Our Vision
We envision communities equipped for disasters through robust recovery infrastructure, well-informed leadership, and empowered citizens working together to minimize the impact of disasters.
By supporting relief efforts and promoting disaster preparedness education, we aim to ensure more efficient and equitable recovery efforts and to protect livelihoods for the future.
Our Team
Board of Directors
Katie Moyer
Operations Director for Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders
Katie Moyer is a Western Kentucky leader whose work spans disaster relief, agriculture, and small business, serving as Operations Director for Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders and Owner of Kentucky Hemp Works. Since 2022, she has led the rebuilding of 58 new single-family homes and completed over 57 major repairs across Western Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee in response to tornadoes and flooding. Her hemp business, founded in 2014, produces the first Kentucky Proud hemp product sold in retail stores and collaborated on the world's first straight Kentucky "Hemped" Bourbon. Katie's public service includes appointments to the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Advisory Board, the Kentucky Agriculture Development Board, and the Hopkinsville Community College Board of Directors, and she is a graduate of Leadership Kentucky. Her disaster response work has earned her a Kentucky Colonel designation, the Earlington Kentucky Citizenship Award, and a Governor's Award for her role in the May 2025 London, KY disaster response.
DANELLE SLACK
Kristy Vick-Stratton
Helping my community recover from the December 2021 tornado has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. In the face of unimaginable loss and devastation, I have witnessed the strength, resilience, and compassion of our neighbors come to life in ways that words can hardly capture. Each step of the recovery—whether helping a family move into a rebuilt home, connecting survivors with resources, or simply listening to their stories—has been a reminder that healing is not just about repairing buildings, but about restoring hope. It has been humbling and inspiring to stand alongside so many dedicated individuals and organizations, all working toward the shared goal of making our community whole again. The bonds we’ve built and the lives we’ve touched are proof that even in the darkest moments, light and love can prevail.
Executive Director of The Lighthouse of Mayfield, KY
Advisors
Chris Dockins, Ph.D.
“I am driven by a deep commitment to sustaining philanthropic gestures and labors of love throughout the local nonprofit sector, empowering communities to flourish. Disaster threatens to erase years of hard work and investment in a matter of minutes. Without swift intervention, communities may face long term hardships for generations to come. Implementing the DARCI program into community led recovery preparedness increases efficient use of philanthropic donations when they are needed most and changes the trajectory of the future.”
Community Led Recovery Advocate, Community Foundation of West Kentucky, Adjunct Professor Murray State University’s Nonprofit Leadership Program
Uppinder Mehan, Ph.D.
Uppinder Mehan, Ph.D. is a seasoned executive and educator with more than a decade of senior leadership experience across community action, higher education, and corporate consulting. He brings deep expertise in crisis response, operational resilience, strategic innovation, and equity-centered leadership. As CEO of West Kentucky Allied Services, Inc., Uppinder leads housing, healthcare, nutrition, and anti-poverty initiatives across an eight-county region, placing him at the forefront of community stability and disaster relief. His leadership experience also includes consulting for Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Honeywell, and PepsiCo, as well as senior academic roles at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, the University of Houston-Victoria, Moravian College, and Fort Valley State University.
Uppinder holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Toronto and serves on several regional leadership boards, including Community Action Kentucky, the Paducah River Development Board, and the Kentucky Mental Health and Aging Coalition, where he serves as President.
CEO West Kentucky Allied Services
Kristy is the Lead Disaster Response Attorney and Managing Attorney of Kentucky Legal Aid’s Bowling Green Office. She leads KLA’s disaster legal response program, helping individuals and communities impacted by disasters navigate the legal challenges of recovery. Through this work, she has seen firsthand the importance of strong partnerships and preparedness in helping communities recover and become more resilient. She is excited to join the DRC Board to support disaster preparedness and strengthen long-term recovery efforts in the community.
Lead Disaster Response Attorney, Kentucky Legal Aid
Our Story
In December 2021, a historic 165 mile-long EF-4 tornado impacted 12 western Kentucky counties, leaving behind $3.5 billion in damages and impacting the livelihood of over 14,000 citizens. To fulfill grant awards by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and American Red Cross, the Community Foundation of West Kentucky oversaw the development of a regional nonprofit, the Disaster Readiness Center, and its activity to explore a solution that will empower local communities to identify impacted individuals, communicate needs, and attract resources; thus, increasing the efficiency of philanthropic donations while empowering local led recovery.
The project team worked alongside long term recovery groups across western Kentucky to capture lessons learned. It was found that a lack of understanding of long term recovery processes by citizens/local nonprofits and a lack of connection between local emergency management and local nonprofit sector contributes significantly to what is often referred to as “the second wave of disaster,” long term recovery.
The DRC project team developed a long term recovery awareness program called DARCI, short for Disaster Aware and Ready Communities. The program includes three perspectives, the Center (long term recovery group), the Partner (local and national disaster nonprofits), and the Citizen. To become a DARCI Community, the program requires local emergency management to support the establishment of a Center. The Center identifies local and national nonprofit Partners. Both work together to connect with Citizens. Each POV is designed to educate the participants according to their unique perspective and define roles to manage increased need and resources during long term recovery. When all three of these components are in place, the community will be better positioned to identify those impacted by a disaster, communicate needs, and attract resources.
In May 2024 an EF-3 tornado cut across counties previously impacted by the December 2021 tornado. It was not until 18 months after the December 2021 event that functioning long term recovery groups were able to communicate the overall needs of their people. In May 2024, with a pre-established long term recovery group (Center) directing local and national nonprofits (Partners) and with educated survivors (Citizens), the long term recovery group was able to clearly communicate the needs of their people to nonprofits by Day 5. The VOAD groups expressed their appreciation for the well organized efforts and communication from the long term recovery groups, shared the need within their networks, and brought in more help. The long term recovery groups successfully attracted available resources.
The Disaster Readiness Center operated under the umbrella of the Community Foundation of West Kentucky from October 2022 until launching as an independent nonprofit in November 2024.