My mantra is, “Life is better by the campfire.” My family used to camp when I was a young girl. In 2023, I got back into camping, first in a truck tent and now, in a Little Guy tear drop camper, which we took out for the first time in 2024. I love to camp in Kentucky State Parks and the Wayne National Forest. Being out in nature, cooking on an open fire, seeing and hearing the wildlife – for me, time in the woods or on the water is restorative!

Someday, I would love to tour Scotland and Ireland to learn more by visiting the countries from which some of my ancestors immigrated.

Little known fact: I worked as a broadcast journalist for nearly 17 years in the Lexington/Central Kentucky and Huntington, WV markets. I still love radio, and its current iteration: podcasts. Among my favorites are “All There Is,” hosted by Anderson Cooper, which deals with grief and all of its layers; “Beautiful Anonymous” hosted by Chris Gethard in which each episode is a single telephone interview with a stranger who calls into the show and talks with Chris about anything, from the mundane to the bizarre; and “This American Life,” hosted by Ira Glass, which is the premiere audio magazine of the U.S. with richly produced segments on a variety of themes.

As a native Appalachian still living in the region, Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) is a trusted source for all things that touch on economic, workforce, and community development here in these 54 Kentucky counties that I love. The LinkedIn group Servant Leadership provides a lot of thoughtful posts that cause me to think about how I can utilize my professional and personal lives to enrich my community.

The Center for Public Research and Leadership is great for understanding how all the pieces come together between education and workforce. Having spent 12 years in the grants world of higher education at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System at Ashland CTC and Ohio University Southern, the Center’s work is of interest for the insights it provides.

I love creative writing and attained my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from Bluegrass Writers Studio at Eastern Kentucky University in 2019. I have been fortunate to have my essays, short stories, and poetry published by Still: The Journal, The Bitter Southerner, The Worcester Journal, and the Women Speak anthologies of the Women of Appalachia Project.

I’m currently writing a commissioned chapter for a biographical anthology, forthcoming from the Jesse Stuart Foundation.

“When is it due?” or “How soon do you need that?” Always being on time has been a through-line in my nearly three decades of grants work as well as in my radio career. Whether it’s a submission deadline for a proposal or knowing what time the next newscast is scheduled, calendars and clocks are imperative!

My dad used to say, “Just go on and do.” This was his way of telling me to get out of my own head and not worry about what others say. Move forward with new challenges despite anxiety or fear.

• French fry dipping sauce: Ketchup
• Cards or Cats: Is this a sports question?
• Dogs or cats: Cats
• Comfort food: Scratch-made cornbread baked in a well-seasoned iron skillet
• Favorite holiday: All the fall holidays – Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving – any excuse for a bonfire or cookout and spending time with family and friends
• Favorite season: Fall