2025 Bingham Fellows Deliver Three Solutions to Address Louisville’s Workforce Housing Challenges
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Press Release
Today the Bingham Fellows Class of 2025 graduate, hold public launch event for projects addressing the 2025 topic: A Place to Call Home – Innovative Workforce Housing Solutions
Louisville, Kentucky (November 20, 2025) – After a year of deep exploration and collaboration, the forty-two members of the Leadership Louisville Center’s Bingham Fellows Class of 2025 have unveiled three initiatives focused on the urgent topic: “A Place to Call Home: Innovative Workforce Housing Solutions.”
The Bingham Fellows program is the advanced leadership program of the Leadership Louisville Center, created in 1988 to gather a diverse group of leaders to develop dynamic and innovative solutions to our community’s most pressing challenges. Each year, the Leadership Louisville Center selects a class of experts, influencers, and creative thinkers to address the most urgent issue facing our city.
This year’s cohort focused on the topic, “A Place to Call Home: Innovative Workforce Housing Solutions,” examining Louisville’s housing crisis for the working class, exploring how rising costs, limited inventory, and zoning barriers affect our city’s ability to attract and retain a talented workforce.
Throughout the year, the class engaged with housing experts, policymakers, developers, and community advocates to understand the complex factors influencing affordability and access. Their work builds on the legacy of the inaugural Bingham Fellows class, which formed The Housing Partnership Inc. more than three decades ago to create equitable housing opportunities.
Today the Bingham Fellows Class of 2025 publicly launched three innovative projects designed to expand access to affordable housing, revitalize neighborhoods, and strengthen community understanding. Together, these projects demonstrate how collaboration, innovation, and investment can ensure every Louisvillian has a stable, affordable place to call home – and that our city remains a thriving, equitable community for generations to come.
Bingham Fellows Class of 2025 Projects:
Home Capital – a private investment fund in partnership with the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Louisville Metro Government, unlocking new sources of capital to accelerate affordable housing development.
Louisville is at a tipping point: rising rents, long commutes, and limited housing options threaten working families across our city. To respond, the Bingham Fellows Class of 2025 are launching Home Capital, a private investment fund designed to unlock capital for affordable housing development.
Partnering with the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Louisville Metro Government, Home Capital creates a revolving pool of low-interest loans that amplifies impact by securing a 1:1 public match for every private dollar invested. This sustainable model advances shovel-ready developments, recycles dollars year after year, and multiplies community impact while providing modest returns to socially conscious investors.
By bridging the gap between public need and private capital, Home Capital ensures that essential workers, including nurses, teachers, emergency responders, and others, can live where they work and thrive. Together, Louisville can lead a public–private response that secures a stronger, more sustainable future for all.
Home Capital team:
Rowan Claypool, President, Teach Kentucky
Clay Kannapell, Director of Global Logistics, Brown-Forman Corporation
Barry Kornstein, Consultant, Independent Consultant
Rob Locke, Chief Executive Officer, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville
Josh O'Bryan, Partner, Frost Brown Todd
Joe Seiler, Retired - Senior Vice President, Limestone Bank, Inc.
Curtis Stauffer, Managing Director, Housing Contract Administration, Kentucky Housing Corporation
Clare Wallace, Executive Director, South Louisville Community Ministries
Clark Welch, Vice President of Economic Development, Greater Louisville Inc.
Josh Williams, Director, Strong Households, Metro United Way
Pathways to Neighbors – a transformative initiative led by the Louisville Urban League to reclaim abandoned properties in West Louisville and return them to productive use as affordable homes.
Pathways to Neighbors is a transformative initiative focused on revitalizing nine West Louisville neighborhoods by acquiring and redistributing vacant properties in concentrated clusters. Led by the Louisville Urban League, the program identifies clusters of abandoned properties, secures them through tax liens and owner outreach, and transfers them to nonprofits and small developers. A governing body will ensure transparency and community engagement throughout the process. Support from UofL Law students and AI tools will help locate property owners and streamline acquisitions. Restrictive covenants will offer original owners the right to repurchase, preserving equity and dignity.
The initiative aims to reduce legal barriers, promote affordable housing, and create visible neighborhood impact. While questions remain around governance structure, community definitions, funding, and long-term sustainability, Pathways to Neighbors represents a strategic effort to turn blight into opportunity — empowering residents and reshaping the future of West Louisville.
Pathways to Neighbors Team:
Francisco Alzuru, Founder Manager, Bluegrass Multifamily
Jeff Ames, Corporate Banker, Republic Bank & Trust Company
Kristy Flippins Bartlett, Founder/CEO, Option to Success Inc.
Andrew Hawes, President and CEO, The Housing Partnership, Inc.
Michael Holwerda, Senior Vice President, Fifth Third Bank
Andrea Kinser, SVP, Originations, PNC Bank
Ra'Shann Martin, Executive Director, St. John Center
Denise O'Donnell, Chief Financial Officer, Scope CFO
Tamara Reif, Senior Director of Housing Services, Volunteers of America Mid-States
DeOndrea Robinson, Owner, Jump Start Realty and Development LLC
Jean Romano, Vice President, Seven Counties Services Inc.
Hunt Rounsavall, Owner, Rounsavall Title Group, LLC
Adonna Wickliffe, CEO/Executive Director, Milestone Services
Keyzee – an AI-powered education and advocacy platform designed to inform the public, empower developers, and equip policymakers with trusted data and messaging about the benefits of housing expansion.
Louisville’s experiencing economic growth and is home to 13 nearby colleges and universities, adding to the talent pipeline. To maintain this positive trajectory, Louisville must increase its housing supply – of all kinds and at all price points – across its more than 150 places and neighborhoods.
Keyzee is a purpose-built AI toolkit designed by Bingham Fellows 2025 specifically for housing education and advocacy. Unlike general AI platforms, Keyzee operates in a closed, fact-checked environment that delivers trusted, real-time information about how housing strengthens Louisville’s economy, supports families, reduces homelessness, and fuels neighborhood vitality.
The platform combines adaptable messaging, visual assets, data points, and storytelling templates to equip three key audiences:
The Public – raising awareness about the benefits of more housing.
Developers – highlighting incentives, partnerships, and long-term returns.
Policy Advocates – identifying zoning reforms and policy shifts to unlock development.
With Keyzee, Louisville gains more than a communication tool — it gains a tailored, housing-focused AI system that builds alignment, accelerates solutions, and positions the city for economic growth.
Keyzee Team:
Cara Bland, Director for The Institute for Health Equity, Norton Healthcare
Philip Britt, Associate Vice President, Product Management , Humana, Inc.
Carolyn Callahan, Chief of Communications and Community Relations, Jefferson County Public Schools
Kristin Faurest, CEO and President, River Fields, Inc.
Brandon Fields, Owner, Twin Spires Remodeling
Laura Grabowski, Director, Office of Housing and Community Development
Terra Greenwell, Education and Leadership Consultant
Michael Gross, Director, Development, LDG Development
Harrison Kirby, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Community Foundation of Louisville, Inc.
Paula McCraney, District 7 Councilwoman, Louisville Metro Council
Lena Muldoon, Principal, LSM Strategies, LLC
Jody Offutt, President of Property Management, Denton Floyd Real Estate Group
Liz Pratt, Senior Director of Communications and Corporate Responsibility, LG&E and KU Energy
Jon Salomon, Partner, Dentons Bingham Greenebaum LLP
Michael Springer, Housing Program Manager, Blueprint 502
Josh Staten, Senior Director - Business Development & Real Estate, River Ridge Development Authority
Shalini Sutaria, Associate VP, Technology Solutions, Humana, Inc.
Christine Tarquinio, VP of Marketing & Communications, Goodwill Kentucky
Eric Whitmore, Owner, Architect, Square One Collaborative
The challenges facing our community’s workforce housing solutions have been complex, but the 2025 Bingham Fellows haven’t shied away from them. They’ve identified real issues, developed practical solutions, and are now actively working to make them a reality around one of Louisville’s most urgent challenges.
About the Bingham Fellows program:
The Bingham Fellows program is the advanced leadership experience of the Leadership Louisville Center. Established in 1988 through a $500,000 endowment from the Mary and Barry Bingham Sr. Fund, the program brings together visionary leaders who act as social entrepreneurs, individuals with the imagination, influence, and collaboration skills to drive meaningful community change.
Working side by side with peers, Fellows develop dynamic and innovative solutions to Louisville’s most pressing challenges. The 2025 cohort marks the program’s 33rd class, continuing a legacy of bringing visibility, momentum, and measurable results to critical community issues.
The Fellows don’t just analyze problems, they solve them. They identify opportunities, build coalitions, and deliver lasting impact. Recent initiatives include CitySpots, which transforms underutilized spaces into vibrant community assets, and You Decide, Kentucky!, a statewide campaign empowering local governments to expand revenue options for community development.
Since its inception, the program has launched high-impact initiatives such as OneWest (West Louisville community development), City Champs (talent attraction and retention, now managed by Greater Louisville Inc.), and sustainable neighborhood library networks. Its influence reaches back to the 1990s with projects like The Housing Partnership, construction of the Presbyterian Community Center, and the expansion of local farmers’ markets, all of which continue to strengthen Louisville today.
About Leadership Louisville Center
The Leadership Louisville Center is the region’s most valuable resource for leadership development and civic engagement. With a purpose to inspire and equip leaders to be better and do better, it has graduated over 15,000 through its programs since 1979. The Center is recognized as a national best practice and is known for its dynamic programming and strong community connections. Programming includes five social impact leadership programs (Leadership Louisville, Focus Louisville, Ignite Louisville, Bingham Fellows and Encore Louisville), the Alice Houston Women’s Leadership Program, leadership skills workshops courses presented through partner brand LeadingBetter™, and events designed to connect leaders and motivate positive change. Learn more at www.leadershiplouisville.org.