Meet the Team

Jordan Campbell is an emerging leader in the American arts and cultural sector, known for his strategic innovation. As Executive Director of the Gateway Regional Arts Center, he has achieved a 522% increase in the budget and tripled participant engagement, enhancing access to the arts in rural Appalachian Eastern Kentucky and setting new cultural standards nationwide. Jordan holds an Ed.M. from Harvard, a BFA in Musical Theatre, and a BA in Political Science from Western Kentucky University, and studied West African Theatre & Dance in Ghana. At Harvard, he conducted research in arts education and launched the inaugural Harvard Veritas Play Festival.

A Helen Hayes Award-nominated stage actor, Jordan has performed globally and taught theatre to diverse audiences. His teaching philosophy emphasizes the arts as a tool for personal and societal transformation. He has contributed to discussions on youth voice and social justice in arts education. Jordan's multifaceted career includes influential roles in the Obama administration, Americans for the Arts, and as Director of Research & Learning at Creative Generation, where he led over 50 projects connecting arts, youth, and civic engagement. He is also the Founder and Co-Chair of the Small Town America Institute for Rural Arts & Culture. Currently a Ph.D. candidate in Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky, Jordan aims to drive impactful research and leadership in the field.

CONTACT JORDAN: director@grackentucky.org | (859) 295-7894

Montgomery County native, Bethany Goldy, is entering her 8th year with GRAC. As Assistant Director she manages GRAC events & programming, curates gallery exhibits, manages operations, and acts as 2nd in command. Beth believes in fostering a sense of community across the region, and that the arts should be accessible for all. Coming from a 17 year background as an IT specialist, Beth first dipped her toes in the world of nonprofits with the Montgomery County History Museum before finding her eventual home at GRAC. Outside of the GRAC, Beth enjoys trivia, reading, craft beer, & musical theatre.

CONTACT BETH: beth@grackentucky.org | (859) 295-7895

Jillian (Jill) Kohr is a Kentucky-based performer and arts advocate. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Western Kentucky University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. Jill has performed both professionally and non-professionally across the state and is a proud alumna of the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts. She is passionate about making the arts more accessible and believes in their power to inspire, connect, and create meaningful change. She is also a committed mental health advocate, with human rights and animal rescue causes close to her heart. In her free time, Jill enjoys playing with her dogs, watching old movies, sipping diet ale-8, and catching up on the latest crime dramas.

CONTACT JILL: jill@grackentucky.org | (859) 938-6448

Kelly Ward graduated from West Virginia University with her Master’s Degree in Creative Writing, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Eastern Kentucky University. She is a Pushcart Prize nominated writer and award-winning teacher whose writing explores rural identities and how generational trauma, isolation, and otherness coincide with the strange, communal, and fantastic in central Appalachia. Her work is forthcoming in the speculative fiction anthology These Dreaming Hills, (Appalachia Book Company) for Fall 2026, and her fiction chapbook, Rapture, was published in 2022. Her work has appeared in Reed Magazine, Anti-Heroin Chic, and midsummer magazine, among others.

After completing a year of service through the ArtistYear AmeriCorps program as a Resident Teaching Artist at GRAC, Kelly is excited to continue her work at GRAC by bringing accessible literary arts programs to the Gateway region. When she isn't working at GRAC, Kelly can be found exploring Kentucky's woods, collecting four-leaf clovers, and spending time with her cats, Nyx and Sofie.

CONTACT KELLY: kelly@grackentucky.org | (859) 938-6466

Jennifer was born in Morehead and after 10 years in Florida and Texas, decided to move back home with her husband, Kevin, and their three dogs, Indy, Hank and Mabel. She also has an adult daughter, Avery who is a talented pastry chef. She has spent over 30 years in finance working for a large bank, then in local government finance.  She owned an antiques business for over 10 years and still loves to antique and thrift. She also has a dual licensure Bachelor's degree in K-8 and Special Education. Upon returning to Kentucky, Jennifer almost immediately signed up for classes at GRAC and was struck by how much the organization lives its mission. It's truly a magical place where "All the arts for all the people" comes to fruition when you walk in the doors.  

CONTACT JENNIFER: jennifer@grackentucky.org | (859) 208-5692

Donovan Barkman was born in Chicago and studied Technical Theatre at J. Sterling Morton High School. During his high school years, he worked on nearly 100 shows and events, gaining hands-on experience in technical theatre and eventually serving as President of the Morton Tech Guild. Donovan and his family moved to Mt. Sterling in October 2025. He began volunteering at the Gateway Regional Arts Center in April 2026, helping with set construction, lighting, and other technical needs. In July 2026, Donovan joined the GRAC staff as a Technical Theatre Apprentice. In his role, Donovan works alongside the GRAC team on productions, events, and other projects throughout the Arts Center, continuing to grow his skills while helping bring GRAC’s creative work to life.

CONTACT DONOVAN: donovan@grackentucky.org

Anna Kline joined GRAC in April 2025, managing Special Projects including the Ruth Hunt and Kentucky Pulled Cream Candy oral history and radio play, Kentucky250 workshops and performances, and an upcoming Black history archival initiative. She has been actively involved with GRAC since moving to Mt. Sterling in 2017, helping launch the Woodsongs Songwriter Concert Series, teaching songwriting workshops for adults and youth, coordinating musical events, and performing at special events with her band, Swift Silver.

A Mississippi native, Anna brings extensive experience in Southern cultural projects, arts and heritage tourism, partnerships, and large-scale event coordination. She studied Music Business at the University of Memphis and began her career in music licensing at Malaco Records. Her professional background includes roles with the International Bluegrass Music Association, Ireland’s Your Roots Are Showing conference, and the Mississippi Department of Tourism and Film Office. Since relocating to Kentucky, she has contributed to cultural initiatives with Visit Jessamine, the City of Prestonsburg, and GoPOCO. Anna is a Kentucky Arts Council Community Scholar and has appeared on KET’s Kentucky Life, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, and PBS’s A Brief History of the Future.

Anna is a musician and songwriter with Swift Silver, a collaboration with her husband, John Looney. The duo performs throughout the Southeast and internationally and is currently working on a new album. Her teaching and mentoring experience includes Cowan Creek Music School, Appalshop’s Girls Rock Camp, and Hindman Settlement School, where she now serves as a co-coordinator and faculty member. A 2024 alum of the Carnegie Center Poetry Gauntlet, Anna celebrated her first poetry publication in Women Speak: Women of Appalachia (2025). She lives in Mt. Sterling with her husband and their Springer Spaniel, Angus.

CONTACT ANNA: anna@grackentucky.org

Allison Bailey is a first-year ArtistYear Fellow originally from Olive Hill, Kentucky. Allison earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Berea College and is currently working towards a Masters in Library and Information Science at The University of Alabama. Allison has had a passion for art and arts advocacy since middle school, when she first began exploring visual arts and music. She enjoys learning about and experiencing all art forms, but her primary focus is on visual arts, photography, art history, and craft.

Allison has had her work displayed in the Team Kentucky Gallery, and she has experience in museum work, archives, and administrative work. Previously, she was an Exhibitions Associate in the Doris Ulmann Galleries, helping to plan, install, and promote art and exhibitions and facilitate programs within the galleries, art collection, and Berea College community. Allison also had opportunities to intern with Nickelodeon Animation Studios and LexArts where she gained valuable professional experience. Allison is excited to foster a creative environment and support the arts throughout the community as an ArtistYear Fellow!

Mel Weber is a Winchester, Kentucky native who has been dedicated to the visual arts since high school. Mel is an anticipated December 2027 graduate of Bluegrass Community & Technical College, where she is earning her Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Management. Mel wanted to pursue an AAS in Business Management to gain the foundational skills needed to eventually launch and operate a community-focused coffee shop that showcases local artists.. She is a contemporary artist who uses multipurpose mediums like charcoal and acrylics to delve into themes of self-identity and creative belonging within the community. Mel also likes to experiment with culinary arts as a hobby including a love for sourdough breads, baking, and cake decorating.

Mel also has extensive experience in customer service and is deeply invested in her local community. She previously volunteered with the Clark County school district, where she helped curate, set up, and showcase children's artwork in local elementary schools . Mel is looking forward to fostering a love for painting and drawing in local schools and the nearby community while expanding her own professional practice as an ArtistYear Fellow at GRAC!

Christina McCleanhan, a first-generation college graduate, was raised between the hills of eastern Kentucky and the riverbanks of the mighty Ohio. She earned an undergraduate degree from Transylvania University and an MFA in English and Creative Writing from Mills College in Oakland, California. In addition to her academic training, she has completed performance intensives in Practical Aesthetics at The Atlantic Theatre and the long-form Harold technique at I.O Improv. She is also a proud graduate of Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts. As an artist, Christina has learned that the rhythm of humanity offers itself to those who find peace in crowded rooms and resilience in empty hallways. Use your imagination, every day… sing a silly song, pick up a crayon, or take a bow! Creativity brings color to life.

CONTACT CHRISTINA: christina@grackentucky.org