Executive Director

About RPOP

Russell: A Place of Promise (RPOP) is building a future where investment in Louisville’s historic Russell neighborhood creates wealth and opportunity for the Black residents, families, businesses, and institutions that have long called it home, without displacing them in the process. RPOP invests in both people and place, connecting and organizing resources that expand pathways to home ownership, strengthen Black-owned businesses, support resident leadership, and create opportunities for community ownership and long-term wealth building.

At the heart of the work is a simple belief:
Russell residents should not only benefit from the neighborhood’s future, they should have a meaningful role in shaping and owning it.

Today, RPOP is an independent 501(c)(3) and Community Land Trust putting that vision into practice through affordable home ownership, community-led real estate development, and investments that strengthen neighborhood ownership and opportunity. Across its work, RPOP is building toward a Russell where development preserves the neighborhood’s cultural legacy and creates Black wealth that can endure for generations.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the inaugural Executive Director will lead RPOP into its next chapter, translating its resident‑led vision into action while building the resources, relationships, and organizational foundation needed to create lasting Black wealth and community ownership in Russell

• Lead the implementation and evolution of RPOP’s 2025–2028 Strategic Plan, driving measurable progress, adapting to the changing needs and conditions of Russell, and shaping RPOP’s vision and strategic direction beyond 2028.
• Advance RPOP’s two major community development projects toward key milestones, including affordable home ownership and mixed-use community development, while ensuring both reflect resident vision, build Black wealth, and protect against displacement.
• Deepen RPOP’s identity and practice as a community land trust, strengthening the strategies, systems, and partnerships needed to develop and steward permanently affordable housing and community assets.
• Center resident leadership and power in RPOP’s direction, creating meaningful opportunities for Russell residents to shape organizational strategy, development, programming, and decisions affecting their neighborhood.

• Develop and lead a fund development strategy that expands and diversifies revenue beyond grants, building a broader funding base to support the organization’s long‑term sustainability and growth.
• Cultivate and steward trusted relationships with funders and donors, deepening existing relationships while building new ones.
• Build strong relationships with Russell residents, community leaders and organizations, city and government leaders, policymakers, developers, and other partners connected to Russell and its future.
• Deepen and expand RPOP’s storytelling, elevating the history, culture, leadership, and stories of Russell residents and bringing its vision for Black wealth building, community ownership, and investment without displacement to broader audiences.

• Assess organizational and staffing needs and build RPOP’s first permanent staff team, developing a thoughtful talent plan and recruiting, managing, and developing people with the skills and experiences needed for RPOP’s next chapter.
• Cultivate an organizational culture rooted in care that honors RPOP’s history and institutional knowledge while creating the conditions for its next generation of leadership to grow and thrive.
• Lead and manage…