MARILYN & WILLIAM YOUNG FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Carol Bothwell was born and raised in Hodgenville, KY. As a graduate of Transylvania University with a BA in Accounting, she began her career at Liberty National Bank in Louisville and subsequently transferred with Liberty National to Owensboro. She retired from Old National Bank, where she was a Vice President and Commercial Relationship Manager since 2000.
Carol has previously served on the boards of Theatre Workshop of Owensboro, the Junior League of Owensboro, Habitat for Humanity and she volunteered for the United Way of the Ohio Valley as a financial reviewer for 8 years. Currently Carol is a member of the finance committee of the Owensboro Family YMCA where she also served as board chair, Past President and Founding Member of IMPACT 100 Owensboro, a board member of Behavioral Healthcare Services; a division of River Valley and a board member of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra.
Carol enjoys traveling and her sweet fur babies, Lulu Pepper and Dottie Belle.
Job Titles:
- Director of Diversity & Inclusion for Humana
Chad Benefield was born right here in Owensboro, KY. After graduating with a BA from the University of Louisville, he moved to San Diego, California. There, he staged productions for J*Company, the youth performing arts division of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, where he also served as Production Director for the Streisand Festival of New Jewish Plays. In the Fall of 1997, he was granted admission to the Broadcast Journalism graduate program at NYU, but never made it. Shortly after moving back to Owensboro for what was supposed to be a brief stay, he began his radio career at WBKR, where he just celebrated his 25 th Anniversary. In addition to being one-half of the radio couple hilariously nicknamed "Changel," Chad serves as Director of Content for Townsquare Media Evansville/Owensboro. He oversees content for seven different radio stations and websites in the Tristate area. Chad has been nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award as Small Market Personality of the Year and has been a guest announcer at The Grand Ole Opry on numerous occasions.
He served as Chair of Relay for Life Daviess County for four consecutive years and has been instrumental in major fundraising events for March of Dimes, Puzzle Pieces, WBKR's Christmas Wish program, Saving Paws Animal Rescue of Kentucky, Hospice of Western Kentucky, Girls Inc. and many others. He has also helped raise over two million dollars for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. He currently serves on the board of New Beginnings Sexual Assault Support Services.
Dave Kirk grew up in Owensboro, Kentucky. He attended the University of Kentucky and received a Bachelor's Degree in broadcast journalism with a minor in communication. He was a television reporter in Tennessee and Owensboro before working as the public information officer for Owensboro Public Schools. Kirk currently works for Visit Owensboro as the director of destination management. Kirk is married to Jessica Kirk and they have two sons and a doghter named Hopsen. Dave is both honored and humbled to serve on the Young Foundation Board.
Diane Ford has lived in Owensboro for 20 years and is married to Clay Ford. Together they have 2 children, Whitley a sophomore at Owensboro High School, and John Clay, an 8th grade student at Owensboro Middle School. Diane has spent the majority of her time in Owensboro volunteering for various organizations including: The Wendell Ford Government Education Center, Owensboro Public Schools, CASA, The Women's Guild of Owensboro, the Junior League of Owensboro, and most recently, the Marilyn and William Young Charitable Foundation. She currently serves at the Executive Director of the International Center of Owensboro. Diane is passionate about civic engagement and feels grateful to live in a community that encourages and supports so many important nonprofits, their missions, and their volunteers.
Job Titles:
- Controller at Don Moore Automotive
Kaitlyn Moore Cunningham is the Controller at Don Moore Automotive, where she is the fifth generation to work for the family business. Kaitlyn was born and raised in Owensboro. She graduated from Wake Forest University with an undergraduate and master's degree in accounting in 2013. After graduation, she worked in Winston- Salem, NC for a public accounting firm. In 2015, Kaitlyn decided to return home to Owensboro and work in the family business. She is passionate about serving the Owensboro community and making it a great place to live and work.
Job Titles:
- President of the Malcolm Bryant Corporation
Madison Silvert is the President of the Malcolm Bryant Corporation, a full service real estate development and management company. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Centre College, and then earned his Juris Doctor and special certification in regulatory law and policy from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in 2001. Madison then went into private practice for six years, first in Louisville, and then returning to Owensboro in 2003 where he served as head counsel for the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning and Zoning Commission for eight years. In 2007, he joined the Economic Development Corporation as its first Vice President of Entrepreneurship and High Tech Development. In 2013, Madison was named President and CEO of GO-EDC. In 2015 Madison was named one of the 40 Under 40 up and coming economic development professionals in the world by Development Counselors International. Madison is also an Urban Planner, having passed the comprehensive planning exam, giving him the designation of a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners. Madison is a member of the Real Estate Advisory Council for the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank as well as past member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Committee on Colleges Board of Directors where he also served on the Executive Council.
With his wife Amy, he has three children: Emma, Lilly and John Crawford.
Melissa Wells Ashby, a native of Cum berland County, has lived in Owensboro for over 20 years. She graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in English & Allied Language Arts and master's degrees in Secondary English Education and Library Media Education. After 27 years in public education, Melissa retired in 2021 from Apollo High School, where she served as an English teacher and librarian. She and her husband, Pete, have two children, Caroline and Thomas.
Melissa is delighted to be working with the Young Foundation as Administrative Coordinator and excited to be part of the Foundation's service to the community.
Sara Hemingway is an Owensboro, KY native who serves as the Executive Director of the Marilyn and William Young Charitable Foundation, a position that she has held for twenty years. Her past work experiences have included fund raising positions at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville and Cheekwood Museum of Art and Botanical Garden in Nashville. She holds a degree in Arts Administration from Indiana University and while working in Nashville, she earned a certificate in Non-Profit Management from the Center for Non-Profit Management. In 2013, Sara was privileged to graduate from the Hull Fellowship program, a leadership course of the Southeastern Council of Foundations. Hemingway has participated in both the Leadership Owensboro and Leadership Kentucky programs.
Her professional and volunteer involvement includes currently serving as a Board Member of Philanthropy Southeast and Kentucky Humanities. She served as a founding Board Member of Impact 100 Owensboro and originator of the Impact 100 Next Generation program. Previously, Sara has served as a Board Member of the Felix E. Martin Jr. Foundation in Muhlenberg County and Leadership Kentucky, a member of the Steering Committee of Grantmakers of Kentucky, the Cultural Review Panel of Owensboro, co-chair of the RiverPark Center's 25th Anniversary Committee and President of the Junior League of Owensboro.
She and her husband David have three children and two adorable corgis.
William R. (Bill) Young Jr. was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1916. His family moved to Chicago where he completed high school and then graduated from Northwestern University where he had been on the varsity swim team. He enlisted in the Army in 1941, and spent the war island hopping in the Pacific as a Captain in the Fifth Army Air Corps, fulfilling the duties of quartermaster. Bill returned to civilian life in 1946, joining Marshall Field Department store in Chicago as a shoe buyer. After marrying Marilyn Field in 1947, they returned to her hometown of Owensboro where he worked for his father-in-law, C. E. Field, at Field Packing Company, eventually retiring as the company's second President in 1982.
Bill took an active role in Owensboro civic life. He was president of the board of Brescia College, on the board of the Wendell Foster Center, Chairman of the Owensboro-Daviess County Hospital and the Chamber of Commerce, among others. He was a founding father of Leadership Owensboro and continued to serve the organization even in his retirement. Bill was an active Rotarian. He was a past member of the board of directors of the American Meat Institute and former president of the Kentucky Meat Processors Association. In 1979, the Kentucky Pork Producers Association presented its Outstanding Service Award to Young. And in 1982, the American Meat Institute gave him its Community Relations Award. Bill died in 1984 of complications due to a heart attack less than two years after retirement.
Marilyn Field Young was born in Owensboro in 1925 to Charles and Mildred Field. She attended college at Hollins College and Washington University in St. Louis. Marilyn was an active member of Immaculate Catholic Church and served as a director at Field Packing Company. She served on the board of trustees of Brescia College for many years, where she received the doctor of humane letters degree in 1985. A year after her husband died, she created the William R. Young Jr. Lecture Series at Brescia in his memory. As a founding member of RiverPark Center, together with her sisters Nancy F. Wilson, Joanne Field Weller and Virginia F. Newton, she established the Field Founders Room which is utilized for board meetings and small receptions. Marilyn was a Rotarian and a board member of Leadership Owensboro. She was active with many civic and charitable organizations and served as President of the Junior League of Owensboro. Known for her tireless efforts and quiet leadership on behalf of others, her death in 1998 was a loss for the entire community.
Marilyn and Bill Young were devoted community members and active philanthropists throughout their lives. The Youngs were survived by a son, William R. Young III, who remained an active participant in the charitable giving of the family for many years. The Marilyn and William Young Charitable Foundation serves as a continuum of the giving that this generous couple began during their lifetime, giving to needs, large and small, in discreet ways that did not demand recognition.