Leadership Louisville Center and our partner brand LeadingBetter have teamed up with Leaders Atlas to capture and share the incredible ripple effects of our alumni. Using their AI-powered storytelling tool, graduates from across our programs have reflected on their leadership journeys and the impact they’ve made on teams, organizations, and communities.
This project is called Alumni Stories: The Ripple Effect—and it’s a celebration of the way one leader’s growth creates waves of positive change.
You can still add your voice. We invite you to share how Leadership Louisville Center or LeadingBetter has shaped you as a leader. With our tech-powered tool, you’ll be guided to reflect, craft your story, and inspire others. Your story will be showcased on our website and social media over the coming months.
The deadline to submit your story is October 30, 2025.
When a leader grows, it doesn’t stop with them. The lessons they carry ripple outward. First to their teams, then to their organizations, and ultimately to the community. That’s what happens every day through Leadership Louisville programs: one person’s courage, connection, and commitment sparking change that multiplies far beyond the classroom.
The First Ripple: Leading Self
Transformation always begins within.
De’Andra Dooley discovered that leadership isn’t just about “strategy and spreadsheets, it’s about people, connection, and courage.” For Sophia Fischer, the leap from individual contributor to people leader meant realizing that “building a team, creating loyalty and quality of life for others takes more than just doing the work.”
Others found that authenticity and calm presence are at the heart of influence. Lauren Newcomb shared, “Authentic connections are what really matter when you need to create change. Ignite Louisville taught me that vulnerability and leveraging everyone’s strengths creates the foundation for meaningful community impact.” For Amit Sarkar, a simple Ignite lesson to “be like a duck” became his guide: stay calm on the surface, steady the team, and keep paddling forward with purpose.
These are the first ripples – leaders learning to lead themselves differently.
The Second Ripple: Better Teams and Organizations
When leaders shift, so do the environments around them.
Catina Rivera saw how building psychological safety can unleash innovation: “Real transformation happens when you recognize the underlying dynamics preventing people from speaking up and intentionally build psychological safety into the culture, watching collaboration deepen, morale improve, and solutions emerge organically.”
Others discovered that solving complex challenges requires more than isolated effort. As Troy Burden put it, “I have learned I need to take time to be in community with other nonprofit leaders to get inspiration and re-engage creative thinking in order to be effective as a leader.” Amy Sarkar echoed the same theme, noting that real ripples come from “leading with purpose while building authentic collaboration.”
Here, the ripples spread outward – healthier teams, more resilient organizations, and leaders who think systemically rather than in silos.
The Third Ripple: Community Transformation
The most powerful ripples are felt across neighborhoods and cities.
Robert Earl Gunn Jr. experienced this through Bingham Fellows: “When solution-oriented leaders have time, space, and opportunity to collaborate, real systemic change becomes possible.” His work helped launch HOPE United Fellowship, designed to save lives and unlock the potential of young Black men in Louisville.
Others found new ways to meet community needs. Angella Wilson’s search for connection expanded into addressing veterans’ mental health and workforce transportation barriers. Karl Schmitt and his Bingham Fellows team created Louisville Active, introducing sports to kids in underserved neighborhoods and reframing how a sports commission could drive health equity.
These leaders turned personal growth into collective good, the kind of ripples that lift entire communities.
The Fourth Ripple: Global Reach
Sometimes those ripples extend even further.
Gloria Murray discovered that global impact often begins with simple, local action. Through Ignite Louisville, she found that working with others to implement small, concrete steps could lead to lasting change. Her efforts with WaterStep grew into community action with international reach.
The Ripple Continues
From self-leadership to systemic change, these stories show that Leadership Louisville Center and LeadingBetter doesn’t just create individual success, it creates a multiplier effect. Better leaders spark better results, and those results ripple outward to create a better world.
Every alum carries the potential to cast new ripples, whether in a team meeting, a boardroom, or a community in need. Together, those ripples form waves of lasting impact.
Explore more alumni stories and see the ripple effect in action:
Leadership Louisville Alumni Stories