MoxieTalk with Kirt Jacobs

Teddy Gordon loves a good fight, especially where the underdog is denied fair access and equal opportunity. Gordon is an attorney in a small private practice but has argued some of the most important legal cases in the country. On December 4, 2006, Gordon argued the case Meredith vs. Jefferson County Board of Education before the U.S. Supreme Court. Gordon argued that race cannot be a determining...

Owsley Brown Frazier has dedicated his life and fortune to improve his hometown for future generations. Frazier is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and former business executive. He is the founder of the Frazier History Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Frazier, a fourth generation descendant of Brown-Forman Corporation founder George Garvin Brown, was vice-chairman and the public face of Brown-Forma...

John Asher loves the sport of horse racing and is driven to make everything about Churchill Downs the best in the world. Asher has worked in the thoroughbred racing industry as a journalist and a publicist for more than 20 years. He joined Churchill Downs in January 1997 and has served in his current position since March 1999. Asher oversees all communications and public relations efforts at Churc...

Christine Johnson likes to make things happen and connect people who see opportunities to move things forward. Johnson is president of the Leadership Louisville Center, a nonprofit organization that provides programs, workshops, and events designed to inspire, challenge and connect people at all levels of leadership development. She has received numerous national awards for her work in community l...

Ben Richmond fills a responsibility to steward his parent's work in the civil rights movement and to further the principles and values taught by Dr. Martin Luther King. Richmond is the president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League which serves as an active partner, leader, and catalyst to assist African Americans, other minority groups and the disadvantaged attain social and economic equality a...

Maria Hampton is competitive by nature and has a strong passion for success. Hampton is the vice president and senior executive of the Federal Bank of St. Louis Louisville branch which is focused on community development and education, as well as regional economic research and policy input. Hampton's responsibilities include western Kentucky, metro Louisville and southern Indiana. Before joining t...

Sandra Frazier starts each day thinking about how she can contribute something that will make a difference. Frazier is a public relations specialist and is the founder of Tandem Public Relations. Before Tandem, Frazier worked at Doe Anderson where she managed public relations efforts for several high-profile clients, including Louisville Slugger/Hillerich & Bradsby Co., Community Health Systems/CH...

Barbara Day draws her inspiration from being told as a little girl that she wouldn't amount to much. Day is a nationally recognized health specialist and certified nutritionist. She is the publisher of Kentuckiana Health Fitness magazine with a monthly distribution of 47,000 and reaches thousands as the host of a successful weekly radio show. Day served as sports nutrition consultant to the United...

Cynthia Knapek has a tremendous amount of civic pride in her hometown of Louisville and loves doing work that will impact and improve her community. Knapek is executive director of Brightside, an innovative public-private partnership that works to build civic pride in the community and keep Louisville clean and green. In 2004, Knapek led the community-wide public art project "Gallopalooza" raising...

For Chuck Denny, continuous self-improvement is a driving force that motivates him every day. Denny is the president of National City Bank's Kentucky and Tennessee division where he is responsible for a team of 1,600 employees. Before becoming president, Denny managed the banking services for the middle and large corporate markets and the investor-owned health care specialties. Denny loves working...

Deepak Tiwari lives by the motto: wish, will, and determination is the law of success. Tiwari is a living example of the potential of the American dream. He left India in 1989 and landed in Louisville with his wife, two sons, and a $10 bill in his pocket. Desperate to provide for his family and speaking little English, Tiwari began working multiple jobs and worked 20 hour days for two years. Tiwar...

Omar Ayyash sees himself as an ambassador and is passionate about helping people understand that the world is a global village. Ayyash is a true global citizen. He was born in Jordan, raised in Austria, and educated in the United States. He is the director of Office of International Affairs (OIA) for Louisville Metro Government where he is the mayor's point person on international matters. As dire...

Tyler Allen began life with a great foundation and believes that he has a responsibility to give back to the community. Allen comes from an entrepreneurial family and is the owner of USA Image Technologies, Inc., which specializes in large-scale digital graphics. Allen also is a co-founder of 8664, an organization that advocates for the revitalization of Louisville through the removal of Interstat...

Steve Higdon orients his life and career around his family, striving to be the best husband and father he can be. Higdon was president and CEO of Greater Louisville, Inc. (GLI) from 1997 – 2005, leading that organization to the number one ranking chamber of commerce in the United States. During Higdon's tenure, GLI provided leadership on some of Louisville's largest initiatives including the city/...

Bill Weyland loves finding creative ways to solve big challenges. A Louisville native, Weyland is an architect and developer and is managing director of City Properties. He is responsible for over $50 million in development projects in Louisville's urban core. Notable projects include the Louisville Slugger Museum, Glassworks, and the YWCA/Henry Clay Hotel. He studied urban planning in Rome, Italy...

Bill Samuels, Jr., is wired to achieve and seeks opportunities that have a beginning, end, and outcome. Samuels is the president and CEO of Maker's Mark bourbon in Loretto, Ky. Samuels comes from a long line of whiskey makers tracing his distilling heritage to Robert Samuels who came to Kentucky in 1784. Samuels never intended to work for the family business. After earning a law degree at Vanderbi...

Ed Manassah is motivated to succeed when he encounters a challenging issue. Manassah is a retired publisher of the Louisville Courier-Journal (1993 – 2006). He served in leadership positions from city editor to publisher at six Gannett Co. Inc. newspapers since 1972 and received honors as the top editor/publisher eight times. He was the founding editor of USA Today in 1982. Manassah has a Bachelor...

For Denny Crum, competition is a way of life that influences everything he does. Crum was head basketball coach at the University of Louisville from 1971 – 2001 compiling a 675–295 record. He guided the Cardinals to two NCAA championships (1980, 1986) and six Final Fours. He is considered one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history. In 1993, Crum became the second fastest coach to re...

Allan Cowen takes the long view of life and believes that life is as great as you choose it to be. Cowen is president and CEO of Fund for the Arts, the united art fund of Louisville, KY. He began his career with Fund for the Arts in 1976 as executive director, becoming president and CEO in 1982. Cowen spent time in arts management in Akron and Columbus and three years as associate director of the...

Heather French Henry is inspired by hard work and dedication and believes that everyone can choose to make a difference with the time they have. French Henry graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning with a master's degree in design and illustration. She is the winner of the 2000 Miss America pageant and used her platform to advocate for homeles...

Paul Hornung is one of the greatest players to ever play the game of football. He played running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 to 1966, winning four NFL titles and the first Super Bowl. Hornung graduated from Notre Dame in 1957 and was the winner of the 1956 Heisman Trophy. He was the number one selection in the 1957 NFL draft by Green Bay. Hornung...

Jim Host loves Kentucky and he believes it has more potential than any other state in the country. Host is the founder and chairman of Host Communications, a sports marketing and production company specializing in collegiate athletics. He has an extensive background in public service. Host was the youngest member of Governor Louis Nunn's administration as commissioner of the Department of Public I...

Dr. Whitney Jones understands the preciousness of time and the need to take action on the things that are most important in life. Dr. Jones is passionate about preventing colon cancer. After diagnosing several patients with colon cancer within one week and knowing the cancer is preventable with appropriate screening, he set out to make a change. In 2004 Dr. Jones founded the Colon Cancer Preventio...

Francene Cucinello loves to get people talking and challenge them to think. She is the host of the popular "Francene Show" on Louisville's WHAS radio station. Cucinello is one of only 25 women with a lead talk show program in the country. Cucinello got her start after calling in to answer a trivia question in college at West Virginia University; she was offered a job on the spot. Along with her ra...

Growing up in Kansas, Steve Sexton learned a lot about the importance of a strong work ethic and goal setting. Sexton is one of the thoroughbred industry's most successful leaders. He began his career in 1983 at Santa Anita Park and has spent time at Golden Gate Fields and Lonestar Park. Sexton joined Arlington Park in 2002 and led successful hosting of the 2002 Breeder's Cup. With only nine month...