Our Leadership

Secretary Treasurer

Rick is a retired state employee who formerly worked for the Kentucky State Police. He became involved with KFTC in 2004 when Motts Branch coal company opened up two mines near his home. Soon after, he and his neighbors started having problems from dust and mud on the road and in the community. It became so bad that some community members were unable to raise gardens or enjoy sitting on their porches. Rick began organizing his community and soon they met and joined forces with other communities in Floyd County, then decided to revive the Floyd County KFTC Chapter in the spring of 2007. He has a daughter who attends Pikeville College. 

Floyd County Representative

Whitney joined KFTC in 2012 and was excited to jump in head first! She has a love for eastern Kentucky that can never be taken away. As a small child, she noticed things that needed to change. In 5th grade she told herself that she would somehow make a difference in her community. In 2013, she is looking forward to being a part of the Steering Committee. Her main focus is fairness and equality but she is also going to be working on things such as voting rights, water testing, and the abolition of the death penalty. In her free time she loves riding side by sides, reading, art, learning about the universe, yoga, listening to music, and going to shows. She's very much a free spirit and aspires to travel the world and soak up as much culture as possible.

Jefferson County Representative

Shekinah was transplanted to Kentucky in 2000, and after living in a number of states, finally found a place that she wanted to call “home”. After meeting some folks from KFTC, she became enamored with their vision and their focus on positive, values-based change. She began working on Tax Reform with KFTC, helped to craft tax legislation through the Partnership for Kentucky's Future coalition, and joined the Economic Justice committee where she has served since 2010. Shekinah spends much of her free time talking about tax reform to anyone who will listen, trying to find excited new leaders to share their stories, and studying tax policy, tax structures and anything else pertaining to best economic practices. When she isn't working as a member, she can be found knitting, watching Star Trek or famously bad films, but usually, she's talking to someone about taxes.

Wilderness Trace representative

Born in Danville, Daniel grew up amongst the farms and forests of the nearby knobs where he developed his own appreciation for the environment. With parents who have been activity involved in strip mining and social justice issues, he grew up aware of many of the issues KFTC promotes. He attended George Washington University in Washington D.C. where he studied history and economics which helped him hone his views and values on the world. In recent years, after getting his masters degree from the University of Kentucky, he has worked as a high school history teacher in central Kentucky. He has also studied American Sign Language with the intent of becoming an ASL-English Interpreter. He has been involved with KFTC for the past year, working to get the Wilderness Trace Chapter up and running. Daniel is an avid runner having competed with success in high school and college; he has completed four marathons in three states and on two continents.

Perry County Representative

Cleveland joined KFTC through the Perry and Knott County organizing with the EPA to protect his family's watershed in Dickerson Fork off Lott's Creek. Since Spring of 2011, he has shared his story and vision with legislators in Washington DC and Frankfort, top EPA officials, neighbors, and his family and peers. Cleveland also serves on the STAY (Stay Together Appalachian Youth) Steering Committee and is a recent graduate of Cordia Community School in Knott County and Appalshop's youth media training program, Appalachian Media Institute. 

Rowan County Representative

Ted lives in Rowan County with his wife, Dana, and son, Galen. He is retired from the Kentucky Division of Water. The environment has been his 40-year passion, and takes more of his time now than ever. As the Big Sandy & Little Sandy River Basin Coordinator, he witnessed firsthand the devastation to the people and the land that mountaintop removal has done and is working to see the end of this devastating form of mining. He believes KFTC empowers citizens with a voice and the opportunity to work within our democracy for justice. The Rowan County KFTC Chapter is very active in the community and has had many positive impacts. Ted has found retirement from state government an opportunity work unfettered on environmental justice issues. He is a member of the Steering Committee, Litigation Team and Land Reform Committee.