About Reimagine Appalachia

Amanda Woodrum is our founding Co-Executive Director for ReImagine Appalachia. She spent her career focusing on issues found at the intersection of energy, equity, and the economy and working to find common ground among diverse stakeholder groups to promote a more sustainable, equitable economy (from organized labor to faith, environmental and racial justice groups). After living in New York City and experiencing 9/11, she returned to Ohio determined to make the state and region the kind of place she wanted to live. Prior to launching the coalition to ReImagine Appalachia, she conducted participatory action research at Policy Matters Ohio, staffed the Ohio Apollo Alliance, led a statewide transit coalition, and co-led the Health Equity Network of Ohio. She received both a master’s degree in economics and a law degree from the University of Akron.
Email: [email protected]

Stephen Herzenberg is the Executive Director at the Keystone Research Center and Co-Director of ReImagine Appalachia. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from MIT and has been ExecutiveDirector of Keystone Research Center (KRC) since1996. Before KRC, Steve worked at the USCongressional Office of Technology Assessment(OTA) and served as Assistant to the Chief USNegotiator of the labor side agreement to the NorthAmerican Free Trade Agreement. He has recently published on the policies needed to make workers whole during fossil fuel phaseout and throughout his career, he has focused on the policies needed to improve service sector jobs that now account for well over half of all employment (a key part of the third “bucket” of the ReImagine Appalachia plan).Steve’s non-KRC writings include, New Rules for aNew Economy, published by Cornell/ILR Press; theOTA study, U.S.- Mexico Trade: Pulling Together or Pulling Apart?; and a recent analysis of transitional support for fossil fuel workers published in the book, Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization.

Email: [email protected]

Dana Kuhnline is the Director of Programs for ReImagine Appalachia. She has two decades of experience working alongside a diverse array of groups across the Central Appalachian region to facilitate creative solutions to long standing regional problems, including reclaiming mine lands, supporting miners with black lung and finding solutions to our climate crisis that both bolster labor and workers in the region while supporting economic diversification. Her professional passions include facilitation, communications, campaign planning and project management. Her personal hobbies include gardening, fiber arts, old homes, and good jokes.
Email: [email protected]

Molly Updegrove is the Director of Operations & Deputy Director of Programs for ReImagine Appalachia. Molly has a Master's in Social Work with a concentration in Community Organization and Social Action. Molly brings years of experience in organizing, event-planning, coordination, outreach, grant-writing, and implementing public policy plans. In her spare time, Molly enjoys being outdoors - backpacking, hiking, and especially birding! 🐦 Molly also enjoys riding roller-coasters and travelling.
Email: [email protected]

Liam is a multimedia specialist who focuses on graphic design, motion graphics, and social media strategy. Having earned degrees in both business and animation, he is passionate about making important issues accessible and engaging with compelling visual and written content.

Email: [email protected]

Rike Rothenstein is a Senior Research Associate with ReImagine Appalachia and took on the role of research coordinator at the beginning of 2025. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Cincinnati, and in her previous research, analyzed the public’s perception of national environmental organizations and how public opinion affects the groups’ electoral political power. After teaching for several years, Rike is happy to return to her roots as a researcher with ReImagine Appalachia. She developed a federal funding dataset for ReImagine and writes about the impact of federal (dis)investment in Appalachia. Another research focus is on economic development in the region, in particular the redevelopment of shuttered coal power plants into modern manufacturing hubs. Rike lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her family.
Email: [email protected]

Wendy Patton served as the Director of the Columbus Program in State Issues and instructor in public administration for Kent State University; Senior Project Manager (tax and budget) for Policy Matters Ohio; Executive Assistant for Economic Development for the office of Ohio Governor Ted Strickland; Vice President for Industrial Development at the Columbus Urban Growth Corporation; Deputy director in Business Development for the Ohio Department of Development, Economic Policy Analyst for AFSCME international, Program Coordinator for the Ohio Employee Ownership Center, Real Estate Coordinator for The Ohio State University. Her bachelor's degree is from Kent State University and her master's degree in City and Regional Planning is from the University of California at Berkeley; Publication list is mostly available through Policy Matters Ohio website; in addition, she has published articles in Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Economic Development Quarterly, Journal of Black Political Science, Built Environment, and other venues.
Email: [email protected]

Bikash is a sustainable manufacturing researcher for ReImagine Appalachia. He has worked on and assisted with several research projects, including a storymap on assessing North Central Appalachia’s historical manufacturing strength and building a dashboard to visualize retired coal plants in the RA’s four-state footprint. He is interested in economic geography, data science, and data visualization. In his spare time, he likes to nerd on data and economics via online courses. Bikash has a master’s degree in public policy and data science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Outside of work, he holds a passion for running and cooking, and he enjoys throwing food parties for his friends. Bikash is learning Spanish via Duolingo (Streak 400, **humblebrag**) and can stitch a sentence or two together in the language. Bikash originally hails from Nepal and has written about the socio-economic-political situation there.

He loves writing, and he is working on a personal book project on the Nepalese out-migration.

Email: [email protected]

Kate Rudek graduated from Kenyon College with a BA in English and Spanish. She has many different interests and loves discovering new hobbies, but she is especially passionate about storytelling and exploring new perspectives on the world through reading and writing. Kate has helped guide ReImagine Appalachia's research priorities, including papers on industrial hemp, bioplastics, and eco-industrial parks and coordinating over a dozen listening sessions, virtual conferences and other opportunities for groups across the region to engage in shaping a more sustainable future for Appalachia. Kate is excited to continue to spread awareness about the opportunities available across the region alongside the rest of the Reimagine Appalachia team!
Email: [email protected]

Blaise Reader III is an Arts & Culture Associate with ReImagine Appalachia. They are currently a fourth year student at the Ohio State University completing a BA in English with a specialization in Folklore, who also holds minors in Studio Art and Folklore. Blaise is specifically interested in the field of Appalachian Studies and aims to attend a graduate school program in Anthropology, English, or Folklore to research such after a gap year. To prepare and begin to investigate, they are working on a senior thesis research project on local history museums and their practices.

Blaise’s paramount interest is in the service and study of the Appalachian region though, having grown up in Southern Ohio and not understood the region’s influence on their identity until going to university. After having recently worked on a field school research project in Athens County, Ohio with tOSU’s Center for Folklore Studies, they became further inspired to seek out opportunities for work in the region and found ReImagineAppalachia’s positions. In their freetime, Blaise loves to read, cook and hike with their partner, and play guitar/bass/banjo. They are based in Columbus, Ohio for school but often take trips back home to Pike County to see family and play music with their band.

Email: [email protected]

I am honored to be part of ReImagine Appalachia, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering a sustainable and prosperous future for our region. As a proud Jemez Pueblo & Winnebago (Hochunk) Bear Clan, living in Ohio, my heritage and community are at the heart of my commitment to environmental justice and economic revitalization.

With extensive experience in design, I bring a creative and strategic approach to digital communication, ensuring that our message reaches and resonates with our diverse audience. My professional journey has been marked by a passion for crafting compelling narratives that inspire action and engagement.

At ReImagine Appalachia, I work alongside a team of dedicated individuals to promote policies and projects that create good jobs, restore our environment, and ensure that everyone in our community has a voice in shaping our future. Together, we are working towards a vision of Appalachia that honors its rich cultural heritage while embracing sustainable development.

Thank you for visiting our website and for your interest in ReImagine Appalachia. Let's build a better future together.

Jeffrey S. Allen is a United Methodist pastor currently appointed to the West Virginia Council of Churches as the Executive Director. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from West Virginia University and a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University. He previously served as Project Director for the West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition, as the Community and Families Development Director at Community Development Outreach Ministries (CDOM) for thirteen years, and has also served as pastor at the Keystone and Northfork United Methodist Churches in McDowell County, West Virginia, and the College Hill United Methodist Church in Waco, Kentucky. He is married to Laura Harbert. They have a redbone hound/lab mix named Rosa and three cats: Little Cat, Samantha, and Thomas.

Jessica Arriens is the Senior Program Manager for Climate & Energy Policy at the National Wildlife Federation, where she works to develop and advance policies that curb emissions, protect people and wildlife, and promote equitable climate solutions for frontline and fossil-fuel dependent communities in the U.S. She previously worked for the World Resources Institute on a landmark international climate adaptation commission. Jessica has a background in science outreach, research, and communication, including stints as a New Hampshire newspaper reporter and secondary school teacher in West Africa. She has a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, and a Master's in Biology from UCLA. She is based in Washington, DC.

Joanne Kilgour, Esq., Executive Director of the Ohio River Valley Institute, is a Pennsylvania-based environmental lawyer and nonprofit professional with a passion for justice and democracy. Prior to joining the Ohio River Valley Institute, Joanne served as the Director of the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter and as the first Legal Director at the Center for Coalfield Justice. Joanne received her undergraduate education at Carnegie Mellon University, where she served as a Fellow in Local Democracy, and she earned her law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she was awarded a Certificate in Environmental, Law, Science, and Policy and received the Thornburgh Prize for Legal Service.

Rebecca Kiernan is Director of Collaborative Funding at the Congress of Neighboring Communities (CONNECT), focusing on scaling and financing municipal projects across multiple local governments in Allegheny County, PA. Rebecca previously oversaw the City of Pittsburgh's Sustainability and Resilience Division as Assistant Director of City Planning, building resilience to city-wide shocks and stresses and implementing the Climate Action Plan and Resilience Strategy. Rebecca has extensive experience in local government, worked in coastal livelihoods restoration in Indonesia, and has background in teaching and facilitation. She holds a B.A. from SUNY Geneseo and an M.S. in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. Rebecca lives in Williamsburg, PA with her husband, a growing menagerie of pets and a burgeoning list of forest farming projects.

Quenton is the Federal Legislative Specialist at Appalachian Voices. Now residing in Charleston, West Virginia, Quenton is originally from the state’s eastern panhandle. He earned his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University and his Master of Public Health from Columbia University in 2019, where he did a summer fellowship at Appalachian Voices. Quenton returned to West Virginia to work in criminal justice reform at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and helped lead a bipartisan statewide coalition of criminal justice practitioners and advocates. Most recently before returning to Appalachian Voices, Quenton worked at Dream.Org

Green for All, supporting their Transformative Communities team to help local governments and nonprofits access federal climate funds. In Summer 2022, Quenton was appointed by the Charleston Mayor to the Green Team, an environmental advisory body to the Charleston City Council.

James Kunz III is a 5th generation building trades union member and a 3rd generation Operating Engineer. He is a graduate of the IUOE Local 66 Joint Apprenticeship program. Before working for the PA Foundation for Fair Contracting, he spent 8 years in the field as an Operating Engineers, working on various projects from roads and bridges to dry fuel storage at the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station. James was one of the first two employees hired by the PA FFC in 2016. He was appointed Administrator by the board in 2017. He has authored numerous underpayment complaints that have led to the recovery of back wages for thousands of workers across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He has been a presenter at numerous conferences on topics relating to contract compliance, most recently focusing on criminal enforcement of wage theft in public and private construction.

Joanne Martin is the Executive Director of Reimagine Beaver County, a grassroots initiative that is working to catalyze the growth of a healthy, innovative and green economic development path in SW PA and the surrounding region. Joanne’s early career as a commercial banker and cofounder/President of an international metals company was inconsistent with sustainable and regenerative systems. The lessons learned from these experiences motivated her to focus on mobilizing a paradigm shift that lifts up environmental, economic and social justice issues. Home life in rural Beaver County, PA revolves around dogs, donkeys, and the wildlife.

Annie currently serves as the Campaign Director at PennFuture, where she has worked since 2015 as the state lead for the Climate Action Campaign, a coalition of national climate, conservation, and progressive groups working to protect clean air and promote action to limit climate change.

Prior to joining PennFuture, Annie was a policy intern for American Forests and the environmental legislative intern for the office of Senator Robert Casey, Jr. She earned an interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree fromAmerican University, majoring in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government. Annie, a Pittsburgh native, enjoys hiking, reading, sewing and embroidery in her spare time.

Jeremy focuses on ensuring a just, equitable, and fair transition for coal workers and communities in the shift to a clean energy economy. He hails from a third-generation coal mining family in West Virginia.

Prior to joining RMI, Jeremy was a senior energy analyst in the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) for just under ten years. His work included writing and speaking passionately about the need fora fair transition for coal workers and communities, including reports on federal policy recommendations to support coal workers in the shift to clean energy and the economic and environmental benefits of coal ash cleanup. Heal so supported a wide range of federal energy policy work and studied the economics of coal and nuclear power. Before UCS, Jeremy was the AAAS Roger Revelle Fellow in Global Stewardship.

Tracy Sabetta is a founding partner of Initiative Consulting, a government affairs and public relations firm located in Columbus, Ohio. Sabetta has nearly 30 years of experience working in government, politics, and communications in Ohio, with a current focus on health care, environmental and energy policy at the local, state, and federal levels. Prior to starting Initiative Consulting in 2008, she served as the Vice President of Government Relations for the American Cancer Society, where she was the campaign co-chair and media spokesperson for the successful Smoke Free Ohio statewide ballot initiative campaign that made all workplaces in Ohio smoke-free. Tracy has also served as a legislative and policy staff member in both the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives and has worked as a campaign manager and staff on US Senate, Ohio gubernatorial, legislative, and issue campaigns across the state. Tracy is a native of Ashtabula, Ohio and a graduate of Miami University in Oxford.

Masoud is a lifelong resident of the Pittsburgh Area and a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Geobiology. He passionately pursues his interest in permaculture design and the land management techniques of peoples indigenous to his home region in the ancestral lands of the Osage Nation, otherwise known as Allegheny County. While living in this area, Masoud has witnessed significant disparities in access to nutritious food, clean air, and uncontaminated water, engendering within him an interest in both social and environmental justice. Masoud focuses on efforts that enhance sustainability and community resilience throughout Allegheny County, improving habitats to better support native species while adding to local food security. Masoud is deeply fascinated by the natural world and is especially intrigued by trees and the ecosystem services they provide.

Mark R. Shanahan provides strategic guidance on clean energy technology policy and deployment through New Morning Energy LLC. As Governor Ted Strickland’s Energy Advisor, he played a key role in designing, negotiating and implementing SB221 that created Ohio’s first advanced energy and efficiency portfolio standards. During his tenure serving six Governors as Executive Director, the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority issued $5.8 billion in bonds, supporting investments in air pollution control and prevention, energy efficiency and clean energy technologies. He is currently on the boards of the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund and Clean Fuels Ohio. After getting his undergraduate degree from Boston College, Shanahan received his MA from the University of Pennsylvania and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.