OUR STAFF MEMBERS

Gerald Baker
Gerald Baker has been employed by the Carnegie Center since 1998, overseeing the public computer lab and instructing computer workshops. He also is the center’s designated Safety Officer, ensuring that staff is up-to-date on training for emergency drills and best practices for preventing illness and injury.

Carol Bradford
Carol Bradford began as the Tutoring Coordinator in September 2011. She is excited to be working in such a wonderful place! Carol is looking forward to working with parents, students and volunteer tutors. Prior to working at the Carnegie Center, Carol was an environmental educator with Bluegrass PRIDE. She is a certified teacher and taught kindergarten for three years before working at PRIDE. One of her favorite hobbies is reading! Carol lives with her husband and teenage daughter. Her son attends Vanderbilt University.

Neil Chethik
Neil Chethik is the Executive Dircetor of the Carnegie Center. He was the former Writer-In-Residence at the Carnegie Center for six years where he mentored writers of all levels and teaches writing workshops. His personal writing focuses on men’s lives and family issues. He is the author of two acclaimed books: VoiceMale: What Husbands Really Think About Their Marriages, Their Wives, Sex, Housework and Commitment (Simon & Schuster), and FatherLoss: How Sons of All Ages Come To Terms With the Deaths of Their Dads (Hyperion Books). The latter book was recently made into a half-hour PBS Special. Neil began his career as a staff reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Later, he joined the San Jose Mercury News, and wrote “VoiceMale,” the first syndicated column on men’s personal lives. His writings have appeared in hundreds of print and web publications. His website is www.NeilChethik.com.

Janet Isenhour
Jan Isenhour recently retired as the Executive Director after 13 years. Prior to that, she had served as Assistant Director since the center opened in 1992. She has a BA and MA in English Literature from the University of Kentucky, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She has taught writing classes at the University of Kentucky and at Transylvania University. Isenhour also co-directed UK’s Bluegrass Writing Project for twenty-two years. The Bluegrass Writing Project is a professional development program for public school teachers, which focuses on best practices in teaching writing.She is a contributor to the book, When the Bough Breaks, which was printed using both traditional letterpress and offset methods. Her first novel, Old Beauties, is nearing completion. Isenhour has been chair of the Friends of the Kentucky Women Writers Conference and served as the conference’s volunteer director when it was housed temporarily at the Carnegie Center in the late 1990s.

Jennifer Mattox
Jennifer Mattox is the Carnegie Center’s Development Director. She conducts the fundraising activities and grantwriting efforts of the center and maintains communication with donors. In addition to teaching a grantwriting workshop, Jennifer is a coordinator of the Kentucky Great Writers series and is involved with coordinating other literary events and programs at the center. Her publication experience includes seven years of newspaper reporting for The Bourbon Times in Paris, KY and she is currently writing a novel. In 2009, she received an artist enrichment grant from the Kentucky Foundation Women to help her obtain her personal writing goals. Jennifer is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Bluegrass Chapter, where she serves on the Board and is Chair of the National Philanthropy Day Committee.

Jessica Mohler
Jessica Faye Mohler served as a volunteer at the Carnegie Center before being hired as the Marketing and Communications Director in March of 2010. She graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2005 with a dual degree in journalism and cultural anthropology. After graduating she joined Nougat Magazine, an arts and lifestyle publication in Lexington, as the Managing Editor & Advertising Director. She was the Communications Manager and Editor at the American Saddlebred Horse Association, before coming to the Carnegie Center.

Jack Newton graduated from the University of Kentucky in May 2011 and began working at the Carnegie Center in the summer as the Assistant Tutor Coordinator under the AmeriCorps VISTA program. He immediately felt like part of the Carnegie Family and decided to apply for the year-long VISTA position as the Youth Outreach and Family ESL Coordinator. Working with Lexington’s elementary students and community volunteers has been a life-changing experience that he will never forget. In addition to this, overseeing the partnership with the University of Kentucky Literacy Clinic’s English classes has been an amazing experience. Being able to see the progress being made by Lexington’s non-native English speakers has been astounding and he hopes to grow the program that is just in its first year. Jack is also proud to be fluent in Spanish and hopes to teach English abroad one day.

Luisa Trujillo
Luisa Trujillo is the Art Director and Office Manager. A native of Colombia, she moved to Lexington in 2006 and graduated from the University of Kentucky in August 2010 with a major in Communications and a minor in Industrial Design. She started working at the Carnegie Center in September of 2010. Since then, she has helped with various graphic design projects, including brochures, flyers, posters, book layouts and other print projects. Luisa also serves as an English-Spanish translator and provides a much-needed communication bridge for the Tutoring Program and the parents of the Hispanic community. Luisa participates actively in art events in the community with Gallery Hop, the Lexington Art League and the Fashion Collaborative.

Laura Whitaker
Laura Whitaker is the Carnegie Center Program Director & VISTA Project Supervisor. A native of Lexington and a graduate of Centre College in Danville, KY, she came to the Center as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member in June 2007. After her term of service ended in 2008, she joined our full-time staff. Now, she gets to wear two hats in her position. As the VISTA Supervisor, she supervises recruitment and management efforts for a network of AmeriCorps*VISTA members at 6 nonprofit organizations in Lexington. As the Program Director, she coordinates the Carnegie Center’s lineup of youth, family, and adult programs and workshops. She’d love to talk to you about your ideas for new workshops and classes! Outside of the Carnegie Center, Laura is pursuing a Masters in Public Administration from the Martin School at the University of Kentucky and teaches yoga at Barefoot Works Yoga Studio (and a new Friday morning yoga class at the Carnegie Center!)