Leadership Central Kentucky Explores Growth and Collaboration in Jessamine County

Leadership Central Kentucky’s visit to Jessamine County on Sept. 16, 2026, offered a close-up look at a community experiencing significant growth while finding creative ways to preserve and build on what makes it unique. Throughout the day, one theme emerged again and again: growth brings opportunity, but it also requires thoughtful leadership, collaboration and a willingness to embrace what makes a community different.

​The day began in downtown Nicholasville at Alternative Jewelry, where owners Danny and Libby Barnes welcomed the group. The couple have created a business centered on custom and one-of-a-kind pieces. While much of their work was once done entirely by hand, they now engage in a variety of techniques, including lost-wax casting and 3D printing, into their process. Hearing them describe how they create molds and complete the casting process was a reminder that innovation doesn't always mean abandoning tradition. In this case, technology allows Danny and Libby to continue doing highly specialized work that customers cannot find anywhere else.

From there, we traveled to Asbury University in Wilmore, where Dr. Kevin Brown and members of the university leadership shared how Asbury’s distinctive programs contribute to the region and beyond. With students representing 29 countries and 37 states, the university brings a global perspective to Jessamine County. We toured the Miller Center for Communication Arts, including the screening room, television studio, black box theater, and viewed the myriad of artifacts in their media museum. Asbury’s pride in their students and alumni was on full display in the museum and featured pictures, posted and items from projects shared by those who worked on them. Afterward, we spent some time walking around campus to get a sense of the university on a larger scale.

Next, we visited Highbridge Springs and Kentucky Underground Storage, where Linda Slagle shared the fascinating history of her family’s business that began as a limestone quarry and evolved into an independent, woman-owned company. The company’s underground storage operation takes advantage of the former mine’s climate-stable environment, while its water bottling operation now produces 20,000 gallons of water a day. As Linda shared with us throughout our visit, it became apparent the story of these two businesses was an example of finding opportunity in what already exists.

Over lunch at the Wilmore Municipal Center, our class spent time with Mayor Harold Rainwater, Wilmore’s mayor of the last 50 years. He shared the city’s history and its plans for the future. His philosophy to leadership was simple: “Hire the very best people, empower them to do their very best and get out of their way.”
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Next we heard from Devin Marks, President of the Ginko Foundation, who is also planning the new Ginko Galore festival that will take place in Wilmore on Oct. 24, 2026. We learned about the collective festival model where other organizations are invited to create their own ginkgo-themed events and weave them into the festival calendar to build a bigger day together.

The afternoon took us to Camp Nelson National Monument in Nicholasville, a site that connects Civil War history with the broader story of civil rights. Park Superintendent Ernie Price shared the site’s complicated history, particularly the stories of the Black soldiers and their families who lived there. Learning Frank X Walker’s ancestors were among those connected to Camp Nelson – and that 150 years later Walker would become Kentucky’s poet laureate – was a powerful reminder of how deeply local history can continue to shape the present.

Our day in Jessamine County concluded at Ghost Fox Winery, owned and operated by Josh and Mallory Morris, to enjoy wine and hear from local leaders. First, we heard from Deputy Judge/Executive Justin Ray who discussed the county’s rapid growth, including new developments and jobs, infrastructure improvements, expanded emergency services and a new judicial center. Next, we heard from Nicholasville Mayor Alex Carter, who emphasized the importance of working together with county officials to make all this growth possible while maintaining quality of life for residents.

At the end of the day, what stayed with us most was how often the day’s conversations returned to the importance of collaboration. Jessamine County is growing, but its identity is not being built solely around growth. It’s being shaped by entrepreneurs willing to try something different, institutions investing in distinctive programs, communities finding new uses for old spaces, leaders preserving complicated histories and local governments working together. Jessamine County’s growth is evident, but so is the intentionality behind it. The day demonstrated that strong communities do not simply grow. Rather, they decide what is worth carrying forward and where there is room to create something new – together.


​Written By: Melissa Hammer, Kappa Delta Foundation