Lisa Abbott:  A KFTC organizer in Eastern Kentucky for five years, Lisa became the Leadership Development coordinator in 1997.  She received a Master’s Degree in Public Policy with an emphasis in Leadership Development from the University of Maryland in 2001.  Lisa returned to KFTC in 2002 as the Director of Organizing and Leadership Development. She lives in Berea with her husband Justin and two boys, Myles and Hollis.

Teri Blanton: A long-time KFTC leader, Teri became the first KFTC Fellow in August 2007. Her work focuses on building a strong Canary Project Leadership Network on the range of KFTC coal and energy issues. Teri is from Harlan County and has served in numerous KFTC leadership positions, including chairperson in 2003-04. She is the mother of two grown children and the grandmother of two. She lives in Berea.

Tim Buckingham:  Tim joined the staff in March of 2007, filling the position of Communications associate.  He lives in Lexington with Amy, his wife, two dogs Ellie Mae and Michael, and baby Buckingham on the way in September.  He is bicycle advocacy nut, a homebrew brewmeister, a tri-athlete, and on April 28 will run in his first marathon.  Tim has a MA in critical media studies from the University of Kentucky and will be working out of the Lexington office.

Robin Daugherty:  Robin was welcomed to the KFTC staff team in June 2006 as office manager.  Originally from East Tennessee, Robin has lived in Kentucky for 10 years, currently just outside of London with a very special weimeraner named Lucy and five cats. Her two daughters and son-in-laws live in Tennessee.  Robin has a Bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Tennessee and brings more than 20 years of experience and training in office management, specialized administrative skills and community service.

Jessica George:  Jessica is our Development Director and is responsible for organizing our grassroots fundraising efforts.  A native of Louisville, she received a degree in sociology from Antioch College.  Jess has a background in non-profit housing issues and social justice organizing.

Jerry Hardt:  As the communications director, Jerry coordinates our media and publicity work, all of our publications, including balancing the scales, brochures, annual reports, and web site.  He has a degree from the University of Dayton and has been with KFTC from its beginning. He works in the Louisville office.

Jessica Hays Lucas:  Jessica became KFTC's Tax and Economic Justice Organizer in  September 2006.  She grew up in south-central Kentucky, graduated from the University of Kentucky, and moved away for a time to do some graduate work.  She's now happily back in Lexington with her companion, Shawn, and a number of animals.  Jessica's work is to help build statewide support for fair and adequate tax reform and to encourage Kentuckians to reclaim government as a tool of people working together to make the Commonwealth a better place.

Amy Hogg: Amy joined KFTC’s staff team in early April, filling the position of Writer. As Writer, Amy will assist the Executive Director and other staff members in maintaining consistent and effective communication with leaders, allies, and funders. Among other writing projects, Amy will play a major role in grant writing and reporting.  Amy is originally from Letcher County and now lives in Berea with her husband, Mike, and their two daughters—Ellie who is 12 and Claire who is 9. When she’s not writing, Amy enjoys cooking, reading, camping, raising a garden, and watching her daughters perform in a local children’s theater group.

Erik Hungerbuhler:  Erik is our new Website Manager/E-Organizer.  He grew up in Corbin and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky.  He has worked with KFTC in a number of different positions in the last several years and is excited about integrating the website into our organizing strategy.  He currently lives in Lexington where he spends some of his free time helping at his girlfriend's yarn store, Rebelle.  He is an accomplished knitter and always willing to teach others.

Burt Lauderdale:  Burt is our Executive Director.  He is a graduate of Auburn University and has been with KFTC since 1983.  His responsibilities include leadership identification and development, campaign development, organizer training, strategy development and fundraising.

Heather Roe Mahoney:  Heather joined our staff in June 2005 as Deputy Director.  Her responsibilities include assisting the executive director with fundraising and other efforts, providing assistance to the Kentucky Economic Justice Alliance and assisting with administrative oversight for the organization.  She previously worked with Democracy Resource Center for seven years, first as project coordinator, then as co-director.  She is a graduate of the University of Louisville.

Dave Newton:  Dave is the organizer for our Voter Empowerment campaign and works out of our Lexington office.  He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with degrees in History and Political Science.  He has extensive grassroots and campus organizing experience and is a former field organizer with the Kentucky Democratic Coordinated Campaign.

Kevin Pentz:  Kevin is the Canary Project organizer.  After working as an organizing intern with KFTC in 1996, he moved west to work with an organizing group in Montana.  He returned to KFTC as an organizer in 1999.  He has a degree in Environmental Science from Saint Lawrence University.

Martin Richards: Martin has an Architecture degree from the University of Kentucky and worked for more than 20 years in various areas of design and construction, emphasizing green and sustainable building practices. In addition to working on his family’s farm, Martin is a past president of Community Farm Alliance and has been active for 13 plus years in sustainable agriculture, grassroots organizing and local/community economic development.  Martin, his wife Caitlin McClanahan and their  11-month-old daughter, Jessie, currently live in Berea. 

Lora Smith:  Lora is a native of southeastern Kentucky and works from our London office as a Communications Associate.  Lora is a graduate of  New York University with a B.A. in Individualized Studies.  When not working for KFTC, she can be found working on her thesis for a M.A. in Folklore from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or daydreaming about one day owning a goat farm....usually the goats win.

Patty Tarquino: Patty works from our Whitesburg office as the Community Organizer for Letcher, Pike and Knott counties. Born in Cali, Colombia, Patty immigrated to the United States in 1988 with her mother.  She was a student organizer at Berea College for 3 years before graduating in 2004.  When not organizing, Patty enjoys knitting, gardening, writing, reading, and spending time with her two beautiful labs- Blue and Goose. 

Colleen Unroe:  Colleen is an organizer working with the Harlan and Perry County chapters in eastern Kentucky.  She started with KFTC as an intern in 2003.  She has a degree from Allegheny College in Environmental Studies with a focus in Community-based Sustainable Development.  She also has experience with housing issues in Appalachia, sustainable agriculture, service learning, and student organizing.  She works from the KFTC office in Whitesburg.