Kathryn Engle

Dr. Kathryn Engle is the Director of the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center. Dr. Engle received her PhD in Sociology from the University of Kentucky in 2018. Her dissertation explored relocalization of food systems and different (re)presentations of community narratives as part of a multifaceted agenda toward a just, sustainable future for eastern Kentucky and the region. Her research considered the agricultural heritage and current social landscape of the Stinking Creek community of Knox County, Kentucky. For over a decade Dr. Engle has worked with the nonprofit organization the Lend-A-Hand Center in Walker, Kentucky. She also serves on the board of the Knox County Farmers' Market. Her research explores local food systems, nonprofit organizations, and community economies in central Appalachia. Since 2018, Dr. Engle has been actively involved with the Sunup Initiative, a racial justice organization in Corbin, Kentucky, working to promote constructive conversations about race in the area. In 2012 she edited the collection of local history articles Madison's Heritage Rediscovered: Stories from a Historic Kentucky County. Her scholarship has been published in the Appalachian Journal, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, and Journal of Appalachian Studies. Dr. Engle is currently co-editing a volume on just transition in Appalachia.

Email: kathryn.engle@uky.edu

Research Areas: rural sociology, Appalachian studies , local food systems

Collaborative Interests: grant collaborations, guest lectures, public lectures, publications, research collaborations