About Us - Long Term Recovery Group

Mayfield Graves County Long Term Recovery Group board of directors

Mayfield Graves LTRG Chair

Karastin Hancock

Karastin Hancock is the Chair of the Mayfield Graves County LTRG. The Long-Term Recovery Group chairperson provides leadership to the executive committee to oversee collaboration of all community organizations which are active in disaster recovery following the Dec. 10, 2021 tornado that struck Mayfield and Graves County. With survivors in focus, Karastin works with the board to address the needs of the organization.

Karastin is employed as the Director of Discipleship and Spiritual Formation at Martin First United Methodist Church in Martin, Tn. Her niche is to help organizations develop vision and break down that vision into actionable steps to achieve their goals.

Mayfield Graves LTRG Vice-Chair & Crisis Counseling Chair

Bro. Mike Jones

Crisis Counseling assists tornado survivors in Mayfield and Graves County with emotional, mental and spiritual needs. They also refer clients to Donations and Finance for material assistance.

Bro. Jones serves as mission strategist for the
Graves County Baptist Association.

Unmet Community Needs
& LTRG Board Secretary

Kristin King, Chair

The Unmet Needs Table brings together diverse groups of disaster case management and donor agencies to address the unmet needs of those impacted by disaster.

Kristin began tornado relief on Dec. 12, 2021 at the fairgrounds distribution center. She also serves on the boards of Future Hope Africa, CASA of Graves Co. & Southwest KY, the Mayfield-Graves Co. Parks,
and The Purchase District Fair.

treasurer

Thomas Bright

Thomas Bright is a steward and trustee at St. James A.M.E. Church in Mayfield, Ky. He is an Army veteran and retired from the Social Security Administration in Mayfield. Thomas is active in community events and civic organizations.

Mayfield Graves Member At Large

Al Chandler

Bro. Chandler is pastor at Northside Baptist Church and has been since 2018. He had previously served as children’s pastor at Trace Creek Baptist Church and was an elementary school teacher before entering full-time ministry.

Spiritual Care Committee

Don Barger, Member-at-Large

Having been born and raised in Mayfield, Don Barger is proud to be giving back to the community as it recovers from the December 2021 tornado. His 32-year teaching career in Michigan led to retirement in Western Kentucky and work with the Presbyterian Church (PC/USA). His latest position was that as pastor for First Presbyterian Church in Mayfield, one of the downtown churches destroyed in the tornado. Yes, even as a retirement job, Don has baked for Kirchhoff’s Bakery in Paducah, hence his nickname of “Cookie Man.”

Don also serves as chair of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Paducah Site Specific Advisory Board.

Mayfield Graves LTRG
Executive Director

Amy Chicoine

Amy’s role is managing the LTRG recovery and mitigation efforts, along with collaborating with local leaders, national organizations (such as Samaritan’s Purse, UMCOR, FEMA and Red Cross), disaster recovery experts, and partners.

Amy is a Fulton, KY resident whose background is in teaching and education administration. She joined the LTRG team in June of 2023 as VP of Operations, and later transitioned into the role of Executive Director.

Case Management

Karastin Hancock, Chair

Case Management works with organizations such as Catholic Charities, UMCOR and FEMA to qualify tornado survivors for services with the LTRG. They assist clients with recovery plans and refers them to additional agencies that match their needs and services.

Karastin Freese works for the Methodist Church in Martin, TN.

Clean Up & Construction Coordination

Dr. Mike Baker, Chair

Clean Up and Construction helps to secure estimates on home repair costs and is involved in planning and construction oversight. This committee also collaborates with case managers and volunteer coordination with needs and projects.

Dr. Baker is pastor at Sharon Baptist Church, where he has served since 2015. He has previously pastored churches in Tennessee and Pennsylvania before moving to Graves County.