Moxietalk With Kirt Jacobs

A passion for service fuels Jerry Abramson. Abramson’s career spans decades of serving the public – from local and state levels to the White House. His passion for making a difference now focuses on educating future generations. As the executive in residence at Bellarmine University, Abramson is developing a new institute for local and state government leadership, which will train elected officials from across the nation. In addition, he teaches undergraduate courses in leadership and community development. He served as deputy assistant to the president and director of intergovernmental affairs from November 2014 to January 2017. In this role, he oversaw the Obama administration’s domestic agenda with state, city, county and tribal elected officials across the country. As lieutenant governor of Kentucky, alongside Governor Steve Beshear from 2011 to 2014, he chaired the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform in 2012 and focused his efforts on education and economic development. Prior to entering stat

Tom Cottingham is a serial entrepreneur who builds successful publishing companies in the digital age. As CEO of Insider Louisville, Cottingham leads his team to deliver news in the world of smart phones, tablets and other emerging platforms in which traditional media may struggle. As he describes it: “Our mission is to deliver useful, engaging information about critical issues. We tell stories, tell them sharply, and in a way that respects the intelligence of our audience.” With a motivation of creating jobs to fuel him, Cottingham has a long track record of creating successful publishing companies in the midst of technology changes. As a lead investor and founding partner in successful start-ups, his roster includes hits like TechRepublic and NarrowCast Group LLC, publisher of ITBusinessEdge. TechRepublic sold to Gartner and ITBusinessEdge to Quinstreet Enterprise. In the early days of tech, he co-founded The Cobb Group as one of the first desktop publishing firms in the country. That company sold to Ziff D

Abby Drane leads Uspiritus, whose mission is healing the hearts and minds of vulnerable youth and their families. A career professional administrator in the field of behavioral sciences, Drane re-joined Uspiritus as the president/CEO by unanimous vote in 2014. A twenty-five year veteran in the field, she previously served Uspiritus as CFO before moving to Seven Counties Services as VP of finance and CFO. Having moved fourteen times during her childhood, Drane has an innate passion for helping children who may not be able to help themselves. This fuels a true passion for excellent service to children and families in need. She is a skilled coach, teacher, team builder and leader who brings the tools and drive to help Uspiritus go from good to great. A licensed CPA, Drane received her M.B.A. from Western Kentucky University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business management from Central Missouri State University. She has also served as an accounting instructor at Sullivan College of Business in Fort K

Episode 197. Terry Forcht – Founder, Chairman and CEO, Forcht Group of Kentucky Terry Forcht is a leading Kentucky entrepreneur and investor and the founder of Forcht Group of Kentucky. A lawyer by training, Forcht began a law practice in Corbin, Ky. after serving as the chairman of the commerce department at Cumberland College (now University of the Cumberlands). In 1972, he purchased the first building block of his future company – Hillcrest Nursing Home. Today, 1st Corbin Long Term Care owns nine health and rehab centers. In the same year, he was appointed to the board of directors of Corbin Deposit Bank & Trust Company. Forcht and other investors later founded Tri-County National Bank with $1.5 million in assets. That bank now has 30 locations and manages over $1 billion in assets. Forcht has also invested heavily in media. His holdings include newspapers and broadcasters (TV and radio). Forcht Group also invested in such diverse holdings as a pharmacy and diagnostic lab, retail furniture and gift sho

Ian Derrer leads the Kentucky Opera, fueled by a lifelong love of opera. He became the fifth general director in Kentucky Opera history in 2006 and leads the organization in their mission to entertain and educate a broad and diverse audience by producing opera of the highest quality. Derrer joined the organization after serving in his previous role as artistic administrator and a member of the senior management team of the Dallas Opera. Bitten by the opera bug as a young child, Derrer has worked with opera companies throughout the U.S. and in Italy. His experience from serving operas in Dallas, New York, Santa Fe and Charlotte has given him an opportunity to learn from leading general directors in the field. Their lessons on fundraising, audience development, branding, and community involvement give him a unique advantage. Derrer’s prior experience includes working as a scheduling coordinator for the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy. He also interned at Columbia Artists Management, Inc.

Donald E. Lassere leads the Muhammad Ali Center and fosters its mission of building and expanding on the Center’s educational programs, partnerships, and other outreach initiatives. He facilitated a comprehensive rebranding process and implemented a strategic plan that focused the Center on the three primary program areas of education, global citizenship, and gender equality. Lassere also launched the Muhammad Ali Global Humanitarian Awards, designed to inspire and encourage young people worldwide to become actively involved in social justice issues that impact their communities, countries and the world. Prior to joining the Muhammad Ali Center, Lassere served as senior vice president of programs at Scholarship America. In this role, he administered over 1,200 scholarships, tuition reimbursement and education assistance programs amounting to over $160 million annually. Previous to Scholarship America, Lassere spent over 20 years working at top tier organizations including Gallup Consulting, Enron Corporation,

Taylor Trusty loves building – be it business or digital properties. He is the guiding force for Blackstone Media, a web design and development agency with offices in Louisville, Ky. and New York City. He built and leads the company with an unconventional background. A self-proclaimed computer nerd, Trusty began computer programming at the age of 13, and was working at a web design company by 15. At the age of 16, he was a territory sales manager for Hewlett-Packard, before becoming the head of customer service and web master of a sports memorabilia e-commerce start-up. By the age of 20, he had co-founded and sold his own sports collectibles business and founded Blackstone Media. A voracious reader and popular speaker, Trusty credits a great deal of his success to actively pursuing and learning from remarkable mentors. This led to Trusty’s realization of his years-long dream to build a second office in New York. When he isn’t busy running Blackstone Media, Trusty can be found working off his cookie habit at a

James O’Connor is a former professional soccer player and is head coach of Louisville City FC. O’Connor is a former Orlando City player and coach who came to Louisville to coach the Louisville City team in 2014. In his first season with Orlando, the team broke almost every record in league history – scoring the most goals, conceding the fewest goals, and setting a new point record for the league. While at Orlando, O’Connor won the USL regular season championship and the USL championship. Prior to going to Orlando, O’Connor – who is Irish – played professionally in Ireland and England. He played for the English club Stoke City from 1996 – 2003. He later played for two other teams before joining Orlando. In all, he played in over 500 professional games and is one of the youngest persons to hold the UEFA Pro License – the highest coaching license in the world. He holds a number of licenses and certifications. O’Connor resides in Louisville with his wife Amy and their two children.

Conrad Bachmann’s career spans four decades and hundreds of roles. Bachmann’s desire to give back to his hometown community is at the heart of founding the Louisville International Film Festival. The annual festival attracts hundreds of films from all over the world each year, and the proceeds help fund film study in the Louisville community. Bachmann’s impressive career spans film, theatre and television. Beginning over forty years ago with an appearance on the “Dobie Gillis” series, he is known from television for recurring roles in “West Wing” (treasure secretary) and “General Hospital” (Judge Lawrence), among others. He has also worked with industry greats in film – including Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Kingsley, Samuel L. Jackson and Jack Palance. Co-starring in “Portrait of a Killer” with Jack Palance and Rod Steiger was a highlight of his career. In addition to acting, Bachmann took time out to be president/CEO of his own advertising and marketing firm. He designed and produced numerous commercials and indust

Amanda Duffy’s desire to break boundaries and her competitive spirit to succeed drive her every day. Named president of the Louisville City FC in November 2015, Duffy had previously served as the club’s VP of operations and general manager. In those roles, she saw the club reach the Eastern Conference Final and boast the league’s second highest average attendance. Her rapid promotions – she was promoted to GM in three months and named president within a year – are even more remarkable in a league where women as senior executives are rare. Duffy worked for almost eight seasons in various league management roles, which included strategic planning, league management, player registration and coordinating referee development and assignment to the league’s teams. As a player, Duffy held multiple school records at East Carolina University. She played three seasons after college in the Women’s League, the USL’s highest level of women’s soccer in the U.S. and Canada, winning one national championship and three divisio

Mitch McConnell has served as U.S. Senate majority leader since 2015. He is only the second Kentuckian to serve as majority leader in the Senate; the first, Alben Barkley, led the Democrats from 1937 to 1947. McConnell has been called “the most conservative leader of either party in the history of the Senate.” He has also earned a reputation as a “master tactician” for permanently locking in critical tax relief for working families and small businesses, and putting in place the most significant spending reduction legislation in a generation. In 2015, TIME Magazine named him one of its 100 Most Influential People in the World. Since Republicans took charge of the Senate in 2015, McConnell has worked to restore the legislative process by empowering committees and individual senators. As a result, the Senate has attained a number of significant legislative accomplishments under his leadership: from replacing No Child Left Behind with the most significant K-12 education reforms in years to passing a major overhau

Ingrid Hernandez delivers high quality design while building personalized client relationships. As president and creative director at InGrid Design since 2002, Hernandez leads her business and team, while also providing expertise as a creative director and project manager. InGrid Design is an award-winning graphic design firm offering services from concept to completion, as well as Spanish translation services. The firm helps companies communicate regionally, nationally and globally with a multicultural sensibility. Hernandez grew up in Puerto Rico and attended the Instituto San Miguel de Allende with a focus on painting. She then went on to the Rhode Island School of Design for her B.F.A. in graphic design. Hernandez and InGrid Design have won many awards, including the NAWBO Woman Business Owner of the Year and the GLI Emerging Minority Business of the Year. Hernandez was named to Business First magazine’s Fast 50 and Fast Dozen lists, as well as a finalist for Leader of the Year.

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 journey. This is what ultimately led Don, or Donnie as some call him, to our program, not to mention numerous fan requests to make him a featured guest. Vowels was previously the radio show co-host of “The Art of Healthy Living” on WKJK 1080 AM Radio for two years. He also released a calming guided meditation album, “The Quiet,” in 2007.

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 invented more than a dozen domestic and foreign patents. In 2003, Ernst and Young named Lapinski an Entrepreneur of the Year. He is currently an investor in, advisor for, or board member of many companies, including Stonestreet One, CD Funding Group, and SimPak International, to name just a few.

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 HUD and the Louisville community at large. Moseley traded in a career in finance and collections at local department stores to take the leap into the unknown at Wayside. She met her husband there, and has contributed to many lives turning around. Moseley earned her J.D. from U of L’s Brandeis School of Law in 1999, and is a member of the Board of the Coalition for the Homeless, a board member and past president of Metrobon Kiwanis Club, and a past board member of the Flaget Alumni Association. She has been a licensed

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 to become a celebrity in the narrated books world and recorded more than 2,200 titles. In 1993, Friedlander received the Alexander Scourby Award for her narration of nonfiction books. According to the Courier-Journal, Friedlander said her most favorite book that she ever recorded is the children’s classic, “Charlotte’s Web.”

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 members of The Arrow Fund Board are volunteers and are not paid for their services. Eaves says her mission began in 2009, when a labrador mix, later named Aiden, was deliberately shot with an arrow in Pike County. She then became no stranger to the spotlight, spreading the message about animal abuse everywhere she could, drawing attention to this important cause and educating the public. Eaves has seen the worst in people in the harm inflicted to animals, and the best in those who work tirelessly to save them. The first t

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. Denton strives to make Louisville the best city in the nation through his work and through volunteerism with such organizations as the Louisville Downtown Rotary and the Kentucky Derby Festival Board. He is the recipient of many awards including the 1995, 1999, and 2003 Medals of Valor from the Jefferson County Police Department.

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 served as the marketing and promotions coordinator for the athletic department at Morehead State University. He holds many awards and recognitions. He was nominated as a Louisville magazine’s Most Creative Business Person, was named one of the 8 Men Changing Louisville by Today’s Man magazine, and named one of the Most Powerful People at the Kentucky Derby by Velocity Weekly in their Kentucky Derby Power issue. Wagner was also been honored as a distinguished alumnus at Morehead State University.

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. Focused on bringing visibility to the association, Lively has served on several committees of the National Apartment Association. In the past, she was named executive officer of the year and chosen to be president of the association executive council. The organization also provides education certificates to those in the industry, and advocates on matters as varied as changes in building codes and rules for sprinklers and smoke detectors in apartment units.