Meet the Staff

Sarabeth is a communications professional and social media junkie with over 25 years of experience. A graduate of Hope College, in Holland Michigan, Brownrobie is passionate about the non-profit space and supporting systematically disenfranchised voices. In her spare time, you will find her crafting with repurposed materials or playing the ukulele with friends.

Sean L Corbin is the author of THE LEPER DREAMS OF SNOW (Finishing Line, 2018), and is a graduate of Morehead State University, as well as the University of Kentucky’s Creative Writing MFA program. He is a long-time writing instructor at the Carnegie Center, and his work has been published widely. He also works in medical simulation. For the Poetry Gauntlet’s future, Sean hopes to continue its rich tradition of loving, rigorous poetry instruction, artistic expression, and community-building.

Maggie Garnett is a lifelong writer, devoted cat mom, and Lexington native. A graduate of Transylvania University, she holds a degree in English with minors in creative writing and education. She also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Transylvanian Literary Magazine from 2013-2017. Currently, Maggie balances freelance ghostwriting work with her own literary pursuits; she hopes to one day publish YA and adult novels in a variety of genres, and maybe release a poetry collection or two. As a former bookseller, an alumna of the Kentucky Center’s Governor’s School for the Arts, and a regular fixture at the former Holler Poet Series, Maggie takes pride in her involvement in the local literary scene, and is thrilled to serve the community as part of the Carnegie Center staff.

Jonathan Hall has three loves: language, theatre, and education. After earning an M.A. in Classics at the University of Kentucky, he began appearing on stage here locally. In the past year, he has performed as Ichabod Crane at Woodford Theatre, Julius Caesar for AppShakes (recently featured on KET’s KY Life), and Ed (in Curious Incident) for Studio Players. Professionally, for the last five years, he has travelled throughout Appalachia and Ohio helping students achieve their goals through improved testing and study strategies. Having taught thousands of students, he found that motivating and helping young people was his calling in life! Jonathan is very lucky to have found the Carnegie Center, a unique place in the world where he, and others like him, can integrate so many of their various, disparate interests. He currently lives in Lexington with his other three loves: partner Stacy, dog Clark, and cat Friday.

Mollie Harris is a writer and arts administrator from Lexington, KY. She joined the Carnegie Center as Development Director in January of 2024. Prior to joining the Carnegie Center, she served in several communications and fundraising roles for the Lexington Philharmonic before becoming the Director of Marketing & Development in 2021. She is a graduate of Berea College with degrees in Social Justice Studies and English Literature, and holds a master’s degree in Arts Administration with a Certificate in Fundraising and Development from the University of Kentucky.

As an arts administrator, Mollie is passionate about building relationships and organizational storytelling. She was first introduced to the work and impact of the Carnegie Center in 2011 when she completed a full-time summer internship in development. She believes that everyone should have the opportunity to make and experience art, and is thrilled to join the Carnegie Center as a full-time staff member working to make a difference in the lives of central Kentuckians through the literary arts and learning.

Alison Hruby started at the Carnegie Center in July 2024. She is at heart an English teacher and began her career with grades 6–8 at a school on Long Island, where she grew up. She holds graduate degrees in the teaching of writing and in reading education and is an Associate Professor of English Education at Morehead State University, specializing in Adolescent Literacy. Alison is thankful for the Carnegie Center, where she has been taking writing classes since she moved to Lexington with her husband and two children in 2010. She is a published poet and aspiring novelist.

Lucy Jayes (she/her/hers) is an essayist, poet, and fundraising professional from Louisville, KY. She began her career in development in Denver, Colorado before returning to Kentucky to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Kentucky, where she won the Betsy Owen Combs Recruitment Scholarship and the MFA Award in Creative Nonfiction. Lucy has always found healing and freedom in the literary arts and is passionate about helping others to do the same.

Carol Jordan joined the Carnegie Center in 2011 and served as the Tutoring Director until 2023, a job she loved. She then took a sabbatical of sorts and traveled extensively until returning to Lexington in March, 2024. Carol thought her Carnegie days were over, but was fortunate enough to be re-hired, this time as the Financial and Development Associate. She is delighted to be back at her Carnegie ‘home’. She loves all things Carnegie:  author readings, giving away free books, the tutoring program, and our famous annual Carnegie Classics event.

Carol has two adult children who are both married and live out of town.  She loves to travel (to see those out-of-town kids) and read. She also enjoys exploring new hikes, especially ones with waterfalls.

Jennifer Hester Mattox is a writer who saw a dream come true when she was hired in 2004 as the Carnegie Center’s Development Director—and then in 2023, found herself pursuing a new dream of leading the Center as Executive Director. She brings with her a life-long career of working for nonprofits in multiple capacities, including fundraising, programming, marketing, and volunteer management. As a writer and avid reader, she has a passion for the literary arts. In addition to coordinating and emceeing the Kentucky Great Writers series, she also teaches writing workshops and seminars–in the center, at outreach sites such as central Kentucky public libraries, and online. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Bluegrass Chapter and previously served nine years on their board. Jennifer is a two-time Kentucky Foundation for Women artist enrichment grantee and is currently working on a novel.

JC McPherson, Kentucky Colonel Goodwill Ambassador, has a background in writing, electricity, and general troubleshooting. A recipient of the 2022-2023 National Leaders of Color Fellowship through South Arts, he is an associate for the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative, Creative Writing Instructor, and arts administrator. He is a member of the Affrilachian Poets and the author of numerous collections of poetry. He’s also a member of the Society of Baseball Research.

Holly Sanders joined the Carnegie Center team in March of 2022 as Tutoring Associate and Rental Coordinator. Holly was promoted to Tutoring Director in April 2023. Holly is a Lexington native and previously enjoyed completing an internship with the Carnegie Center in 2012. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Evansville. She also has a Masters of Social Work from the University of Kentucky and is licensed as a Certified Social Worker.

Holly has always enjoyed working with kids, both through spending her summers as a counselor at Bluegrass Christian Camp and through working as a foster care therapist. She is excited to be a part of the tutoring program and get to know the tutors and kids who come to the Carnegie Center.

In her free time, Holly enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dog, hiking, traveling, reading, and visiting local restaurants and coffee shops.

Z Jackson joined the Carnegie Center in November 2017 in the Development department. After five years of writing grants, fundraising, and managing the database, they transitioned roles to the Adult Programming and Outreach Director.

Z is a University of Kentucky graduate with degrees in English and Psychology. They spent many years before this managing the fiction section at a local bookstore. They are the Assistant Director of the Wildacres Writing Retreat & Workshop; a board member of the Lexington Writers Room; and a founding board member of the LGBTQ+  nonprofit pop-up bookshop Read with Pride. When they’re not working on their novel, they mentor and teach writing classes on science fiction, fantasy, and horror. They delight in creating supportive environments for writers.