Donald M. Vowels is a psychotherapist and spiritual counselor with Body, Mind, Spirit Health and Wellness in Louisville. He has an extensive resume in psychotherapy, theology and social work. While his professional life was in full swing, a December 2011 routine colonoscopy profoundly and instantly changed Vowel’s personal life when he was diagnosed with anal cancer. A May 2014, recurrence of cancer in his chest area led Vowels to creating his own Caring Bridge Blog for followers of his cancer j...
Jun 28, 2017•31 min
Sterling Lapinski is an entrepreneur and angel investor. In 2012, he co-founded ClipperData, an energy market information service, where he currently serves as CEO. Lapinski is also the co-founder of Genscape, the world’s leading provider of real-time energy information. The technology and intellectual property core of the business were created and managed by Lapinski. In 2006, Lapinski and his partners sold Genscape to the Daily Mail & General Trust for almost $200 million. Lapinski has inv...
Jun 28, 2017•32 min
When Nina Moseley talks about her work helping those in poverty, her eyes light up with hope and her enthusiasm fills the room. Since 1988, Moseley has been the chief operating officer of Wayside Christian Mission. The organization helps Louisville’s homeless population “not with a hand-out, but with a hand up.” The organization has grown from an overnight shelter for the homeless, to a center for hope with education and skills training as well. Along the way, they’ve taken on the city, enlisted...
Jun 28, 2017•32 min
Mitzi Friedlander has spent much of her career bringing stories to life for the blind. After 50 years of recording books, Friedlander holds the record for most talking book titles narrated for the National Library Service. As a Louisville-native and former singer, Friedlander once performed in the Kentucky Opera Association. She sang and acted in many operas, musicals and plays in the 1950s. Friedlander also holds a master’s degree in theatre arts from the University of Louisville. She went on t...
Jun 28, 2017•29 min
Rebecca Eaves saves and protects animals suffering from abuse and neglect. A long-time animal rescuer and activist, Eaves is the founder and president of The Arrow Fund, a Kentucky based non-profit that provides medical treatment to animal victims of torture, abuse, or neglect, and then finds them loving homes. The organization takes legal possession of the animal and holds the abuser responsible by pursuing legal action against them. This selfless mission is truly fueled by love, as all the mem...
Jun 28, 2017•32 min
Barry Denton is passionate about his hometown of Louisville. In 2003, he began work as a bomb squad commander and police sergeant. Currently, Denton serves in the police force, and in educating the next generation. He works as a patrol officer for Audubon Park Police, and serves as an adjunct professor with the American Military University, the University of Louisville, and Indiana Wesleyan University. Since 2013, he has served as the executive director of the Louisville Metro Police Foundation....
Jun 28, 2017•26 min
Joey Wagner, Owner of the J Wagner Group, has been putting on some of the biggest events in the city of Louisville and the midwest region for the past 10 years. J. Wagner Group, a full-service event planning, marketing, and promotions firm, serves many well-known and high-end clients. Wagner also owns DerbyVIP.com, a full-service concierge service providing rental houses, car service, fashion, security, and tickets to celebrity and charity events for Kentucky Derby Weekend. Wagner previously ser...
Jun 28, 2017•30 min
Gale Lively always felt her job was to help people excel in their jobs. She brought this view to her leadership position as the executive vice president of the Louisville Apartment Association. She served in this position for over 37 years prior to announcing her retirement in 2014. The non-profit represents apartment owners, vendors, and apartment communities in Louisville and advocates on behalf of the apartment industry through legislative lobbying on the local, state and national levels. Foc...
Jun 28, 2017•26 min
Ankur Gopal’s desire to make an impact has fueled his success building a technology application company. Gopal is the founder and CEO of Interapt LLC, a Google Glass partner. Interapt is an award-winning company specializing in mobile apps and wearable technology. Interapt partners with businesses in the healthcare and long-term care industries, helping them use technology more effectively to complement their overall business strategy. Interapt was selected by Google as one of only ten global co...
Jun 28, 2017•36 min
A competitive spirit drives Chris Morris in his pursuit for excellence as a master distiller. A Louisville native, Morris is only the seventh master distiller at the Brown-Forman Corporation since 1870, as well as its current spirits historian. He is responsible for maintaining the award-winning taste of the Woodford Reserve family of brands and serves as brand ambassador at trade and consumer functions. Morris is one of three generations in his family to work at Brown-Forman. He began as a trai...
Jun 28, 2017•30 min
Since Lee W. Robinson was seven years old and constructing scale models, he has had a passion for design and building beautiful homes. After a 14-year career in banking, Robinson decided to pursue his dream to open a design company that offers drafting, remodeling and design services in one location. The Lee W. Robinson Company, now in St. Matthews, fills two floors with a beautiful collection of furniture and accessories from artisans and design houses. The collection includes Robinson’s three ...
Jun 28, 2017•33 min
Kevin Grangier is driven by his desire to create things that make people happy. Grangier began his career in marketing and communication locally, before heading to Los Angeles to start his own company. Carry On Communication Inc. is an award winning firm specializing in branding, public relations, and marketing. It expanded to five communication companies and offered services to some of the largest, most significant brands in the U.S. like Yahoo!, Clorox and many others. In 2010, Grangier return...
Jun 28, 2017•29 min
Dan McDonnell loves to compete, loves to win, and loves seeing the growth in his players as he coaches the University of Louisville baseball team. Since McDonnell’s hiring in 2006, the team has accomplished amazing statistics. In his first year, McDonnell led the team to the College World Series. Then he led the Cardinals to seven more NCAA appearances in eight years, including two more to the College World Series. Louisville is ranked 6th place nationally, with a school record of 51 wins in 201...
Jun 28, 2017•26 min
Tom Jurich cites his motivation to do things right and see results as he leads athletic programs at the University of Louisville. Since 1997, Jurich has made a permanent mark at the University of Louisville by leading an athletic department that has enjoyed tremendous athletic and academic accomplishments. In 2003, Jurich began his run as vice president at U of L. Under Jurich, the Cardinal athletic teams have produced unparalleled success in multiple sports. Louisville’s 2012 – 2013 year marked...
Jun 28, 2017•30 min
Jeff Walz has a passion for excellence that drives him as the head coach of the University of Louisville Women’s basketball team. Walz was hired as the head coach in 2007. Since then, he has helped the Cardinals burst into national prominence as one of the most competitive and successful teams. In his eight seasons with the team, the women Cardinals have gone to the NCAA Sweet 16 six times, had two NCAA Runner Up finishes, two All-Americans, 18 All-Conference selections, and five WNBA draft pick...
Jun 28, 2017•30 min
Heather Howell’s desire to inspire her children and fear of failure power her in selecting her projects and in growing beverage brands. As director of innovation for Brown-Forman Corporation, Howell is responsible for developing the global portfolio expansion strategy and acts as brand leader for Collingwood, a premium blended Canadian whiskey. Howell joined Brown-Forman in 2015. She previously worked for Rooibee Red Tea, where she served as chief tea officer, CEO and, board member, helping take...
Jun 28, 2017•30 min
Driven by conscience and seeing challenges as possibilities drive Jackie Ford as she leads the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana. Tennessee-native Ford brings over 25 years of non-profit experience to the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana. Previously, Ford served as the executive director of Literacy Volunteers of America in Connecticut for 10 years. In 1988, she began her career with the Girl Scouts as director of membership and marketing in southwest Connecticut and moved on to COO in 2002. A few years late...
Jun 28, 2017•24 min
Emily Cleveland has a passion for helping children see past disability through friendship. Cleveland is the Kentucky state director of Best Buddies International, providing direct support for the state’s school-based programs. These programs create opportunities for youth and adults, with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities and disorders, though friendship pairings. Best Buddies of Kentucky has seen significant growth since Cleveland has been with the organization. The number...
Jun 28, 2017•27 min
Vickie Yates Brown brings passion to all of her projects – from shaping health care policy to the Nucleus project. Brown is an experienced health care law and finance attorney. She worked on planning, development, and finance for Nucleus: Kentucky’s Research and Innovation Center alongside the University of Louisville Foundation and U of L President James Ramsey. Brown was named president and CEO of Nucleus in 2008. Brown also serves as the chair of the Health and Life Sciences Practice Group at...
Jun 28, 2017•30 min
David Nicholson learned the importance of community involvement from his late father, Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge S. Rush Nicholson. In 1991, Nicholson joined the Metro Criminal Justice Commission and in 1998, became its executive director. During this time, the commission, which helps first responders, received millions in grants. This included a multi-million-dollar grant from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, which captured national headlines. In 2006, and again in 2012, Nicholson...
Jun 28, 2017•31 min
Creativity in food, atmosphere and service fuel John Varanese in his career as chef and restaurant owner. After an impressive food and restaurant background, Varanese opened Varanese on Frankfort Avenue in 2007. Eight years later, he announced his second restaurant, River House, located on the riverfront. Later that year, Varanese announced another restaurant at the River House location, Levee, which would feature live entertainment and a unique cuisine, a completely separate experience from Riv...
Jun 28, 2017•30 min
Love for family drives both Patrick John Hughes and his son, Patrick Henry Hughes, to expand possibilities. Patrick Henry was born without eyes and without the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs, making him unable to walk. He has overcome these physical issues to excel as a musician and public speaker. Musician Patrick Henry has flourished with the support of his family. His father, Patrick John, sees his blessings with family as his driving inspiration to serve them each day. Patrick...
Jun 28, 2017•59 min
Terri Foster knew from a young age she had musical gifts, and now seeks to use her gifts to help other young people develop theirs. Since 2007, Foster has been named artistic/executive director of the Louisville Youth Choir. She directs the Chamber and Aria Choirs at LYC, as well as the all-female Adult Alumni Choir. Under her direction, the Louisville Youth Choir performed with the Moscow Ballet in their U.S. touring production of “The Great Russian Nutcracker.” Conducting since 1993, Foster wa...
Jun 28, 2017•30 min
Michael Blowen’s fear of horses grew into a deep love for horses, and for saving their lives. Early in his career, Blowen was a writer and movie critic for The Boston Globe. He eventually held the enviable position of movie critic, which gave him contact with film stars and celebrities throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. A chance outing in 1997 to Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts proved to be a life-changing event. Wanting to learn more about horses to improve his chances to win at the track, Blowen...
Jun 28, 2017•28 min
Katie George sees her daily challenge to make herself and others better. Louisville-native George graduated from Assumption High School where she played volleyball for Coach Ron Kordes. She received several volleyball sports accolades and was featured in the 2010 Faces in the Crowd in Sports Illustrated magazine. Among her many accomplishments and recognitions, George led her team to the Regional 7 Tournament Championship twice, was named in Under Armour’s All-American Watch List, and was also n...
Jun 28, 2017•30 min
The 1993 tragic murder of their daughter, Mary, thrust Pat Byron and her husband, John, into advocacy work for domestic violence victims. Mary was shot and killed by the assailant who previously raped and stalked her, the very same day he was released from prison. Mary was not aware he had been set free. This flaw in the system led the Byron’s to create the Victim Information and Notification Everyday system. Known as VINE, the system calls crime victims any time there is a change in their offen...
Jun 28, 2017•29 min
Tyrone Cotton’s love of music and desire to create fuels his music and the songs he writes. Cotton is a Louisville musician and songwriter. Inspired by his grandfather, a preacher, and singer, he fused his sound from blues, jazz, folk, and rock. His mother loved gospel and R&B, and at a young age, BB King thrilled Cotton with his playing. Later, he would study Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy and Mississippi John Hurt. Cotton began playing guitar and by his early 20s, he was playing clu...
Jun 28, 2017•29 min
Robin Miller grew up in a family active in politics and the community, spurring her to serve in the public sector. Miller serves as the executive director for downtown Louisville’s Main Street Association, a business and historical preservation company. She also recently launched her own community marketing firm. Miller has worked within the public education, social service, and business association sectors for 20 years. She pursued a career in the public sector immediately after college. Her fi...
Jun 28, 2017•28 min
A love for horticulture inspired Lee Squires in his career managing the 300-acre Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Ky. Squires was the general manager of Cave Hill Cemetery for more than 40 years (1975-2015). He was its 5th president since the cemetery's founding over 150 years ago, in 1848. He also acted as president of the Kentucky Cemetery Association and is the past executive director of the Kentucky Nursery and Landscape Association. Squires is the current president of the Kentucky State Co...
Jun 28, 2017•26 min
Diane Medley and her business partner founded their CPA firm to treat people in a way that they can achieve their dreams. When Medley became managing partner of Mountjoy Chilton Medley, she was named the first female managing partner of a CPA firm in this U.S. region and the only female managing partner of a Top 100 firm, as well as a founding member of a firm. In her role she determines and executes Mountjoy Chilton Medley’s strategic goals and has led the firm through several mergers and acqui...
Jun 28, 2017•25 min
