Introducing the Ignite Louisville Class of 2027

The Leadership Louisville Center has selected the Ignite Louisville Class of 2027, presented by Norton Healthcare. The class runs from October 2026 through April 2027 and is the 32nd class of this award-winning program. For more than 20 years, Ignite Louisville has graduated nearly 1,500 up-and-coming leaders, helping them sharpen their leadership skills, grow their professional networks and drive greater results in their organizations and communities. This year’s class includes 57 talented professionals from 51 organizations across healthcare, nonprofits, financial services, education, law, construction, the arts and more.

“We are thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of individuals to Ignite Louisville,” said Cynthia Knapek, President and CEO of Leadership Louisville Center. “Their passion, dedication, and potential are inspiring, and I’m happy to celebrate the over 50 companies who are investing in their talent today – to support their high potential leaders with tools needed to prepare them for the tough challenges ahead.”

“These leaders are paving the way for an even brighter future for Louisville,” said Russ F. Cox, President and CEO of Norton Healthcare. “We’re excited to support the Leadership Louisville Center’s Ignite Louisville program as Norton Healthcare believes in investing in new leaders to create highly networked, creative, and energized community stakeholders for tomorrow.”

Over the six-month program, participants learn from leadership experts and the world-class curriculum of LeadingBetter™. The experience builds two capabilities that drive performance in almost any role: the science of execution (planning, prioritizing and delegating) and the art of influence (collaborating, managing conflict and communicating with impact). Ignite Louisville is more than a leadership program: it’s a talent accelerator and a masterclass in leading with and through others.

The class began last week, with a two-day Opening Retreat on October 29–30 at the Boone Tavern in Berea, Kentucky. Thank you to supporting sponsor Wipfli and Cocktails and Connection sponsor Brown-Forman.

Participants will put their learning into practice through the Ignite Louisville Leadership Challenge. The class is divided into Community Acceleration Teams that partner with local nonprofits to develop and implement solutions to real needs. Since the first class, Ignite Louisville teams have completed nearly 200 projects for area nonprofits, contributing more than 67,000 volunteer hours and $5.3 million in social impact. The Center’s Community Acceleration Teams are presented by CommonSpirit: Legacy Foundation of Kentuckiana.

Members of the Ignite Louisville Class of 2027 are:

• Leslie Anderson, Director, Provider Engagement, Molina Healthcare
• Daniel Boswell, Attorney, Stites & Harbison PLLC
• Samantha Boyd, Director, Program Delivery, Humana Inc.
• Hallie Bratton, Manager, Cardiovascular Operations, Baptist Health
• Meghan Brown, Emergency Preparedness & Operational Resiliency Coordinator, Louisville Water Company
• Brittany Burke, System Director, Center for Nursing Practice and Academic-Practice Partnerships, Norton Healthcare
• Jessica Carney-Perks, Administrator, Redline Performing Arts
• Andrea Condict, Director of Marketing, Trilogy Health Services LLC
• Molly Connor, Grants Compliance Supervisor, Louisville Metro Government
• B. Cook, Clinical Director of Residential Operations, Maryhurst, Inc.
• Blake Corey, Global Product Manager, Zeochem
• Jessica Corona-Cox, Manager, NCI Clinical Research & Strategic Operations, Norton Healthcare
• Thomas Crockett, Business Development Manager, Advanced Business Solutions
• Haley Crum, Senior Associate Attorney, FBT Gibbons
• Maria Della Bella, Engagement Manager, Leadership Louisville Center
• Drew Deptola, Director, Strategy and Planning, Norton Healthcare
• Shannon Derrick, Manager, Healthcare Services, Passport by Molina Healthcare
• Nishel’le Dickerson, Project Manager, Turner Construction
• Michael Dougherty, Human Resources Specialist, Louisville Paving and Construction Company, Inc. (LPX Group)
• Derek Doyle, Senior Director, C2 Strategic Communications
• Kathryn Finn, Sr. Brand Manager, Heaven Hill Brands
• Gloria Fuqua, HR Business Partner Lead, Humana Inc.
• Zoe Gilland, Vice President of Finance, Poe Companies
• Zachary Harris, Senior Logistics Transportation, Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions
• Bill Hill, Talent Acquisition Manager, Denton Floyd Real Estate Group
• Jonna Hogan, Corporate and Securities Legal Specialist, Brown-Forman Corporation
• Katherine Ison, Commercial Litigation Associate, Gray Ice Higdon, PLLC
• Jeanette Jones, AVP, People Operations, Trilogy Health Services LLC
• Sophie Jones, Account Manager, Tandem Public Relations
• Hannah Junglas, Industrial Designer, Midea America Research Center
• Michael Kolodziej, Director of Development & Digital Engagement, Kentucky Harvest, Inc.
• Jordan Koser, Director of Compliance, Humana Inc.
• Mason Lenhart, Associate Relationship Manager, Fifth Third Bank
• Julian McCrary, Program Coordinator, Blueprint502 (formerly YouthBuild Louisville)
• Casey McKinley, Vendor Management Lead, CenterWell Senior Primary Care
• Christina Miller, Director of Marketing & Communications, Community Foundation of Louisville, Inc.
• Brice Mitchell, Public Relations Director, Baptist Health
• Destiny Monyhan, Director of Destination Services, Louisville Tourism
• LeeAnn Moore, Sr. Manager, Project Development, LG&E and KU Energy
• Seth Newby, Financial Planner, Cerity Partners
• James Orlick, Grant & Partnership Development Program Manager III, University of Louisville
• Troy Petrie, Associate Director, Youth Engagement, iCivics
• LaShawnda Pilgrim, Outreach Program Coordinator, YMCA of Greater Louisville
• William Ranney, Senior Manager – Client Advisory, Baldwin CPAs, PLLC
• Emily Rapp, Director, Events & Engagement, One Louisville
• Nick Reynolds, Assurance Associate Director, Dean Dorton
• Clayton Rose, Vice President, Commercial Banking, German American Bank
• Elizabeth Ruwe, Senior Manager of Corporate Giving, Metro United Way
• Layne Sanders, Assistant Director – Migration and Refugee Services, Catholic Charities of Louisville, Inc.
• Kourtnee Seymour, Unit Manager, Seven Counties Services Inc.
• Courtney Standard, Executive Director for Leadership, Career Development, and Student Services, Simmons College of Kentucky
• Brendan Sullivan, AVP, Sales Reporting & Strategy, PNC Bank
• Kerry Timberlake, Air Division Manager, UPS Airlines
• Greg Vann, Executive Administrator, Jefferson County Public Schools
• Keshia Wilkins, Manager of Lease Accounting, Confluent Health
• Kristen Williams, Executive Director, Play Cousins Collective
• Eunique Yohance, Deputy Director, Black Birth Justice