Home » Forty-four community leaders selected for 2012 Bingham Fellows in Louisville

Forty-four community leaders selected for 2012 Bingham Fellows in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Jan. 12, 2012) – Forty-four community leaders were selected to participate in the Bingham Fellows Class of 2012. They will use their skills, broad knowledge base and range of experience to explore how to maximize the family’s role in each child’s academic life and what role the community can play. As the community rallies around the goal of 55,000 Degrees and creating a college-going culture, the 2012 Bingham Fellows will continue the program’s over 20-year legacy of tackling the most timely and impactful challenges of our region.

The program year begins with the Opening Retreat January 19-20 featuring the Jefferson County Public Schools’ perspective on parent engagement from Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens. They will get an overview of the 55,000 Degrees initiative by Mary Gwen Wheeler and explore national and statewide family engagement initiatives with Bonnie Lash Freeman from the National Center for Family Literacy and Stu Silberman from the Pritchard Committee for Academic Excellence.

Members of the Bingham Fellows Class of 2012 include:
Daniel Arbough, LG&E and KU Energy LLC; John Asher, Churchill Downs; Julie Brown, Family Scholar House; Diane M. Calhoun-French, Ph.D., Jefferson Community & Technical College; Larry Caruso, GE Home and Business Solutions; Aristofanes Cedeño, Ph.D., Governor’s Scholars Program, Inc.; John Cullen, LockUpLead; Peter Cummins, Frost Brown Todd LLC; Craig Dilger, Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC; Kevin Fields, Louisville Central Community Centers, Inc.; Daniel P. Fox, Family & Children’s Place; Shawn Gardner, 2NOT1 Fatherhood and Families, Inc.; Shelley Gast, Norton Healthcare; Joe Gilbert, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield; Rev. Kathy Goodwin, United Methodist Church; Michelle Griffin, Ph.D., Humana Military Healthcare Services Inc.; Michael F. Hall, Citi; Debra Hoffer, Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana, Inc.; Jim Hogan, U.S. Voice & Data; Andrea Houston, U.S. Department of Commerce; Jennifer Hughes, Deming, Malone, Livesay & Ostroff; Dana C. Jackson, Network Center for Community Change; Brian Jones, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; Beverly J. Keepers, Ph.D., Spalding University; Rick King, Eaton Corporation; Glenn Kosse, Bellarmine University; Vitalis Lanshima, Jefferson County Board of Education; Doris Mann, A Hen’s Green House, LLC; Dodie L. McKenzie, James Graham Brown Foundation; John Megibben, Messer Construction Co.; Jamie Meyers, Humana Inc.; Robin Miller, Louisville Science Center; Mark Mueller, The Oliver Group; Karen Napier, Metro United Way; Jim Parobek, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare / Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital; Tony Peyton, Louisville Metro Government; Cecelia Price, Archdiocese of Louisville; Robert J. Rodosky, Ph.D., Jefferson County Public Schools; Jenny Sawyer, University of Louisville; Jan Scholtz, CRS, ABR, Jan Scholtz Realtors; David W. Seewer, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP; Steve Tarver, YMCA of Greater Louisville; Nancy Warfield, Brown-Forman Corporation; and Anthony Zipple, Ph.D., Seven Counties Services, Inc.

Bingham Fellows’ Steering committee:

The steering committee will serve as an advisory board for the class throughout the program year. The committee includes: Ralph Fitzpatrick, University of Louisville; William Hollander, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP; B. Lindsey Miller, GE Foundation and JCPS; Bonnie Lash Freeman, National Center for Family Literacy; Ben Richmond, The Louisville Urban League; Debbie Wesslund, Jefferson County Public School Board; and Mary Gwen Wheeler, 55,000 Degrees.

More about the Bingham Fellows Class of 2012 topic:
In the Leadership Louisville Center’s consideration of topics for the 2012 Bingham Fellows class, education emerged from the community call for ideas as the most timely and impactful challenge for the region. Study after study shows that family, home and community are true drivers of student success. The 2012 Bingham Fellows will take a leadership role in engaging parents, families and the business community to inspire student achievement.

Dr. Donna Hargens, superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools said, “Even incremental increases in academic focus outside the classroom can have substantial long-term impact for students. We have a promising opportunity with the Bingham Fellows working to engage the community towards increased family involvement.”

As our community rallies around the goal of creating and supporting a college-going culture, the Fellows have the opportunity to strengthen the confidence and abilities of our next generation to prepare them for future success.

About the Bingham Fellows program:
The Bingham Fellows program is the advanced leadership program of the Leadership Louisville Center. It was created in 1988 through a $500,000 endowment from the Mary and Barry Bingham Sr. Fund. The participants are social entrepreneurs who have both a vision and the ability to assemble the resources required to implement that vision to address obvious social needs. Now in its 21st year, the Bingham Fellows have had an impressive track record of providing emerging issues with visibility and momentum.
In recent years, they’ve worked for a more environmentally-responsible community through initiatives at the grassroots and policy levels, worked to attract and retain talent with an internship program now managed by Greater Louisville Inc., formed the Regional Leadership Coalition and held a regional summit to promote more collaboration. The impact of the Fellows goes back to the 1990’s with the creation of The Housing Partnership, construction of the Presbyterian Community Center, growth of local farmers’ markets and numerous other positive outcomes.

About the Leadership Louisville Center:
Created in 1979, the Leadership Louisville Center is the region’s most valuable resource for leadership development and civic engagement. Its mission is to grow and connect a diverse network of leaders who serve as catalysts for a world-class community through dynamic programming and strong community connections.