ASHLEY WILMES
executive director
Ashley graduated from Centre College and the University of Oregon School of Law, earning a specialty certificate in Environment and Natural Resources Law. Before joining the Council, she practiced environmental law as a solo practitioner, served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and worked as in-house counsel for the environmental advocacy organization WildEarth Guardians. Ashley has represented organizations across the country on environmental matters and has argued cases before the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Ninth and Tent Circuits. She is a former Chair of the Environmental Law Section of the Kentucky Bar Association and currently serves as a member of the Kentucky Environmental Education Council.
Email Ashley at ashley@kyrc.org
AMY CARPENTER
communications associate &
special projects coordinator
Amy supports many projects to support KRC's work of defending Kentucky's environments. Before coming to KRC, Amy was the Director of Communications at St. Paul United Methodist Church, building a brand identity and promoting community engagement. Before St. Paul, Amy was the Administrator for St. Joseph Montessori Children's Center. Amy has been heavily involved in the work of Kentucky non-profits, with a specific focus on strategic organization and external communications. Amy is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, having studied secondary education and political science. Amy also studied education at Georgetown's College graduate school and holds a certification in Project Management. Amy volunteers with several organizations and currently serves on the board of Burnamwood in Irvine, Kentucky.
Email Amy at amy@kyrc.org
DONNA COUNTS
development associate
Before coming to KRC, Donna worked as the Assistant Treasurer at the University of Kentucky, where one of her roles was the administration of gifts and endowments. Before UK, she worked as teh 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.
Email Donna at donna@kyrc.org
AUDREY ERNSTBERGER
associate attorney fellow
Audrey graduated from Centre College and earned her J.D. from the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law in 2019. During law school, her energy law class and her experience as a Resilience Justice Fellow researching equitable environmental access for vulnerable communities inspired her to pursue a career in environmental law. Shortly after law school, she pursued an LL.M. in Energy and Environmental Law from The George Washington University Law School, where she attended classes and worked as a research assistant to identify legal obstacles to preplanning electric grid redevelopment after a natural disaster. Before joining the Council, she worked for the Legislative Research Commission as a Legislative Analyst for the House and Senate Economic Development and Workforce Investment Committee. Her advocacy experience includes her time as a Student Attorney at Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, where she and her co-counsel won a government benefits case on appeal.
Email Audrey at audrey@kyrc.org BYRON GARY
program attorney
Byron is a Program Attorney for the Kentucky Resources Council. He studied political science and philosophy as an undergraduate at the University of Louisville, after which he went on to study law at the U of L Brandeis School of Law. While there, he was President of the Environmental Law and Land Use Society and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Animal and Environmental Law. Before joining the Kentucky Resources Council, he worked at the Louisville Public Defender, followed by the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, where he was in charge of regulation development and the Louisville State Implementation Plan. He lives in the Highlands neighborhood of Louisville with his wife, son, two dogs, and a cat.
Email Byron at byron@kyrc.org
ELIZABETH GRAVES
director of development
Elizabeth serves as KRC's first Director of Development. As such, she focuses on expanding KRC's donor base and generating gifts that support KRC's critical initiatives. Prior to KRC, Elizabeth worked at Centre College for ten years as director of corporate and foundation relations. She raises significant sums for scholarship programs and campus initiatives. Before Centre, Elizabeth worked at MACED (Mountain Association for Community Economic Development). She has lived and worked overseas for international companies such as Alltech, Inc. and Dow Jones, Inc. Elizabeth currently serves on the board of Floracliff Nature Sanctuary in Fayette County. She enjoys being outdoors, spending time with family and friends, gardening, reading, and writing.
Email Elizabeth at elizabeth@kyrc.org
SARAH MITCHUM
bookkeeper & office administrator
Sarah is KRC's Bookkeeper & Office Administrator. Her past administrative experience is as a business owner in the for-profit industry. After taking several years away from business to care for her family, she was ready to return to the office. Now, she enthusiastically brings her administrative skills to serving KRC, where she can feel good about the work being done.
Email Sarah at sarah@kyrc.org
LESLEY SNEED
environmentatl permitting specialist
Lesley graduated from Berea College with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Natural Resources. Independent study options at Berea College gave her the opportunity to explore her passion for native freshwater mussels. Her Master of Science degree from Kentucky State University further supported her research into Kentucky’s mussels and helped support the ongoing studies related to mussel decline. After working as a malacologist with dive teams throughout the Midwest and Northeast, Lesley returned to Kentucky as a field biologist for the Kentucky Division of Water (KDOW). Most recently, Lesley had been writing 401 Certifications for KDOW. As Lesley brings her unique skills set to KRC, she hopes to support Kentucky Resources Council to give a strong voice to those impacted by environmental decisions.
Email Lesley at lesley@kyrc.org
TOM "FITZ" FITZGERALD
of counsel
Tom FitzGerald (Fitz) was Director of the Kentucky Resources Council from 1984 until October 1, 2021. Fitz received his Juris Doctor from the UK College of Law in 1980 (Order of the Coif ). He was a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellow with the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky from 1980-1982. He is an alumnus of Roger Williams College (now University), Bristol, Rhode Island, with a BA in American Studies with distinction. Fitz has been an Adjunct Professor of Energy and Environmental Law at the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville since 1986 and has published many articles. He 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.
