Board of Supervisors
Conservation District Supervisors are elected by registered voters in Jefferson County during general elections. Supervisors serve a 4 year term.
Sarah Beth Sammons
Chair
Sarah Beth Sammons is a registered Landscape Architect and LEED Accredited Professional with over 20 years of experience with master planning, park design, and civil projects such as courthouses, schools, and public spaces. She volunteers as a Jefferson County Master Gardener at the Farmington Historic Plantation's Anne Bruce Haldeman Formal Garden and the Outdoor Education Center. Sarah Beth's interests include native plant landscaping, conserving our natural resources, and low environmental impact construction practices.
Latoya Bryant
Vice Chair
LaToya Bryant is a native Louisvillian and has served on the Board of Supervisors since 2020. This is her second year serving as the Vice Chair. LaToya enjoys being able to marry her day job in Education with the initiatives of the Conservation District to encourage our youth to leave the Earth better than they found it through soil and water conservation.
Eli Levine
Sec / Treasurer
Eli serves as the board's secretary and treasurer, two duties of massive importance that keep the District compliant with all governing statutes and allow us to serve the residents of Jefferson County in a fiscally responsible way.
Gilman Bagga
Supervisor
Gilman is a long-time community organizer, package handler at UPS, and a proud member of Teamsters 89. Gilman hopes to help grow the educational outreach of the Soil and Water Conservation District, as well as draw attention to how climate change impacts working people and their working conditions.
Austin Clark
Supervisor
Austin lives in the east end of the county and works day-to-day as a medical laboratory scientist. He is passionate about conservation and his community and appreciates that they’ve entrusted him with a seat on the board. Particular program focuses for Austin are heat island mitigation and tree canopy expansion to ensure a sustainable future for the working people of Jefferson County.
David Kaelin
Supervisor
David owns and operates a 58-acre farm in the Jeffersontown area (Floyds Fork watershed). David’s interests are supporting environmental education programs for school children and teachers and promoting Best Management Practices on agricultural land that addresses and improves water quality.
Valerie Magnuson
Supervisor
Valerie has a background in small-scale agriculture and nonprofit management and holds a bachelor's degree from UofL in urban sustainable systems and social change. Valerie has worked on and managed local, sustainable farms and developed community-focused garden and tree-planting projects as the Founding Director of the nonprofit Louisville Grows. Valerie currently works in native plant landscaping.
District Staff
Geri Johnson
Administrative Secretary
Geri joined the District as our Administrative Secretary in 2019, bringing over 20 years of administrative experience. Before coming to Louisville, she and her husband lived in the Chicago area where she worked as a program manager for Northwestern University. She enjoys the outdoors, exploring the local and state park systems and maintaining her garden at Blackacre Community Garden.
Paul Borntraeger
Soil Conservation Technician
Paul joined the SWCD team in June of 2023. A recent graduate of the Wendell Berry farming program of Sterling College, Paul is excited to put his education to use serving the producers and residents of Jefferson County. When not in his native Louisville, he enjoys spending time on his own farm in Jackson County.