staff & job openings
KRC staff currently consists of the Director, Tom FitzGerald; Policy Coordinator, Liz Edmondson; Office Manager, Amy Carpenter; and Development Associate for Major Gifts, Donna Counts.
Tom FitzGerald ("Fitz"), Director
Tom FitzGerald (“Fitz”) has been Director of the Kentucky Resources Council since 1984. KRC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization providing free legal, strategic and policy assistance to individuals, organizations and communities concerning environmental quality, resource extraction, energy, and utility issues.
Tom FitzGerald (“Fitz”) has been Director of the Kentucky Resources Council since 1984. KRC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization providing free legal, strategic and policy assistance to individuals, organizations and communities concerning environmental quality, resource extraction, energy, and utility issues.
Fitz received his Juris Doctor from the UK College of Law in 1980 (Order of the Coif) and was a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellow with the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky from 1980-1982. He is an alumni of Roger Williams College (now University), Bristol, Rhode Island with a B.A. in American Studies with distinction. Fitz has been a lowly Adjunct Professor of Energy and Environmental Law at the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville since 1986, and has published a number of articles.
He has received the Environmental Quality Commission Lifetime Achievement Award; the Henry R. Heyburn Public Service Award from the UK College of Law, the Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission Biological Diversity Award, the inaugural Professional Achievement Award from the University of Kentucky College of Law Alumni Association, the 14th Heinz Award in the Environment Category, and the Brennan-Haly Award from the University of Louisville Department of Political Science. He has been a fixture in the halls of the Kentucky General Assembly since 1978.
Email Fitz at fitz@kyrc.org
Liz Edmondson, Policy Coordinator
Liz Edmondson is KRC's staff attorney and works in all aspects of the organization's litigation and policy advocacy programs to ensure the protection of Kentucky's natural resources and communities. She has over a decade of experience working in energy and environmental law and policy in the non-profit sector, private practice, and with state and federal government officials.
Prior to stepping into her current role, Liz served as the director of energy and environmental policy for a national non-profit organization where she helped state government officials from across the country develop innovative environmental and energy policy solutions and strong working relationships. Liz also owned her own law firm for several years where she worked to protect and secure settlements for Kentucky landowners and communities adversely affected by extractive industries. In addition, Liz has also worked as a consultant and project manager on multi-million dollar, high-profile federal government projects to develop policies and regulations to reduce the environmental impacts of coal mining in Appalachia.
Liz first came to work at the Council in 2007 as a law clerk and then served a two-year fellowship as a staff attorney. She then served on the Council’s board of directors until she began working in her current position in 2017. Liz has also served as the Chair of the Kentucky Bar Association’s Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Law Section and regularly publishes law review and other articles and speaks on energy and environmental issues.
Liz Edmondson is KRC's staff attorney and works in all aspects of the organization's litigation and policy advocacy programs to ensure the protection of Kentucky's natural resources and communities. She has over a decade of experience working in energy and environmental law and policy in the non-profit sector, private practice, and with state and federal government officials.
Prior to stepping into her current role, Liz served as the director of energy and environmental policy for a national non-profit organization where she helped state government officials from across the country develop innovative environmental and energy policy solutions and strong working relationships. Liz also owned her own law firm for several years where she worked to protect and secure settlements for Kentucky landowners and communities adversely affected by extractive industries. In addition, Liz has also worked as a consultant and project manager on multi-million dollar, high-profile federal government projects to develop policies and regulations to reduce the environmental impacts of coal mining in Appalachia.
Liz first came to work at the Council in 2007 as a law clerk and then served a two-year fellowship as a staff attorney. She then served on the Council’s board of directors until she began working in her current position in 2017. Liz has also served as the Chair of the Kentucky Bar Association’s Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Law Section and regularly publishes law review and other articles and speaks on energy and environmental issues.
Liz graduated from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, cum laude, in 2007, where she served as the Senior Notes Editor of the Brandeis Law Journal. She received her B.A., cum laude, with a self-designed major in environmental law and policy from the University of Louisville in 2004.
Email Liz at liz@kyrc.org
Amy Carpenter, Office Manager
Amy is KRC's Office Manager and works to manage the financial side of the organization, as well as assisting in a variety of projects.
Before coming to KRC, Amy worked as the Director of Communications at St. Paul United Methodist Church, Administrator at St. Joseph Montessori Children's Center, and the Executive Director of Burnamwood Camp and Conference Center. For the past 10 years, she has been heavily involved in the work of non-profits with a specific focus on strategic organization and external communications.
Amy is graduate of the University of Kentucky, having studied secondary education and political science. Additionally, Amy also studied education at the graduate school at Georgetown College.
Email Amy at amy@kyrc.org
Donna Counts, Development Associate for Major Gifts
Before coming to KRC, Donna worked as the Assistant Treasurer at the University of Kentucky where one of her roles was administration of gifts and endowments. Before UK, she worked as the Commissioner of Finance for the City of Lexington and as an economist for the Legislative Research Commission. While her professional background is in public finance and economics, she has a long personal history of environmental action, advocacy, and support.
Donna received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Kentucky in Agricultural Economics, specializing in Environmental and Public Policy Economics.
Donna will assist the Director with the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major gift fundraising from individuals and family foundations.
“I’m so excited to have the opportunity to work for an organization that works to protect Kentucky’s natural resources and ensure environmental justice and health for all Kentuckians. I look forward to working with everyone at KRC to develop the Major Gifts program.” -Donna Counts
Email Donna at donna@kyrc.org
Ben Childress, Summer 2020 Intern
KRC is excited about Ben assisting with legal writing and research for a variety of projects this summer. He is a second-year student at Columbia Law School and received a B.S. in Economics from the University of Kentucky in 2018.
Before law school, Ben served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Yilan, Taiwan.
The Kentucky Resources Council is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the conservation and prudent use of Kentucky’s natural resources. Since 1984, we have dedicated ourselves to protecting Kentucky’s land, air, water, and communities.