Michael B Smith reflects on his experience with the creation of Derby Pies. “I have many fond memories of Kern’s home. From the consistent, delicious smell of their pies baking in the oven to Mrs. Kern’s daily cooking of the family meals. That house held a lot of sacred memories for my friends and the Kern’s family.”
Read MoreAs our culture and economy continue to become more connected digitally, thought leaders in Appalachia have identified an opportunity to help an economy reliant on coal transition into a more technologically resilient future. From this model, Rusty Justice and Lynn Parish started Bit Source in 2014, an organization responsible for upskilling and reskilling former coal miners to make custom software and applications for clients across the globe.
Read MoreOriginally contracted by Logan Aluminum to work in their IT department temporarily, Vijay Kamineni has steadily advanced the ranks, earning titles like Development Team Leader and Business Transformation Leader. He now heads the company as a Chief Innovation and Technology Leader. And as he’s ascended to lead the company forward in its digital future, his focus has remained the same: to seek out and identify ways that new technologies can improve processes for both the worker and the work.
Read MoreTraveling to Boston or Austin or San Francisco to brag about all the smart people Kentucky has produced in the last 40 years isn’t going to change the way the world sees us. Working together to build a new economy for the Commonwealth will.
Read MoreIt was never a hard decision for Rusty Justice when the coal industry began to show serious signs of sliding. Rather than obsess on the end of an economic, regional and cultural identity, he looked to the future. Always an entrepreneur, he soon found opportunity in a workforce that was highly skilled, disciplined and capable of adapting to new technologies.
Read MoreTruly collaborative efforts must be forward-looking, cross-region, and cross-sector. They must foster, facilitate, and act as a catalyst for developing a culture and capacity for resilient, deliberate innovation. And they must be about designing futures in which all of us can see ourselves. (It’s understandably hard to be excited about a future you don’t see as available to you.) These futures should not merely be open to--rather, I’d argue we’d all benefit when they are significantly driven by--initiatives from voices and communities too often left out of that discussion--innovative efforts/voices from rural communities, communities of color, refugee populations, LGBTQ perspectives, and other groups who have too often not been given equal opportunity to dream what the future might be.
Read MoreWhile many of the biggest names in horse racing history have trained and competed on the land that nearly 100 years ago housed the Kentucky Association racetrack, the space is a reminder of the legacy and eventual erasure of the Black horsemen who created horse racing as we know it today.
Read MoreVicki Phillips has charted the course for the future of education. Now as the Chief Education Officer and Vice President of National Geographic, she has developed a plan to modernize the organization’s efforts in expanding children’s access to education.
Read MoreIn celebration of Black History Month 2021, Kentucky to the World and the Muhammad Ali Center have collaborated to bring you the stories of five amazing Black Kentuckians who have forever shaped the reputation of our state with their work and talents. These people have had a positive “butterfly effect” that has created ripples to the story of Black history in Kentucky.
Read MoreEverett McCorvey has since managed to reach the apex of two fields in tandem: music performance and teaching. As Professor of Voice and Director of Opera at the University of Kentucky, he has toured the world and received critical accolades as a leading tenor soloist.
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