By bernheim
CLERMONT, Ky – Bernheim Forest is excited to welcome Kenyetta Johnson to a new position that will further Bernheim’s relationship with youth in urban areas and increase their access to nature. The position – Bernheim Field Ambassador – has the dual role of working at Bernheim in multiple departments and performing community outreach to young adults in underserved areas of Louisville.
Director of Education Dr. Kristin Faurest said the team is excited to have this new position at Bernheim.
“Kenyetta will play a key role in helping Bernheim encourage and inspire young adults to consider horticulture, nature education and other green jobs as viable career choices,” Faurest said. “We are thrilled to have this position and even happier that we have such a stellar personality filling it.”
The Bernheim Field Ambassador position is part of Bernheim’s Youth Development in Nature Initiative which strives to build diversity and inclusion at Bernheim by offering non-white youth the opportunity to develop deep connections with nature and expose them to career opportunities in nature-based professions, which historically lack diversity.
Johnson graduated from the University of Louisville in 2020 with a degree in Environmental Analysis within the Geosciences/Environmental Sciences Department and a minor in Socio-cultural studies. She previously worked with Bernheim as the assistant program director for the Urban Conservation Corps at YouthBuild Louisville – a position provided through AmeriCorps.
Johnson said she would like to bridge the gap between environmental education and minority young adults, creating a ripple effect that improves quality of life.
“My focal areas within the environmental sector are food and reducing waste, global climate change and its effects on people, and urban heat islands,” she said. “A long-term goal of mine is to provide an environmental education program for low-income young adults.”
Johnson has extensively traveled the world, including Iceland, Trinidad and Tobago, Nepal and Belize, studying environment and geography.
This position was made possible by a grant from the Brown-Forman Foundation and the Firefly Scientists Foundation.