Meet the Learning Teams

Louisville

Read Louisville's roadmap, "An Equitable Water Future: Louisville" here.

Whitney Paul Allen, Jr.
Senior Regional Veteran Connector, Where Opportunity Knox
Whitney Paul Allen, Jr. is a senior Regional Veteran Connector (RVC) and Senior Leader Corporate Fellowship (SLCFP) Program Manager for Where Opportunity Knox, a regional initiative to connect transitioning veterans and military spouses to jobs throughout Greater Louisville. Mr. Allen collaborates with military installations, state agencies, chambers of commerce, and community organizations to develop a strategic talent pipeline for veteran employment and recruitment opportunities. As an RVC, Mr. Allen serves as a veteran talent consultant to more than 300 employer-partners seeking to access the talent pool of available veterans throughout the United States and abroad. He also serves as a mentor to transitioning veterans and families seeking civilian employment in Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana. As the SLCFP Program Manager, Mr. Allen manages a fellowship/internship program that provides opportunities for transitioning mid- to senior-level military personnel to work for companies to gain civilian corporate experience, before leaving the military.
 
Mr. Allen graduated from Dillard University with Bachelor of Science in Physics. He earned a Masters of Arts in Management and Leadership from Webster University. He is also a graduate of numerous Army Leadership and Management schools throughout his military career.
 
Kendall Boyd
Executive Director, Louisville Metro Government Human Relations Commission

Kendall Boyd is the current Executive Director of the Louisville Metro Government Human Relations Commission, in which he is responsible for managing a staff of dedicated professionals who enforce Louisville Metro policies and ordinances that are aimed at eliminating bias and discrimination in the community.  Prior to this role, Kendall served as the Assistant Director of Human Resources for Louisville Metro Government, served as an Assistant County Attorney for the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office , was a deputy prosecutor for the Vigo County Prosecutor’s Office in Indiana and was the City Attorney for the City of Terre Haute. He is also currently an adjunct professor for Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg, Indiana, where he teaches Business Law, Intro to American Government, Human Resources Management and Business Marketing. Kendall is a graduate of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where he graduated with a BA in Political Science. He graduated from the University of Akron School of Law with his JD in 2001 and from the University of Akron College of Business with his MBA in Marketing in 2003. Kendall is also licensed to practice law in the states of Indiana (2002) and Kentucky (2003).  

Sharise Horne
Procurement Manager, Louisville MSD

Sharise Horne is the Procurement Manager for Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District, responsible for managing MSD’s procurement process, ensuring compliance with all procurement regulations, as well as directing, managing, and supervising staff to ensure procurement regulations and policies are adhered to. She has worked in the Procurement Department since 2008 in various departments and roles within the agency during her 20-year tenure. Sharise is currently one of approximately 10,000 nationally Certified Professional Public Buyers. In 2008, she was named an Adult Black Achiever for the YMCA Black Achievers program. In 2017 she was recognized as a Who’s Who Louisville recipient. In addition, in 2018 Sharise was acknowledged as a YMCA African American Achiever. Sharise received a Bachelor of Science in Management with a specialization in Human Resources from Indiana Wesleyan University with a cum laude distinction. She also earned an associate’s degree with a Management concentration.

Victoria Johnson
Water Equity Program Consultant, Louisville MSD/Jacobs Engineering

Victoria is an accomplished strategic communications professional with 15 years of experience in corporate communications, marketing, journalism, and project/program management. She is a Client Service Leader with Jacobs Engineering in Atlanta, leading strategic communications for water/wastewater utilities, projects, and clients. Victoria is also a Water Equity Program Consultant with Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District, in which she is partnering with Louisville MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott and his management team to implement their One Water Initiative and comprehensive water equity goals, including workforce development and economic inclusion. Victoria has been instrumental in working with Louisville MSD in launching their inaugural jobs portal, JobLink, as well as exploring workforce development opportunities in partnership with The Brookings Institution and other peer-utilities, community partners, and non-profit organizations, including the US Water Alliance. Victoria has worked with utilities throughout the U.S., including the Miami-Dade Department of Water and Sewer, the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, the New York Department of Environmental Protection, and Louisville MSD.

Ferdinand Risco
Assistant Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City

Ferdinand L. Risco Jr., MBA is the Assistant Executive Director for The Transit Authority of River City (TARC), the largest public transit agency in Kentucky, carrying 15 million passengers annually. He is responsible for leadership and direction for all operations in the system. As a former Army officer, Ferdinand has helped government agencies and later, fortune 500 companies earn awards and distinctions for their best in class results. As a transit executive and former college professor, Ferdinand is highly sought after as a lecturer on many topics including: diversity and inclusion, equal employment practices, supplier diversity, disadvantaged business enterprise certification, leadership, and workforce development. His community involvement led to an appointment by Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. to the New Haven Board of Education in 2009, an appointment to the Connecticut State Board of Education by Governor Dannel P. Malloy in 2011, and service on the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Boards of Education. He is a graduate of Leadership-American Public Transportation Association. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the association’s Workforce Development Committee and previously served as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Organizational Development Sub-Committee.

Terrence T. Spence
Vice President, Human Resources & Labor Relations, Louisville Water Company

Terrence T. Spence is the Vice President of Human Resources & Labor Relations for Louisville Water Company, where he directs all human resource department functions including corporate strategy implementation, policies, procedures, benefits, adherence to Equal Employment Opportunity, and other regulatory compliance. He has provided human resource leadership to various past, local, and regional employers, including WHAS-TV/WVEC-TV/WBIR-TV, Coca-Cola Enterprises, High-Speed Access (now Spectrum Communications), and the Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation. Terrence has more than 20 years of experience in the human resource profession and is a member of the National Society of Human Resources Managers. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. Terrence sits on the Board of Directors for the Louisville Water Foundation, Family & Children’s Place, and volunteers as a mentor with local public schools.

James A. Parrott
Executive Director, Louisville & Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD)

Tony Parrott has been in the public utility business for thirty years. He has a degree in Communications at Georgetown College. Tony was recently appointed the Executive Director of the Louisville/Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District, which serves a population of 751,000 residents in Louisville Metro. At Louisville MSD, Tony oversees a 19-year federal consent decree, a capital budget of $187.5M, and a strategic business plan through 2018 – with the goal of bringing safe, clean waterways to the community and improving the value of water as a community resource. Tony serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), representing Region 4 and is a member of the Water Agency Leaders Alliance. In 2017, Tony was appointed to the United States EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board. In January 2018, under Tony’s leadership Louisville MSD won the NACWA Public Information & Education Award for the Louisville Community Conversation video.

Sadiqa Reynolds
President and CEO, Louisville Urban League
Former District Judge Sadiqa Reynolds is the first woman to serve as President and CEO of Louisville Urban League. Her work on jobs, justice, education health and housing has garnered the attention and coverage of CNN, FOX News, the NY Times and other national media outlets. Reynolds was the first African American woman to clerk for the Kentucky Supreme Court, she also ran a private practice where she represented abused, neglected and dependent children. She was recognized by the Louisville Bar Association for providing pro bono hours in which she represented domestic violence victims and other disadvantaged citizens. In 2017, Reynolds was named Community Leader of the Year by the National Alliance on Mental Illness for her work to reduce the stigma around mental health. She is a proponent for Restorative Justice and a participant in the Face It campaign against child abuse. Reynolds has been recognized as a Business First Enterprising Woman to Watch, and Woman of Influence. She has been honored with a Tower Award, a Torch of Wisdom and named a Daughter of Greatness by the Ali Center. In 2016 she received the Fannie Lou Hamer award for justice and was recognized as BizWomen’s Business Journal top 100 women to watch nationally. The Mortgage Bankers Association recognized her for housing advocacy, and she was the IABC/PRSA Communicator of the Year. Reynolds was Louisville Magazine’s 2017 Person of the Year, the 2018 National Urban League Woman of Power and the Audrey Grievous Community Enrichment Award.