MIKAL
FORBUSH
Education & Engagement Director
Mikal is a native Louisvillian and resident of Old Louisville. He leads the Neighborhood Liaison outreach program and all Educational programs including the Neighborhood Institute and the Neighborhood Summit. Previously, he was a Senior Program Coordinator with the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of Louisville. He has a background in working with youth and community organizations around creating change. Mikal is a graduate of the University of Louisville with degrees in Pan African Studies and Sociology, and enjoys many activities within the city. Mikal serves neighborhoods in Metro Council Districts 6, 9, and 25.
JOHNIQUE
ISON
Senior Neighborhood Liaison
Johni is a West Louisville Native and is a current member of the Pleasure Ridge Park neighborhood. She has had ample experience working with various communities bringing about change to both individuals and organizations. Aside from consistent service throughout District 5, Johnique has worked with underrepresented groups through Girl Scouts and Jefferson County Public Schools. She also sits on the board of a local non-profit that focuses on the enriching of children from ALL Louisville areas. She is currently working towards a Masters in Social Work at University of Louisville. As a Neighborhood Liaison, she serves Metro Council Districts 1, 2, 3, 12, 14, 15, 22, 23, & 25.
mellone f. long, phd, aicp
Executive Director
Mellone F. Long brings to Center For Neighborhoods her rich experience in public sector neighborhood planning, economic development and higher education in Lorain, County, OH; Fort Myers, FL; Greenville, SC; and Cleveland, OH. Her background includes comprehensive neighborhood planning, transportation planning, historic preservation, economic development, affordable/workforce housing initiatives, and brownfield redevelopment. She holds a Ph.D from Clemson University’s School of Planning Design & the Built Environment, a M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University, and a B.A. in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University. She also currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Planning, Urban Studies, and Economic Development at Cleveland State University.
Prasanthi Persad
Finance & Development Director
Prasanthi is the development and finance director at CFN. Her professional background includes health policy and public policy analysis, as well as work in fundraising and development / organizational growth. Prasanthi previously worked as an independent policy consultant and began her policy work as an analyst with the local Louisville health department. Her expertise includes Health Impact Assessments (HIAs), which are tools for achieving health in all policies. The CDC defines HIA as “a tool that can help communities, decision makers, and practitioners make choices that improve public health through community design... [it is] a process that helps evaluate the potential health effects of a plan, project, or policy before it is built or implemented.” Prasanthi holds a Masters of Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health and also holds a law degree.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION
PLANNING AND DESIGN
JESSICA
BROWN
Planning Director
Christi
Stevens
GIS & Data Coordinator
Jess is certified planner and leads all planning and community design projects such as Better Block Louisville, neighborhood planning, neighborhood assessments, P.A.I.N.T – Producing Art In Neighborhoods Together, and Community Design Assistance. She is a graduate of the National Charrette Institute. Previously, she worked with Louisville Metro as a Policy Analyst at the Center for Health Equity, with a focus on racial equity and government policy, and the Office of Performance Improvement and Innovation in the Mayor's Office where she developed equity initiatives for the Mayor’s Strategic Plan. Jess has a Master of Public Administration and Master of Urban Planning from the University of Louisville. Jess is a volunteer urban gardener and a mother to Jack (6) and Jemma (1).
Christi is passionate about grassroots community building and is on a mission to bring the power of data and mapping into the hands of community leaders. She is a certified GIS Professional with 25 years of experience providing geospatial services, including more than 10 years with LOJIC. Her experience includes development and maintenance of ArcGIS Server based web map services, geospatial analysis, geospatial database and applications development, data mining and data fusion services. Christi has a BS in Environmental Geography from the University of Louisville. Christi enjoys playing music and gardening in her spare time, and currently serves on the board of Crescent Hill Radio where she created, produced and hosted the original Home Grown Radio Hour.
Ja'mel
Armstrong
Neighborhood Liaison
Ja'mel is a Louisville native raised in Russel, currently residing in the Iroquois Park/Auburndale neighborhood. With close to 20 years of community and non-profit experience, he has spent the last 10 years planting churches, a process of engaging a community to determine its greatest needs, and forming a local congregation to assist in meeting those needs. Ja'mel is currently pursuing a Master's of Divinity Degree from North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. He is married to Rochelle and they have 3 children, Jonathan, Jessica and Dejah.
Tahjena
Muldrow
Neighborhood Liaison
Tahjená is a Louisville native, currently a resident of the Highview community, and a Neighborhood Liaison at the Center for Neighborhoods. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Diversity and Community Studies, she has acquired a critical framework for understanding identity, inequality, and community development. With a concentration in Citizenship and Social Justice, she has also studied social change through political structures and social movements. As a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she has had the pleasure of serving various communities through public service and program planning. Through her passion for the arts, she has been a mentor and dance coach for girls and young women, gaining interpersonal and leadership skills. She is a multifaceted, young professional who seeks to be an advocate for individuals and communities, evoking change through the necessary groundwork in neighborhoods.
Lou
Lepping
Planning & Programs Associate
Board of Directors
STEPHEN PERKINS
Programs Chair
Founder of Wellspring, Co-owner of Miller Consultants; previous board membership with Metropolitan Housing Coalition, St. Francis School, Downtown Goshen, Metro United Way, and various St. Matthews ministries; Served on Metro United Way Vital Neighborhoods committee and chaired the Governor’s Housing Policy Advisory Committee.
JECOREY ARTHUR
Board Member
Councilman elect for Metro Council district 4, Professor of Percussion Studies at Simmons College of Kentucky, Director at Ida B. Wells ADOS Center for Social Justice, a Genius Fellow for Black Male Engagement. He is also a member of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network Artist Roster, an Endorsed Artist through Salyers Percussion, and serves on the Board of Directors for Louisville Downtown Partnership. You can follow him online at @1200LLC.
TINA WALTERS
Development Chair
Director of Investor Relations at Poe Companies, consultant with Walters Consulting, LLC; previously with James Graham Brown Foundation; board member of One West; previously served on LISC Indianapolis advisory board, Women 4 Women, Blue Apple Players, United Way of Central Indiana Advisory Board, Kentuckiana Works Advisory Board.
BETTY ADKINS
Board Member
Resource Development Manager at Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness; Board member at Molo Village; Member of the BOUNCE coalition; Previous president of the Southwest Rotary Club and Shively Area Business Association; Founding Executive Director of Shively Area Ministries; First Christian Church Board; and Alliance for Youth.