How Kentucky Landowners Resource Guide Began
Our project began through Berea College’s Entrepreneurship for the Public Good (EPG) program. EPG creates “learning experience for undergraduate students to practice and implement Entrepreneurial Leadership in rural communities of Central Appalachia.”
Our Vision for Eastern Kentucky
Our project is grounded in our interests in conservation, agriculture, hunting, hiking, and advocacy and aims to assist our local community–our friends and neighbors. We believe that the landscapes we live in should reflect our values and aspirations, and therefore, we wish to assist people with realizing their own dreams for their landholdings.
Andy Hill
Andy Hill is an advocate and environmentalist from Berea College who finds beauty in what he works to protect. In his free time, Andy can sometimes be found at a local contra dance with friends. His previous work has involved economic research to protect natural resources and human rights from excessive prison construction. Andy has a strong sense of commitment to his community and has an oath to himself to make the world a better place.
In order to do this, Andy is working to connect people who own land to any resources they need to help them utilize it. In order to do so he is working to direct them to a variety of resources to meet their needs.
Chrystal Cornwell
Chrystal Cornwell is currently a sophomore at Berea College, where she is pursuing a degree in Environmental Science. She is hoping to secure a job in conservation or sustainable agriculture after graduation. Chrystal grew up in rural Central Illinois, where she participated in various outdoor activities including camping, hunting, kayaking, and running. She was also involved in several extracurricular activities in high school such as sports, FFA, student council, National Honor Society, and freshman mentoring, all of which have shaped her into a young leader and an efficient communicator, skills she carries with her through college and beyond. Chrystal enjoys learning about various aspects of nature, including the ways it can be used and ways it is valued by people since she grew up appreciating nature for what it is rather than just what it has to offer. She is working to connect people to resources that will help them manage their land in a way that best suits their goals and aspirations so that they can be aware of more options and opportunities than they may have previously known of.
Jarrod Brown
Jarrod W. Brown is an Appalachian philosopher, educator, and entrepreneur with over a decade of international leadership experience in technology start-ups. An avid outdoorsman, Brown grew up in Sharkey, Kentucky, spending his free time in the Daniel Boone National Forest, before working in South and Southeast Asia for a number of years and completing his Ph.D. at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. His recent research, supported by NASA, has focused on environmental philosophy and landscape ethics. He currently teaches at Berea College. With The Kentucky Landowners’ Resource Guide, Brown is bringing his experiences home to help support fellow Eastern Kentuckians by connecting them with resources to better ensure the landscapes around them reflect their values and aspirations.