Our team
Dr. Katy Baugus - executive director
Dr. Katy Baugus is a passionate advocate for social and environmental justice, bringing years of leadership experience to her role as Executive Director of Justice Industries. As a military spouse, she understands the challenges of finding stable, meaningful employment—one of the many barriers that Justice Industries works to overcome. Her personal experience fuels her dedication to creating job opportunities for individuals facing systemic obstacles, including those experiencing poverty, homelessness, recovery, and past incarceration.
With a background in social work and research, Dr. Baugus has focused on addressing food insecurity, transportation disadvantages, and inadequate childcare for marginalized populations. She believes that economic opportunity and sustainability go hand in hand, and she is committed to building programs that create lasting change for both individuals and the environment.
A lifelong advocate for recycling and sustainability, Dr. Baugus sees her role at Justice Industries as the perfect marriage of social work and environmental impact. Under her leadership, the organization is expanding its recycling initiatives and commercial partnerships to increase financial sustainability while continuing to provide second chances for those who need them most.
When she’s not working to grow Justice Industries’ impact, Dr. Baugus enjoys exploring Nashville’s outdoor spaces, connecting with the community, and finding new ways to reduce waste and promote sustainable living.
Howard
An Oklahoma native, Howard is a U.S. Army veteran with honorable discharge. He was stationed at Ft. Sill, OK, and was also in Germany during the Vietnam War era. Howard is know as “Mr. Everything”, primarily handling maintenance for apartment complexes and the Justice Industries vans, and driving routes when other drivers are not available. In his free time, Howard enjoys watching sports on TV and talking with friends. His greatest ambition is to do the will of God, and he prides himself on being a respectful person.
jEANIE
A native to Nashville and graduate of Indiana University, Jeanie credits her father with teaching her the value of a strong work ethic and her mother with modeling for her that a woman could be successful in the business world. When not working as a Route Coordinator for Justice Industries, Jeanie is a caretaker for her mother and lover of animals, and enjoys outdoor activities and listening to music. She is very grateful to JI for helping her reestablish a strong work ethic and appreciate the simple things in life.
Johnathan (JT)
We're thrilled to have Johnathan (JT) permanently join our team! In the Spring, we were in desperate need of drivers and found JT through an employment placement service. After a few months of working together, we knew it was a great fit for us both and hired him directly! He's now officially a Justice Industries Team Member, complete with the promotion to "Team Trainer." Welcome to the green team, JT!
TerRance
Terrance joined Justice Industries in 2022 and has worked in a few positions with us. He joined our Just.Wash team early this summer and has been a hard working, positive light ever since! We are thrilled to promote Terrance to Just.Wash Team Lead, and are confident that he will be a great addition to our leadership team.