Allison Peck Lankford
Gatton Park on the Town Branch Executive Director
Allison oversees the Gatton Park project, a privately funded land-reuse development set to transform an eleven-acre asphalt parking lot into Central Kentucky’s signature green space. In addition to raising the money necessary to build the park, with over $55 million raised to date, Allison leads the planning related to the design, programming, revenue model and governance structure for the future park. The team broke ground in August 2023 and plan to open to the public in 2025. Until her recent focus on Gatton Park, Allison led the Blue Grass Community Foundation’s advancement efforts for over a decade, serving as Sr. Vice-President and General Counsel, during which time the foundation’s assets grew by over 400%. Prior to joining the Community Foundation, Allison was an attorney at the Lexington firm of McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland and Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs in Louisville. A graduate of Furman University in Greenville, SC with a degree in Sociology and Political Science, she received her law degree at the University of Kentucky School of Law.
Ethan Howard
Director of operations
Ethan is currently serving as the Director of Operations for Gatton Park on the Town Branch, where he is preparing the policies, procedures, and use of the park for its opening in 2025. Prior to his role with Gatton Park on the Town Branch, he spent 15 years working on planning, project management, and economic development initiatives with Downtown Lexington Partnership, Louisville Metro Government, Louisville Downtown Partnership, and various clients across Kentucky. He’s worked on placemaking and place management issues that include downtown operations, capital projects, planning studies, business assistance, and community development programs. A native of Scott County, Kentucky, Ethan completed his undergraduate work in Business Administration and Political Science at Georgetown College and his graduate work at the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School.
Ben Shaffar
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT & SPECIAL EVENTS
Ben spearheads the $46 million capital campaign for the construction and sustainability of Gatton Park on the Town Branch. Most recently, Ben served as Director of Development at Midway University where he oversaw the $1 million capital campaign to build the institution's first-ever baseball complex and co-directed the $4 million capital campaign to build Midway's new athletics field house. Previously, Ben served as Business Development Director for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's Office of Marketing where he assisted in administering Kentucky Proud, the Commonwealth's official agricultural marketing program. He also played eight seasons of professional baseball as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Phillies. Ben has a Corporate Communications degree and minor in Political Science from the University of Kentucky.
Erica Lynne Cook
DIRECTOR OF programs & engagement
Erica was hired in June 2024 as Gatton Park’s first Director of Programs & Engagement. She coordinates park programming and assists with public art projects and community engagement strategies. Prior to joining Gatton Park, Erica worked at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning for 10 years in several roles. She expanded an award-winning tutoring program into Title I elementary schools, organized hundreds of arts and literacy initiatives, oversaw branding and advertising campaigns, and spearheaded the Center’s annual signature immersive literary arts event, Carnegie Classics.
Originally from Florida and raised in Costa Rica, Erica is fluent in Spanish. She is a proud Berea College graduate with degrees in communication and peace and social justice studies. Erica looks forward to welcoming everyone into the park with diverse daily program offerings that create an enriching and enjoyable experience for all visitors.
Jared Lee
DIRECTOR OF EVENTS & PARTNERSHIPS
Jared Lee is thrilled to join the Gatton Park Team as the Director of Events and Partnerships. He has over a decade of experience from his tenure at Cornett Advertising, where he collaborated with clients like the University of Kentucky, Keeneland, VisitLEX, A&W and many more.
For the past six years, Jared has channeled his passion for event production into leading Lexington’s Picnic with the Pops as Executive Event Director and the founder of Expansion Music Festival that focuses on live visual and performance art, spanning three days across multiple Lexington venues.
Outside of the office, Jared embraces his love for live music and adventure. He can often be found attending concerts and music festivals, kayaking along the Elkhorn, or strumming his ukulele by a firepit with his wife, Mariam, and their beloved cat, Sandwiches. Jared's dynamic background and enthusiasm for creating memorable experiences, event planning, and execution make him a valuable addition to the Gatton Park Team.
Holli Powell Sturm
Director OF FINANCE
Holli has been an accountant for over twenty years, specializing in nonprofit and religious organization accounting. Most recently, she headed up her own consulting firm, providing outsourced bookkeeping, accounting, and CFO services to a portfolio of nonprofits and religious organizations, as well as providing education and coaching to individuals looking to transform their relationships with money. Holli received her bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Accounting from the University of Kentucky, and has a Master’s of Business Administration from Mississippi State University.
Michael Ades
special counsel
Michael Ades (JD) serves as the Special Counsel to Gatton Park on the Town Branch. Michael, a lifelong Lexingtonian and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Yale School of Law, brings a wealth of experience as the counsel for many high profile projects including the Lexington Legends Ballpark, the Georgetown Toyota Manufacturing Plant, and, most recently, as the in-house counsel for the City Center Development Project in Downtown Lexington. With longstanding ties to service, Michael has a history of civic engagement including board positions at LexArts, St. Joseph Hospital, Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, the Blue Grass Community Foundation, and more.