Gerry Roll is the CEO of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, a nationally accredited community foundation headquartered in Hazard and committed to helping create places where all people can thrive.
Focused on building communities of people with the capacity to create solutions and the ability to leverage the resources needed, Gerry’s work in Eastern Kentucky has been focused on engaging local people to create equity in housing, early childhood education and health. She has led the creation of a regional Community Housing Development Organization, a federally qualified health center, a quality rated early care and education system and a full continuum of other support services for working families. She is a founding member of Appalachia Funders Network and an alumni of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors Community Advisory Council. She is recognized locally, regionally, statewide and nationally as an advocate for rural development and community philanthropy. Gerry lives on the north fork of the Kentucky River in Busy
Recently, an eclectic group of artists from around the Appalachian region clashed with a small group of locals at Pine Mountain Settlement School in the community of Bledsoe in Harlan County. I wasn’t there, but after hearing from others who were, that’s a somewhat gentle description. Words like “mob of white supremacists” and “LGBTQ activists” […]
