“We are thrilled to welcome three new local leaders to the GLI board of directors. It is critical that our board represents our region’s top companies and signature industries so that we can fulfill our mission as the voice of the business community,” said Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, president and CEO of GLI. “Each of these new directors brings decades of expertise that will be an asset in GLI’s work to grow the regional economy.”

Byrd is a 20-year PNC banking veteran and native Louisvillian. She succeeds Chuck Denny, who retired from the regional president position earlier this year. Since joining the bank in 2002, she has excelled in a variety of roles in retail and business banking and wealth management. Byrd earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Transylvania University and Master of Business Administration from Bellarmine University.

As chief executive officer at Bamboo Health (formerly Appriss Health + PatientPing), Cohen has led the transformation of the company that has seen rapid growth in its products as well as its personnel, growing from around 50 employees in 2016 to 400 at the beginning of 2022. Cohen is filling the director position previously held by Krishnan Sastry, who led Appriss Inc. prior to their rebranding as Bamboo Health. He previously served as the company’s president and general manager from 2016-2021 and brings more than 20 years of healthcare and technology experience to his role with career-spanning leadership positions at Evolent Health, McKinsey & Company, Anthem, and Healthways.

Joseph began his UPS career in 1992 as a package handler in the West Los Angeles District. He earned a bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a master’s degree in global management from Thomas Edison University.  Most recently, he was president of UPS Global Engineering and then led efforts to realign the company’s air strategy.  He relocated to Louisville from the Greater Atlanta Area. After being appointed president of UPS Airlines earlier this year, he was selected to succeed Jeff Wafford, UPS Director of Public Affairs, on the GLI board of directors.

“GLI’s ability to advocate for the business community relies on a strong staff and strong board leadership. I am confident that Kristen, Rob, and Jim will bring invaluable perspective and experience to our board and provide strategic direction to drive our initiatives and mission forward,” said Purna Veer, chair of the GLI board of directors and president of V-Soft Consulting.

As a private, non-profit 501(c)(6) organization, GLI is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The Executive Committee of the board is made up of 11 elected members from the board of directors.