Louisville, Ky. (February 1, 2021) – To address ongoing calls for racial justice throughout the nation, Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI) continues to work with the business community to directly address inequities in the region. In an effort to broaden the business community’s role in creating a more equitable community, GLI identified inclusion as one of six pillars in its new five-year strategic plan, Now Louisville. Through tremendous support from Lead Investor Humana, Initial Lead Investor for Inclusion Thorntons, and many other generous members of Louisville’s business community, the inclusion pillar of the Now Louisville plan has received commitments for a large portion of the funding needed for the next five years. A full list of investors can be found here.

The inclusion pillar outlines concrete initiatives, programs and steps needed to create a more inclusive Louisville, based around the idea that the business community must do more to promote racial equity in their respective organizations and communities

GLI’s work around inclusion will include continuing to support the Business Council to End Racism, which brings together business leaders to discuss a path towards eliminating systemic racism in greater Louisville and creating a more equitable region. The funding will also support the creation of a Minority Business Accelerator which is set to launch later this year and will equip marginalized enterprises and startups with the tools and resources necessary to scale their businesses.

In conjunction with these initiatives, the funding to date also supports the hiring of two staff members dedicated to lead GLI’s equity and inclusion strategies. Dana Johnson joins the GLI team as Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, with over 20 years of experience in public, private, and non-profit community relations and strategically guides GLI’s inclusion initiatives. Eric Jordan, GLI’s Manager of Diversity and Inclusion Strategies, holds a PhD in Sociology and concentrations in race, racism, and social justice and has a strong background in research and diversity trainings.

 

Dana Johnson, Senior Director, Diversity Equity and Inclusion                  Eric Jordan, Diversity and Inclusion Strategies Manager

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“For our economy to be successful into the future, we must do more to ensure people of all races have equitable opportunities to succeed and these initiatives will help get our city on the right track,” said Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, President and CEO of GLI. “The business community has made it clear that building a more inclusive economy and community is a top priority. We are delighted our Now Louisville plan has united many influential business leaders in our community around the common goal of creating a more inclusive Louisville.”

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About Greater Louisville Inc.

Greater Louisville Inc. - the Metro Chamber of Commerce is focused on growing the regional economy. As the region’s largest convener of business leadership, GLI leads economic and global outreach strategies focused on business attraction; nurtures the entrepreneurial eco-system; and champions the development of the community’s talent base.  As the voice of Greater Louisville’s business community, GLI advocates for a pro-business environment and facilitates businesses engagement on issues that impact regional competitiveness.  For more information, visit www.greaterlouisville.com.