East Kentucky Power Cooperative

Darrell Ishmael is the Community and Business Development Manager for East Kentucky Power Cooperative based in Winchester, Kentucky. He is very active in civic and community affairs serving as president of the Lexington Rotary Club, vice-president of Bluegrass Miracle League, Inc., Kentucky Chamber of Commerce board member, Leadership Kentucky board member, director of the Southern Economic Development Council, founding board member and past resident of the Lexington Dream Factory, and Lexington Rotary Club Endowment board member. Darrell resides in Lexington with his wife Kathy and daughter Paige.

Brian comes to us from Audubon State Park where he served as naturalist. His main area of expertise is birds but we have been working feverishly to convert him to appreciate really important animals like bats and snakes. Brian is also an outstanding artist and you will see his handiwork in our latest nature stickers and posters. All that being said, we need to get back to this speed demon thing. If Brian is coming to your school, you might want to encourage him to get started a few minutes early. He usually drives a few miles below the speed limit just to be safe. Which drives us NUTS!!! When he does finally arrive, the kids will love him.

David is starting his fourth year as a member of the Lexington Catholic Board of Trustees and serves as the Chairperson of the Athletic Oversight Committee. David and his wife, Jennifer, were born and raised in Louisiana and have lived in Lexington with their son, Jordan, since 1990. David is General Counsel for East Kentucky Power Cooperative. Jennifer is also an attorney and a partner with Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald, PLLC. Jordan will graduate from Lexington Catholic in 2008. The Smarts are members of Christ the King Parish.

Jeff, a.k.a. The "X" Factor, graduated from Murray State University with a B. S. degree, about the same time the rest of the biological staff were running around in diapers (he now wears depends!). Never to be out done, Jeff does not let his advanced age (watch for the graying hair) prevent him from performing wonderfully on the biological playing field. There is not a cave he won't explore, a frozen pond he won't bust into, or a trail he won't hike. Jeff is also the glory hound of the group and has recently been adorned with the 2002 Industrial Scientist of the Year Award (KAS), and the Wildlife Steward Award (KDFWR), to go along with his 1997 Naturalist of the Year Award (KSNH). Although the space on his wall of fame may be running out, his enthusiasm for the Touchstone Environmental programs is not, and if you get lucky he just might be coming to a school near you

Among the many achievements that Joe counts on his resume are: Father of John Thomas and Jacob Matthew, Mary Kay Husband of the Year, Chief Froglogger and all around swell egg. Joe is our resident expert in seed harvesting and native plant propagation. He is also our expert on bats and Earth Snakes (because that is the only snake he usually catches). Face it Joe is our Touchstone nature expert. If he comes to your classroom he will bring his expertise with him. One tip When you schedule Joe for your classroom, you might remind him to set his alarm clock. Sometimes JT and Jacob keep him up at night and daddy detail always comes first at Touchstone.

Touchstone Heartthrob! Nuff said! Josh comes to Touchstone Energy from Georgetown College and brings a whole slew of gifts and talents to the program. He is always enthusiastic and the kids love him. For fun, Josh loves to wrap a corn snake around the neck of some kid. Actually, it is much more fun to wrap it around the teacher's neck. The students really seem to enjoy that. Also, you can ask Josh about his new little puppy dog named Lizzie. Josh loves to talk about Lizzie. One thing we promise, if Josh is in the house, you can be guaranteed a program that the kids will never forget.

If Missy was an electric outlet she would be wired 220. Amazingly, she is even perkier than Katie Couric. She comes to Touchstone from the University of Kentucky and the Daniel Boone National Forest. While at the DBNF, her time and energy was spent putting out forest fires. The thought of Missy on fire detail is very scary to all of us. Missy loves kids and snakes and that qualifies her to become a certified Touchstone Energy Environmental Educator. She is a natural-born naturalist. When Missy comes to visit your school, you will want to hide the caffeine and sugar but I promise lots of excitement. While she is talking to your class, ask Missy to recite the Coral Snake Poem (Red and Yellow Kill a Fellow ). Better yet, have the kids memorize the poem so they can help Missy. Sometimes she forgets but we love her anyway.

The most agile and athletic of our troop, Seth was voted "Most likely to be cast into a limestone pits to look for bats". Seth is a Frankfort, Kentucky native but now he resides in the big city of Lexington. Like Jeff, Seth attended the finest high school in Kentucky Franklin County High School. He is an avid soccer fan - a fact that is very disappointing to us basketball fans. Prior to coming to Touchstone, Seth studied shore birds off the coast of Florida and Alabama. Now, He brings his love of Kentucky Kritters to students wherever he goes.

R. Wayne Stratton has been a Shelby Energy Director since 1987. He serves the Cooperative District I that encompasses Shelby County. Mr. Stratton serves as Chairman of the Board for East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC), Shelby Energy's power supplier. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in accounting. Mr. Stratton is a Certified Public Accountant; a partner in the accounting firm of Jones, Nale and Mattingly; and serves on the boards of Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority, Kentucky Student Loan Corporation, Republic Bank & Trust Company, Shelby County Industrial Authority, Kentucky Society of CPA's Legislation Committee, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and serves as chairman of the East Kentucky Power Cooperative Board.