Board of Directors
Corey Craig
Vice-Chair
Corey Craig is the President/Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Bank in Mt. Vernon. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Berea College-1997, and is a Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University, 2003. Corey was named a Berea College Outstanding Young Alumnus-2007, and serves on the Rockcastle County Industrial Development Authority, Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Board and the Bankers Bank of Kentucky Board.
Hasan Davis
Hasan Davis is a hope dealer. He has committed himself to improve the lives of children, youth and families across the nation and world. A G.E.D. recipient, Hasan earned his Bachelor’s degree from Berea College and his Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law. Hasan is a Council of State Governments, Henry Toll Fellow, a Rockefeller Foundation, Next Generation Leadership Fellow, and a Children and Families Fellow at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He has served as Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice and Vice-Chairman of the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice. His work has focused on youth violence prevention, juvenile justice reform, and education inclusion. Hasan is the author of two books and lives in Berea, Kentucky with his wife and their two sons.
Robin Gabbard
Chair
Robin Gabbard works for LKLP Community Action (Leslie, Knott, Letcher, and Perry) and is a dedicated Eastern Kentucky community advocate. With over 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, Robin believes a successful Appalachian transition anchors on an educational system that nurtures young people to believe in themselves, and one that motivates and inspires them to acquire the knowledge and resources necessary to grow the economy of their communities and our region. Previous, Robin was the Associate Executive Director of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky. Robin is a member of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, and is a Governor’s Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership Fellow. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Buckhorn Children & Family Services. Robin and her family are rooted in Gays Creek, a beautiful Perry County community. She is proud to be fueling enduring change across Appalachia.
Peter Hille
President
Peter Hille has been the president of the Mountain Association since 2015, and was previously the organization’s executive vice president since 2012. Peter served as a Mountain Association board member from 2003 – 2012 with roles as treasure and chair. Previous director of Brushy Fork Institute of Berea College where he conducted leadership and community development programs throughout Central Appalachia. Served as a consultant to regional and national organizations and implemented community development projects internationally. Currently serves on the boards of the East Kentucky Leadership Foundation and the Central Appalachian Institute for Research and Development. A graduate of Swarthmore College.
Wayne Riley
A carpenter by trade, Wayne Riley founded the African American Heritage Center in London in 2004 with the mission of conserving the traditions and legacy of the African American community. Wayne is also well known for carrying forward his own family food way traditions of barbecue and fish fries and has been a featured demonstrator at the Kentucky Folklife Festival in Frankfort, the Redbud Folklife Festival and the Multicultural Folklife Festival in London, among other venues. As president of the African American Heritage Center, he has coordinated one oral history project, a youth summer program, five community-wide celebrations of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, including speakers, music, a parade and a dinner. Wayne has managed and directed the Grow Appalachia Food Security Project in Laurel County for many years.
Ada Smith
Treasurer
Ada Smith is from Whitesburg, Kentucky and currently works as the Institutional Development Director of Appalshop. Appalshop is an anchor cultural institution in central Appalachia that has worked regionally and nationally for 50 years. Besides MACED, Ada is on the board of Southerners on New Ground (SONG) and is a founding member of the Stay Together Appalachian Youth (STAY) Project. Ada was selected as a 2013 Arts & Culture Fellow by the Rockwood Leadership Institute, a 2016 Local Economy Fellow by the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, and the 2017 & 2018 co-facilitator for the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange.
Jodi Stacy
Secretary
Jodi Stacy is the Vice-President of Bank of the Mountains in West Liberty, Kentucky. Formerly, Jodi was a training associate at The Conservation Fund in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in Biology and Eastern Kentucky University with an M.S in Ecology. Jodi currently serves on the boards of the Morgan County Community Foundation, Bluegrass Community Bankers Association, Banker’s Bank of Kentucky, West Liberty Tourism Commission and Bank of the Mountains.
