Redfern leaving Ohio Citizen Action Environmental crusader to join Rural Action Dale Dempsey November 14, 2003 Dayton Daily News DAYTON -- Jane Forrest Redfern, who has been on the front lines of nearly every environmental issue in the Miami Valley for the past 17 years, is leaving her job with Ohio Citizen Action to become the executive director of Rural Action in Southeast Ohio. "It is a wonderful opportunity," Redfern said. "I'll be replacing Carol Kuhre, the woman who first taught me how to organize 20 years ago." Redfern's career in the area as environmental projects director covered causes such as ground water protection, the Valleycrest landfill, cleanup of the former Dayton Walther plant and, most recently, the U.S. Army's unsuccessful attempt to ship a by-product of the destruction of VX nerve agent to Perma-Fix, Inc. in Jefferson Twp. Rural Action, based in Athens, works with local groups to fight environmental and social injustices and focus on sustainable development alternatives. Rural Action has about 30 staffers, who work with Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) in 14 Ohio Counties and throughout the Appalachian region. "It is an honor to be asked to work with such a wonderful staff and board, and I look forward to our continuing successes in the region with programs designed to empower people for a more sustainable future," Redfern said. She will begin her new job in January. "I am honored to leave the leadership of the organization to such an able person as Jane Forrest Redfern, a person I have admired for decades," said Kuhre, the outgoing director of Rural Action. One of Redfern's most significant local accomplishments was her work on the Well Field Protection Area, which brought together Dayton, Harrison Twp., Huber Heights, Riverside, Vandalia and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to reduce risks to the Miami Valley's drinking water supply. "Jane's accomplishments in protecting the safety of drinking water and the environment in the Miami Valley will have a lasting impact for generations," said Sandy Buchanan, state director of Ohio Citizen Action. "We are proud to have had her as a leader with Ohio Citizen Action for the past twenty years, and look forward to working with her in her new position at Rural Action." Dusty Hall, manager of watershed initiatives for the Miami Conservancy District, has known Redfern since she came to Dayton in the mid-1980s, and admires her ability to reach out to different groups. "She is as comfortable in a room full of developers as she is a room full of environmentalists," Hall said. "She helps people find their voice, which is one of the purest forms of effective leadership."