of Directors as a Regional Representative, Secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair and is currently the Executive Director/Webmaster for KAMM.

Jack Bell is a fourth-year student at the University of Kentucky, graduating in December 2024 with a B.A. in Environment and Sustainability Studies. He is currently working on the Air Justice project, a community-led research effort focused on making air monitoring data and policy writing more accessible for community members in Louisville’s West End. Jack is passionate about environmental justice, social dynamics of power, and highlighting the, often overlooked, relationship between sustainability and low-income communities.

Coming Soon

Julia Gerwe believes that connecting people to nature holds the key to collective abundance. This vision sustains her work as an environmental educator, leader, and advocate; embodied by her current role as Executive Director of New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future. Prior to leading New Pioneers, Julia served as Member Coordinator of a statewide AmeriCorps program through the Kentucky Environmental Education Council and was an AmeriCorps volunteer herself with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Julia is a proud alumna of Saint Louis University and currently residents in Danville with her partner, Jonathan, and cat, Charlotte. Julia is passionate about engaging with her local community and spending simple, magical moments in the many beautiful, outdoor natural areas that our region has to offer!

Jada Walker Griggs is a Program Manager Senior with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Jada has more than two decades of experience in municipal government, of which, 14 years was spent in Risk, Safety and Loss Control Management and 9 years in the Division of Environmental Services. Her regulatory background led her to an Environmental Initiatives Specialist position, which poised her
for her current role, leading sustainability efforts for the City of Lexington. Jada works as a liaison across divisions, while also being the community connector for initiatives she helps organize, develop, and implement. She has experience administering various
federal and state grants during her time at LFUCG, including the Department of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants, the EPA Brownfield Program Assessment and Clean-up Grants, and, most recently, the Lexington-Fayette MSA Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant.
Jada facilitated efforts to update the community-wide sustainability plan, Empower Lexington: A Plan for a Resilient Community, was selected as a cohort with the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Cities, and is on the President’s Sustainability Advisory Committee for the University of Kentucky.
Jada is a former sworn City Commissioner in Cynthiana, KY, where she served as Commissioner for the Department of Public Works and Maintenance for 7 ½ years. She is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and a mother of two, Malcom and Kirsten.

Oliver Kroner is the Director of City of Cincinnati Office of Environment & Sustainability. His work focuses on climate science and urban policy, including energy, transportation, waste, and food systems. He has served in the office since 2016, leading collaboration of government and community partners to advance and track the sustainability, equity, and resilience strategies of
the Green Cincinnati Plan. He has presented his work around the world, including the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, ICLEI World Congress, National League of Cities, Project Drawdown, International Congress on Sustainability Science & Engineering, GreenBuild,
and more. His recent non-profit board rolls focused on sustainability and community development include the US Green Building Council LEED for Cities Working Group, Mill Creek Alliance, and Sew Valley. He is a graduate of Miami University and Northeastern University,
and a proud AmeriCorps alum.

Preston Miles is a Watershed Watch volunteer sampler, an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at Centre College, where he served as Sustainability Coordinator for 11 years, and currently serves as chairperson of Clarks Run Environmental and Education Corporation. 

Brittany Morton is a recent graduate of EKU with a Master’s of Arts in Teaching and currently serving with AmeriCorps at FCPS Sustainability. This is her second stint in AmeriCorps and she enjoys helping others and teaching others how to grow in their knowledge of how to protect the world around them. She has worked with Pre-K through high school of creating lessons and letting kids learn through play to find out different ways of how the Earth works and what could help it.

Sumedha Rao is the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. She is committed to catalyzing robust, inclusive, and collaborative solutions for a greener Louisville! Sumedha has a background in urban sustainability, environmental policy, and green building in the United States and India. In 2022, Sumedha was named a Future Leader by the Aspen Institute, among 100 climate leaders in North America under the age of 30. Sumedha holds a master’s degree in Sustainability Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from St. Joseph’s College in India, and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED AP, accreditation.

Jennifer Carey, P.E., spent many years as Lexington, Kentucky’s stormwater program management consultant while working at Tetra Tech. She joined Lexington’s Division of Water Quality in 2014, where
she oversaw the city’s compliance with its stormwater discharge permit and the stormwater provisions of its Federal Consent Decree. In 2021, Jennifer became the Director of the city’s Division of Environmental Services.

Tresine Logsdon spearheads the SEE KY program in Fayette County Public Schools and supports school-based, student-driven sustainability and energy efficiency projects by working closely with teachers, principals, students and community partners.  She has over 20 years of classroom teaching experience, most recently at Henry Clay High School teaching AP Environmental Science and Biology.  Tresine is married to Matthew Logsdon, a Language Arts teacher at Henry Clay High School, and they have two daughters.

Sustainability and environmental education have been Tresine’s passion since beginning her teaching career.  She is inspired everyday by FCPS teacher leadership and students’ inherent enthusiasm for sustainability, innovative school improvement project ideas, and voracious desire to learn and do more.

• Bachelor of Arts, Transylvania University, Teaching Biology
• MLIS, University of Kentucky, Masters Library & Information Science
• Rank I, University of the Cumberlands, School Administration
• Professional Environmental Educator Certification, KY Env Education Council
• LEED Green Associate Certified, US Green Building Council

Senior Vice President, Sustainable Business Development, and Supply Chain Division Head Toyota Tsusho America, Inc.

Rachel is our Business Outreach Coordinator. She is a graduate of Tufts University with an M.S. in Sustainable Water Management. Rachel has previously worked within Kentucky communities while receiving her B.S. at Centre College in Danville and completing a summer internship with Kentucky Waterways Alliance in Louisville. A Georgia native, Rachel has recently made her way back to the Bluegrass to pursue a career in the environmental nonprofit sector. In her free time, Rachel enjoys pickleball, hiking, and listening to live music.

Amy Sohner is the Executive Director of Bluegrass Greensource, a nonprofit environmental education organization serving Central Kentucky.  She has been with the organization since its inception, and became director in 2006.  She has a background in environmental education, and a degree in Natural Resource Conservation and Management from UK.

Amy is a Certified Environmental Educator, a graduate of the Leadership Lexington Program, a board member of both Women Leading Kentucky and Keep Lexington Beautiful, as well as the Chair of the Lexington Stormwater Stakeholder Advisory Committee.  Her hobbies used to include camping, hiking, making stained glass and viewing the Kentucky River palisades from her deck, but now you will usually find her running after her two daughters: Audrey and Eleanor.

Shane has developed and managed interdisciplinary programs, projects, and policies for the University of Kentucky since 2003 with a focus on sustainability, transformational learning, and the use of the campus as a living laboratory. In pursuit of these efforts he has cultivated strong collaborations with colleagues in every corner of the University and community. Through these relationships, Shane was worked hard to help develop a robust institutional culture of sustainability. Shane believes that sustainability brings tremendous value to our institutions because it is a way of thinking about higher education that helps orient the compass needles for curriculum, research, service, healthcare, and creative works in the direction of intergenerational prosperity and well-being for the planet and all the individuals it sustains.

Jacob currently serves in the administration of the 61st Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, as Deputy General Counsel for the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet. He serves in Cabinet leadership and advises the Cabinet’s ten divisions and departments with respect to legal matters. Jacob is a graduate of the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky, and the University of Tennessee College of Law. He lives in Lexington with his wife, Amanda, and daughter, Madelyn.