Staff and Board of Directors

Erin Rennich has spent the last 15 years living and working in Athens County, Ohio. In this time, she has provided critical business support to small businesses, early-stage enterprises, and mission-based organizations as an essential employee, coach, advisor, and key member of the Ohio University entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Erin currently holds two key appointments at Ohio University that support the region’s economic development efforts. As the Director of the Sugar Bush Foundation (SBF), Erin provides key executive support to the SBF Board, manages proposal inquiries and submissions, promotes SBF project and partnership opportunities, and oversees SBF communications and marketing efforts.  Erin also serves as a Senior Executive Coach and Strategic Advisor with the Social Enterprise Ecosystem (SEE), a program supported by Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. In this role, Erin provides critical business support to mission-based enterprises in the region.

Erin also serves as the President of the Board of Directors for Paper Circle and is a member of the ACEnet and South East Ohio Hope Center boards. In her free time, Erin enjoys hiking, renovating her 1920s home, doing all things creative, and volunteering. She is a Hospice volunteer and coached soccer for Athens City Schools for 3 years.

Erin earned her master's in business administration from Ohio University and her bachelor's from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.

Contact Erin at sugarbushfoundation@ohio.edu .

Hylie Voss, President of the Sugar Bush Foundation, is the daughter of Sugar Bush Founders, Don and Mary Anne Flournoy. She and her family moved back to Ohio from Texas in 2017. She currently serves as the Managing Director for Sugarbush Valley Impact Investments, a company that invests in local agricultural or environmental-related businesses. Hylie also manages her family’s farm outside of Athens, and 600 acres of pine timber in East Texas.

While in Texas, Hylie pioneered the discovery-learning garden program at her kids' school. When she taught 5th grade, Hylie trained and took students to work with the homeless and in nursing homes. In addition, she trained children's workers in Albania, worked earthquake relief in Turkey, assisted refugees in Germany, Uganda, and Texas, and once swam in a race from Asia to Europe.

Carol Kuhre is the founder and former Executive Director of Rural Action, a non-profit working on sustainable development initiatives in Appalachian Ohio. Prior to Rural Action, Ms. Kuhre served as co-director of United Campus Ministry — a center for social justice and spiritual growth. She also served in Lutheran campus ministry positions at Penn State University and at Ohio University and helped to form seven community-based organizations.

Carol has served as President of the Athens Foundation and the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation, a national foundation based in New York City. Carol is coordinator of the Earth Justice Network, an interfaith group working on issues of global climate change and energy efficiency.

Carol is also a trained fiber artist who has exhibited and taught fiber arts for over twenty years. She has traveled and lectured in Europe, Africa, the Philippines, and Central America on art, theology and social change. She is married to Dr. Bruce Kuhre, Professor Emeritus of Sociology from Ohio University, and is the mother of two daughters and a foster daughter.

Sam Crowl is the Director of the Office of Sustainability at OHIO.  He also serves as an Athens city counsel member.  Sam is a member of the City of Athens Environment and Sustainability Commission, Athens County Visitors Bureau, Athens County Bikeway Advisory Committee, and is president of the Greater Athens Soccer Association.  Sam is community leader who is deeply connected to local issues of sustainability both at OHIO and in the city of Athens.

Prior to joining the faculty of the College of Business, Rob was Target’s first Director of Corporate Compliance & Ethics, establishing the vision, strategy, and team charged with ensuring an effective compliance program and advancing Target’s reputation for being one of the world’s most ethical companies. During his tenure at Target, Rob also served as senior legal counsel in Target’s Law Department. Rob has also served various legal roles, including Chief Legal Officer, for multinational organizations, was a compliance professional for one of the nation’s largest financial institutions, and served as a federal regulator.

Eli is a social impact investor and co-founder of SBV Impact Investments – a company focused on environmentally sustainable economic development in Southeastern Ohio. Eli serves on the board of New Resource Solutions, a financial technology firm connecting non-profits and philosophically motivated for-profits and individuals to mission-aligned investment opportunities in renewable energy projects.

Eli has served as a director of the Sugar Bush Foundation since his parents, Mary Anne and Don Flournoy, founded it in 2005.

Eli is also a veteran journalist, living in Atlanta and consulting for international news media companies following a 24-year career at CNN. Eli is an active member of Environment Georgia and the Arbor Day Foundation, and practices sustainable forestry with family timber businesses in Texas and Ohio.

Dr. Funk serves as Executive Director of the American Real Estate Society providing administrative leadership to one of the leading real estate research and education associations globally. Previously David was director of the Baker Program in Real Estate at Cornell University, where he also taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as in the Cornell Law School.

A native of Athens, Dr. Funk founded Capstone Properties following his graduation from Ohio University with a mission focused on affordable housing, historic preservation, woodland stewardship, and community development, which Capstone Enterprises continues today with a commitment focused on Athens County.

Jessi Marsh is a dedicated nonprofit professional with more than 20 years’ experience growing and leading nonprofit organizations. She began work serving the homeless and rural poor in 2000 in Appalachia. She moved to Seattle Washington and continued in the nonprofit sector serving the homeless, home-bound elders and in advocacy for patients in long term care. Now in Pittsburgh, she primarily works in fundraising and communications for social-justice focused nonprofits.

Mary Reed is a professional writer specializing in the environment and outdoor adventure, and has been a contributor to OHIO Today magazine.  Mary serves as an advisory board member for the Athens Conservancy.  She served on the board of the Buckeye Forest Council, and worked at Rural Action as a grant writer.

Dr. Martin Tuck is a retired-part time OHIO faculty in the chemistry department.  Until 2019, he was Dean of the Ohio University Chillicothe campus and was Associate Provost for Academic Affairs.  Dean Tuck has served in the Lion’s Club, Chillicothe Rotary Club and currently serves as the volunteer coordinator for the Emeriti Association.  He has extensive experience in university/community engagement, including the regional campus’ role in economic development.

Jay Warmke grew up in Athens County and returned to SE Ohio after living and working in Florida and Europe as a telecommunications professional. In 2004, Jay and his wife Annie began Blue Rock Station, a 40-acre living sustainable living farm, homestead, and classroom focused on sustainable building techniques. Blue Rock Station is the site of the first Earthship (a 2000 sq ft home made of tires, bottles, and assorted "clean" garbage) built east of the Mississippi. Since opening, over 30,000 people have visited for tours, meetings and sustainable living/construction/energy workshops. Jay is also an adjunct instructor at Zane State College in renewable energy and solar installation.

Bruce Voss, MAIA ’06, is the son-in-law of Sugar Bush Foundation founders, Don and Mary Anne Flournoy.  Bruce also has a Master’s degree in Global Health from Loma Linda University.  Prior to that Bruce was a corporate international travel consultant for 19 years.  Bruce wears several different hats simultaneously. He has worked on development projects in Ethiopia since 2009.  He works from home as the support person for several family businesses, and keeps the Voss family humming along most of the time. But when the weather is nice, he will be found gardening and growing berry patches, orchards and nut groves, and enjoying the 13 acres of deep-rooted native prairie grasses and pollinator plants he restored. His other passions include further development of renewable energy sources and increasing public awareness of environmental causes.

Annie Voss has been the Student Director on the Sugar Bush Foundation since 2017. She is a freshman at Pitzer College majoring in Environmental Analysis and is a member of Student Senate. She also is an awardee of a Red Cross Leadership Scholarship, has served on the analyst team for the Intelligent Community Forum, and is an active member of the Pitzer Garden Club.

Kate Voss has served as a Student Director on the Sugar Bush Foundation Board since 2023. She is a 2024 graduate of Alexander High School. During her senior year, she completed her first year in a fashion program at Hocking College, where she will continue next year to earn her Associate’s degree in fashion. Afterward, Kate plans to pursue studies in international relations or social justice to better equip herself to advocate for marginalized communities.

Elena Delach has served as a Student Director on the Sugar Bush Foundation Board since 2022. She is a senior at Ohio University majoring in Environmental Biology where she is also a member of the Margaret Boyd Scholars Program.