UK Wildcat Forum announces new executive committee, board members
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 9, 2025) — The University of Kentucky’s Wildcat Forum (UKWF) welcomes new board and committee members elected for the 2025-27 term.
The 2025-26 Executive Committee members are:
- Heather McAtee (chair), UK Athletics; assistant athletics director for academics and eligibility
- Ryessia Russell (chair-elect), Gatton College of Business and Economics; director of Honors Pathways
- Kendriana Price (past chair), Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment; assistant dean for community relations and engagement
- Elizabeth Andrade (secretary), UK HealthCare CNO; executive vice president of health affairs office
- Jessica Ahlgrim (treasurer), UK HealthCare; funds flow psychiatry
Board members for the 2025-26 term are:
- Rebecca Anderson, College of Social Work; senior academic coordinator
- Anna Nayyir, UK Philanthropy; director of philanthropy, women's and children's health
- Brooke Poe, UK HealthCare; practice manager for population health
- Lexi Fellows, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment; UK Extension marketing
- Elizabeth Andrade, UK HealthCare CNO; executive vice president of health affairs office
- Sierra Johnson, College of Medicine; graduate medical education
- Heather Erwin, College of Education; Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion
- Rhonni Moffitt, College of Medicine; funds flow internal medicine
- Ryessia Russell, Gatton College of Business and Economics; director of Honors Pathways
- Emily Collier, Center for Applied AI; Institute for Biomedical Informatics
- Embry Howell, College of Medicine; Cardiovascular Research Center
Board members for the 2025-27 term are:
- Brandis Beaumont, UK HealthCare, EVPHA administration
- Amanda Biddle, UK HealthCare, Integrative Medicine and Health
- Jennafer Hackworth, UK HealthCare, EVPHA Information Technology
- Stacy Gills, Gatton College of Business and Economics; accountancy
- Casey Roley, CARES First-Generation; assistant director, Student Engagement and Development Services
- Janice Geurin-Leslie, College of Arts and Sciences; administrative support associate II
- Trahnel Mitchum, Graduate School; executive assistant
- Kristen Critchfield, Fraternity and Sorority Life; coordinator, Panhellenic Council advisor
- Alyssa Knox, Markey Cancer Center; research billing analyst
- Sabrina Darnell, UK Innovate; Finance and Compliance officer
The UKWF mission is to inspire, empower and advocate for UK employees. The committee was created in the spirit of Sarah Bennett Holmes, who was known for her efforts toward making the university a better place for all employees. Visit the UKWF website to learn more about the organization and its signature events, including the annual conference, Sarah Bennett Holmes Award Reception and Employee Education Assistance Awards.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.