Our VP of External Affairs DeVone Holt was among the first 12 businesses and community leaders appointed to the new West End Opportunity Partnership board this past week.
The board members were appointed by Gov. Andy Beshear, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, University of Louisville President Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, Simmons College of Kentucky President Dr. Kevin Cosby and the Louisville Metro Council, according to Beshear’s office.
The partnership aims to bring new life to West Louisville. The team, listed below, will use funds from the new taxing district to reinvest back into the community.
- J. Michael Brown, Governor’s Executive Cabinet secretary
- Jeana Dunlap, urbanist and strategic advisor representing the NAACP
- DeVone Holt, vice president of external affairs at Goodwill of Kentucky, representing One West
- Christina Shadle, director of investment at the Louisville Urban League
- Jennifer Hancock, CEO of Volunteers of America
- David Kaplan, attorney at Kaplan Johnson Abate & Bird LLP
- Dr. Dawn Wade, chief strategy officer at NIMBUS, president and CEO of EOS Strategic Solutions
- Dr. Frank M. Smith, Jr., executive vice president of Simmons College of Kentucky
- Mark Watkins, vice president and chief operating officer of University of Louisville
Holt has been a key cog in the planned move of our headquarters to West Louisville, where we’ll create an “Opportunity Campus” for individuals in need in the area. As a resident, he’s had a front-row view of the decline in economic growth of the area; And on a professional level, he’s strived to improve those conditions.
To learn more about the recently appointed board, read this WDRB story: