Guided by people who care about place.
UCI’s board brings experience across conservation, community work, planning, education, and civic life.
Meet the people behind the mission
Our Board
The community leaders guiding Urban Century Institute’s work to connect nature, community, and city in Chattanooga.
Olin Ivey
President
As Executive Director of the Georgia Environmental Organization, Ivey initiated the discussion of sustainability in Georgia in 1993 and held a series of conferences and consultations on sustainability throughout the remainder of the decade of the 1990s. He served on task forces and working groups of the President's Council on Sustainable Development, was on the executive committee of two other national sustainability groups, and edited Georgians on Sustainability that included reflections of sustainability by a number of leaders throughout Georgia.Olin has lived and worked in Tennessee since 1999. He presently serves as the Associate for Stewardship andOutreach at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Chattanooga. In 2004 he developed and coordinated two conferences: the statewide Threshold: Sustaining a Land Called Tennessee and JustWater, an environmental justice conference for the Alabama-Tennessee Association of the United Church of Christ.His undergraduate degree was received from East Tennessee State University. He holds two Master's degrees from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. His M.A. and Ph.D. are from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California.
Sandy Kurtz
Vice President
Sandy Kurtz has long been active in the environmental education field while dealing with environmental issues at local, state, and Federal levels. She was one of the founders of the Tennessee Environmental Education Association in 1974, and went on to establish the first educational programs at the Chattanooga Nature Center and at the TVA Energy Center Museum. She has trained countless volunteers and teachers, written environmental education curricula for schools, and planned and facilitated numerous environmental conferences and meetings. As an environmental education consultant Sandy established the Chattanooga Sustainable Lifestyle Campaign endorsed by the President's Council for Sustainable Development. During the Campaign, 45 Eco-Teams were created empowering citizens to establish habits for more sustainable living in their homes and neighborhoods. She has worked at the grassroots level as Tennessee field representative for National Environmental Trust and Clear the Air to support Federal legislation for clean air issues and slowing of global warming. She is chairman of the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance, an award-winning citizens' advocacy group. She is a past Tennessee Environmental Council board member, the TVA Green Power Steering Committee, and the Coalition for Responsible Progress. In 2002 she was presented with the Tennessee Environmental Education Association Distinguished Service Award for service to environmental education. That same year she also received the Enviro-Hero award from Chattanooga's Environmental City Task Force. Ms. Kurtz holds an undergraduate degree in elementary education from Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, and an MA from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Education Administration and Supervision.
_edited.png)
Grace Frank
Board Member
Grace is a seasoned real estate professional, strategic leader and community advocate with more than 25 years of experience in real estate development, sales, historic restoration and community revitalization. She holds an MBA with an emphasis in marketing and a Bachelor of Science in health research. As a former Director of Strategy Marketing, Grace brings extensive experience in strategic planning, business development, team leadership and client engagement. Throughout her career, she has advised sales and client-strategy teams while collaborating with senior executives at the vice president and president levels. Grace is also a children’s author who is passionate about education, storytelling and creating meaningful connections across generations. Her professional and creative work reflects a deep commitment to strengthening communities and helping others envision new possibilities. A fourth-generation farmer, Grace owns a 40-acre sustainable farm where she promotes responsible land stewardship and sustainable agricultural practices. Her combined experience in business, real estate, education and sustainability provides her with a distinctive and well-rounded perspective as a board member.
Bruce Blohm
Board Member
Bruce Blohm is a Director and chair of the Strategic Planning and Land Conservation Committees for the Friends of South Cumberland State Parks (FSC), which provides financial and material support to both South Cumberland and Savage Gulf State Parks. Since its founding in 1994, FSC has helped conserve over 15,000 acres of environmentally-significant wilderness in the region, adding holdings to both state parks. In addition to his role with FSC, Bruce serves as Secretary for the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance and is a past member of the Chattanooga Tree Commission, both in Chattanooga. He is a retired marketing executive.
Amy Mowbray
Board member
Amy Mowbray enjoyed a career in early childhood education and occupational therapy while raising a family in Florida. Decades of observation and work with children prompted her to facilitate an outdoor therapeutic play program serving families for several years during the Covid pandemic. In this work, she witnessed what research continues to show: children’s health and development correlate positively with plentiful time spent outdoors. Amy is committed to increasing access to urban wilderness, where big and little folks can reconnect to themselves, each other, and the natural “habitat” we all share. She and her spouse now relish life in Chattanooga, each time they hike in the mountains or hang in the garden.