Kelly Brenneman
Executive Committee Chair

Kelly has worked with United Way since April of 2015 and became the Executive Director in October 2015. As a former Executive Director of the American Red Cross, she has a strong understanding of community collaboration. Over the years, Kelly's community involvement has impacted the work of many local non-profit boards and committees.

Amy Smart
Community Committee Chair

Amy Smart has owned and operated Riverside Recovery Services in Lawrence County Ohio since 2015. Her dream of having her own agency came while incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women for charges related to her own substance use. Amy has served on several committees across the state relating to Addiction Recovery and Advocacy.  In 2017, she attended her first Knox Addiction Conference and saw a need for services in Knox County that her agency could provide. Being a graduate of East Knox High School, this also opened a door for Amy to be able to give back to her hometown. RRS opened an outpatient office on East Chestnut Street in the fall of 2017 and has been providing outpatient as well as residential and sober living services to residents of Knox County since then. Amy has become actively involved in KSAAT sitting on the Community Committee and helping plan the 2019 Knox Addiction Conference. Amy also volunteers with several other community organizations as well.

Emily Morrison
Communities Coming Together Conference Coordinator

Emily Morrison is the coordinator of the Communities Coming Together Conference.  A compilation of the previous Knox Addiction Conference and Focusing on Youth Issues (FYI) Conference.  CCT is a 2-day conference offered in June that provides opportunity for professional development and community collaboration. 

Afet Kilinc, Ph.D., PCC-S

Dr. Kilinc, Ph.D., PCC-S joined the Freedom Center as Executive/Clinical Director in 2019. She is responsible for the planning, organizing, and directing of the organization’s operations and programs.  She has over 22 years of experience working in behavioral health, accreditation, managed care, and government sectors.  Before joining the Freedom Center, she served as the Director of Behavioral Health for Aetna Better Health of Ohio where she helped to implement Ohio’s Duals Medicare and Medicaid Managed Care Demonstration. Afet is a Professional Clinical Counselor with 20 years of clinical and management experience.  She earned a doctorate degree in Counselor Education from the Ohio State University in 2001. 
 Afet was born and raised in a large family of farmers in southern Turkey.  She became an American citizen in 2009 after immigrating to the United States.   She enjoys gardening, bird watching and spending time with her family and friends

Sheriff David Shaffer

Shaffer rose through the ranks from deputy to patrol sergeant, to lieutenant, to division commander in charge of patrol, records, and civil process.  His next step was serving as captain before being elected Knox County Sheriff. Shaffer is a past recipient of the National Sheriff's Association Medal of valor and the Ohio Attorney General's Distinguished Law Enforcement Group Achievement Award.

Joshua Gutridge

Josh Gutridge received an Associate Degree of Applied Science, Criminal Justice Technology from the Central Ohio Technical College in June 1999. Upon graduation, he worked for 13 years at the Licking-Muskingum Community Correctional Center in Newark, Ohio serving the majority of his time as a case manager. In 2011, he began working for the Knox County Court of Common Pleas as a probation officer and, in 2017, was named Deputy Chief Probation Officer in charge of the Alpha & Omega Probation House. He has had a significant role in teaching cognitive behavioral therapy classes and organizing programs available at the probation house through various county agencies which include counseling, group therapy, educational opportunities, and job skill training. He has also connected with volunteers to provide basic hygiene products and clothing for those in need. Current projects Josh is working on include mentoring programs and a curriculum designed for female offenders. In addition, Josh serves on the Metropolitan Housing Authority Board and is a member of KSAAT.

Katie Steel

Katie’s role as Family and Community Advocate will encompass providing children, teens and adults with prevention education, referrals, individual and group support, and programming that advocates self-care, healing and the rights to safety. She is also in charge of the Parent and Children Education Classes (P.A.C.E.) that is offered through New Directions for youth and parents. This program offers support for youth and parents to learn healthy/unhealthy relationship characteristics, digital respect, and safe bystander intervention. She is motivated to be a steppingstone for those who need a helping hand. It is rewarding to see others get back on their feet and work towards their goals. She wants to give back to the Knox County community since she was born and raised here. Before joining the New Directions team, she was a home educator for a year where she provided resources and activities to help build strong connections and became an advocate for the families on her caseload. Katie earned her B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Psychology from Kent State University.

Mayor Matthew Starr

Matt came to Knox County in 1991, then to the city, in 1995.  Originally, from Indiana, Matt graduated from Manchester University and entered graduate school at Kent State University, where he received his Master’s Degree.  He started in Knox County working for the Mount Vernon Developmental Center, then as a part-time instructor for Central Ohio Technical College, an Assistant Football Coach for Kenyon College, and then started a corporate film and video production company where he is the Executive Producer.  Matt is also an actor in various platforms such as TV, film, and the stage.  He has served on many non-profit boards and volunteer agencies in the community, as well as, Mount Vernon City Council.  He and his wife, Joanne, have been married since 2004.

Capt. Scott McKnight

Captain Scott McKnight began his career in law enforcement as a graduate of the North Central Technology in 1995. He graduated from Basic Police Academy in 1996, receiving the Commander's Award from Academy Class #95-110. After serving with the Richland County Sheriff's Office and the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, he began his service with the Mount Vernon Police Department in 1998. He was the recipient of the Mount Vernon Police Department Officer of the Year award in 2003. Captain McKnight began his tenure as Captain in 2015, after being promoted through the ranks of the Mount Vernon Patrol Division . 

Debbie Ruggles

Debbie joined the Chamber in April 2018 and is the Program Coordinator. Debbie serves as the Chamber's representative to the Knox County Safety Council, is a member of the Kiwanis International and serves on several committees in the community. Debbie resides in Mount Vernon with her husband, Cliff.

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Julie Miller

Julie Miller, R.N., M.S.N., became Knox County Health Commissioner in September 2010. She has over 30 years of experience in the health field including working as an administrator, nursing educator and as a public health professional. She is a registered nurse and has a master’s degree in nursing.

Prior to coming to Knox County, Julie was the director of nursing at the Union County Health Department in Marysville. She has also been the director of nursing at the Morrow County and Richland County health departments and was a public health nurse at the Delaware County Health Department. Additionally, Julie has worked as the health services director with the Community Health Access Project (CHAP) in Mansfield, an assistant professor at MedCentral College of Nursing in Mansfield and a nursing clinical instructor at Otterbein College in Westerville.

Baylee Ruggles
Drug Free Communities Grant Coordinator

Baylee is the Drug Free Communities Grant Coordinator working with the KSAAT coalition.  She handles all of the planning as well as the coordination of KSAAT's legal fees and grants. Baylee is involved in all of KSAAT's committees and communicates regularly for the coalition.  Baylee is a Penn State University graduate with a bachelor's of science in Human Development and Family Studies. She recently moved from Pennsylvania and currently resides in Mount Vernon. 
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