LEXINGTON, Ky. — Commerce Lexington Inc. celebrated the 40th anniversary of Leadership Lexington and recognized the graduating class of the 2019-20 program presented by McBrayer PLLC.
Since 1979, this nationally recognized leadership development program has been cultivating Lexington leaders, producing more than 1,600 graduates from this highly informative, educational and results-oriented leadership development program.
Each class of Leadership Lexington engages in difficult conversations, issues and topics as participants learn more about themselves and others, as well as the community. However, this year’s class not only had to evolve on the fly as the COVID-19 pandemic descended upon Kentucky, but also dealt with the sudden passing of fellow class member Anita Franklin (Office of Fayette Sheriff) on Feb. 24, 2020 of natural causes.
Leadership Lexington Program Director Amy Stout said, “The news of Anita Franklin’s passing shocked us all. She was a passionate leader, adored by her Leadership Lexington classmates. In addition to her tireless work in the community to stop gun violence, Anita wanted to provide education and tools for at-risk students through her proposed class project called Lex Bank Smart. The project aimed at benefitting middle and high school students by teaching financial literacy partnered with the Audrey Grievous Center to teach students good money habits early on and prepare for their financial success utilizing Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass curriculum. The loss of Anita was felt greatly in the community and by her Leadership Lexington classmates.”
First presented in 1998, the Leadership Lexington Distinguished Leader Award annually recognizes the class member who demonstrates strong principles and dedication to the concept of community service. Members of the 2019-20 class were invited to nominate a fellow class member for the award, and they overwhelmingly selected Anita Franklin to be honored posthumously with the Distinguished Leader Award.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Leadership Lexington class members have connected virtually on Zoom for four informal class check-ins and two virtual sessions. The final session for the 2019-20 program was held virtually on July 16 and included a workshop led by Jason Cummins entitled “Building a Learning Organization,” an after action review where participants provided feedback about the program, class project presentations, and a breakout group exercise. Gift baskets were delivered to each class member courtesy of the Leadership Lexington Alumni Association.
2019-20 Leadership Lexington graduating class:
Dara Allen
Marketing Strategy Manager
Keeneland Association
David Biroschik
Lieutenant Bureau of Patrol
Lexington Police Department
Allison Carter
Associate Director of Tax Services
Dean Dorton Allen Ford, PLLC
Kyle Chafin
Staffing Manager
Robert Half
Elizabeth Combs
VP, Strategic Initiatives and Attorney
Wrigley Media Group
Richard Compton
Group Leader – Engineering
Kentucky Utilities Company
Tatum Dale
District Director
US House of Representatives, Office of Congressman Andy Barr
Brandi Doss
Marketing Director
YMCA of Central Kentucky
Afton Fairchild
Community Engagement Director
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass
Katherine Finnell
Attorney
Bluegrass ElderLaw, PLLC
Charles Fox
AVP, Relationship Manager
City National Bank
Anita Franklin
Community Outreach Coordinator
Office of Fayette Sheriff
Cameron Hamilton
Director of Financial Planning
Ballast, Inc.
Tiffany Hayden
Athletic Academic Counselor
University of Kentucky – Athletics
Benjamin Haydon
Community Engagement Coordinator
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
Jason Henninger
Owner
Kentucky Pro DJ
Katrina Howard
Compliance & Facilities Officer
Lexington-Fayette County Health Department
Dina Klimkina
Program Manager, Center for Innovation
The Council of State Governments
Sarah Lester
Enterprise Director of Nursing Professional Practice and Excellence
UK HealthCare
Stephanie Lyttle
Financial Advisor
Triple Crown Advisors/Ameriprise
Clare Magee
Director of Academic Programs
Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship/Transylvania
Mark Manczyk
Architect
Omni Architects
Nathan McConathy
Owner
Condensed Creativity
Karen McIntyre
Fiduciary Investment Advisor
Unified Trust Company
Emily Miller
Private Banking Officer V.P.
Republic Bank and Trust Co.
Sherita Miller
Minority Business Enterprise Liaison
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
Joshua Nadzam
Co-Founder, Director
On The Move Art Studio
Lauren Nichols
Partner
Dentons Bingham Greenebaum
Trevor Nichols
Associate Attorney
McBrayer PLLC
ReShanda Oldham
Human Resources Business Partner
Viamedia
Amanda Olmsted
Senior Account Planner
Right Place Media
Les Olson
Principal
JRA Architects
Mia Pelham
Sales Manager
Lexington Marriott City Center Hotels
Teddy Ray
Director of Finances and Marketing
North Lime Coffee & Donuts
Yoshie Reid
Director, Global Compensation
Lexmark International Inc.
Samuel Reinhardt
Litigation Attorney
Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC
Laura Richard
President
Larland Beef LLC
Amy Sandlin
Tax Manager
Blue & Co., LLC
Michael Schachleiter
Senior Investment Advisor
PNC Bank
Michelle Sjogren
Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications
Bluegrass Community & Technical College
Maury Sparrow
Communications Director
LexArts
Emily Startsman
Attorney
Stites & Harbison PLLC
Scooter Stein
Director of Public Affairs
Office of the Fayette County Sheriff
Kristin Taylor
Business Development Manager
Commerce Lexington Inc.
Kristin Voskuhl
Executive Advisor
Commonwealth of Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet
Jason Wells
Assistant Chief
Lexington Fire Department
Ellen Williams
External Affairs Specialist
Kentucky American Water
Alex Wolf
AVP, Retail Banking Officer
Central Bank & Trust
Langdon Worley
Partner
Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLC
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