Board of Directors – Kings River Trust

Our treasured board of directors works with uncompromising ethics to stay on mission and serve more landowners in our community. Our core values are:

We are committed to excellence and act in accordance with the highest industry standards.
We are dedicated to fulfilling our mission with uncompromising ethics and personal and professional integrity.
We value relationships and recognize and appreciate the contributions and diverse opinions that each individual brings as we work to preserve the Kings River landscape.
We are committed to responsible stewardship of resources and financial oversight and hold private land ownership among the most important aspects of land conservation.

Meet the Board

Kent Kinney, President

Kent has served the Kings River Land Trust as a volunteer since 2000. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resources Management and Master of Science Degree in Agricultural Education. He is a former U.S. Forest Service employee who worked in wilderness recreation and timber management. He served for twenty years as a forestry instructor in the Reedley Community College Natural Resources Program and is recently retired. He currently manages a ranch bordering the Kings River.

Karen Hale, Vice President

Karen was raised on a second-generation farm in the San Joaquin/Tranquility area. She earned her B.A. in English and her teaching credentials from CSU, Fresno. She is an avid photographer and writer.

Eileen Apperson, Secretary

Eileen was raised on a small family farm near the Kings River. She earned her B.A. in English, an M.A. in Creative Nonfiction Writing, and M.F.A. in Poetry and is currently an English professor at Reedley College.

Lucia Robeson, Treasurer

Lucia was raised on her family’s 80-acre farm property in Parlier, working during the summers at the stone fruit packing house there. She has a BA in Business Administration from the University of San Diego. She worked for the last 40+ years as a Vice President/ Commercial Loan Officer at various lending institutions in the Fresno area. She joined the Kings River Land Trust in 2023.

Doug Cornelius, Director

Doug has lived along the Kings River all his life. He earned an A.S. in Horticulture and his five-year carpenter journeyman degree. He has served as a carpenter for the Clovis Unified School District for over 20 years and is the President of Local Chapter 250 C.S.E.A. Union.

Heidi Isner, Director

Heidi is an Environmental Scientist specializing in wildlife and water resources. She earned her A.S. in Forestry, B.S. in Natural Resources and is a part-time graduate student working on a degree in Wildlife Administration. She has worked in many capacities for the betterment of our local environmental resources for 15+ years and is an adjunct instructor at Reedley College.

Duke Ramshaw, Director

Duke Ramshaw is a Native to the Kings River area, growing up in Orange Cove and working on his family’s orange and avocado farm. Duke fondly remembers spending summer days and nights floating and camping along the Kings River, soaking up its beauty.

Duke earned his associate of science degree in forestry from Reedley College, which led to seasonal firefighting for the U.S. Forest Service for three seasons.

Duke has a bachelor of science federal/tribal administration and master’s degree in public administration from Fresno State.

After working for Fresno County as an analyst, in the probation department, and in behavioral health, Duke retired in 2022 to pursue his passion for fly fishing on the Kings River, golfing and spending time with his wife.

As a board member, Duke says his purpose is to help protect and conserve farmland and riparian habitat along the Kings River for future generations to enjoy.