Grow Smart Academy

2025 Grow Smart Academy

15 Years of Free Education

Fayette Alliance launched Grow Smart Academy (formally known as Citizens’ Planning Academy) in 2010 with a vision to empower our community with knowledge, inspire meaningful conversations, and foster informed leaders passionate about sustainable growth and land use in Lexington-Fayette County.

This year, we are proud to celebrate this incredible milestone.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. Here’s to 15 years of growing smart — with many more to come!

Program Overview:

Grow Smart Academy is a free, five-session program designed to educate Lexingtonians on land-use planning and its relationship to our community’s economic development, environment, and quality of life.

Over the past fifteen years, Grow Smart Academy has educated hundreds of community members on the critical intersection of land use, agriculture, and development.

Through expert-led sessions, hands-on learning, powerful discussions, and nationally recognized keynote speakers, GSA has equipped graduates with the tools to advocate for smart growth and protect what makes Lexington-Fayette County special.

If you’re interested in learning more about how land use impacts your daily life — from public transit, walkability, housing affordability, greenspaces, climate, and livelihood —  join us at Grow Smart Academy to learn more about these local issues from community experts.

Session One: Growing Our City

Grow Smart Academy: Session One will focus on strategies and recommendations for infill and redevelopment, as well as an overview of a new process for making future decisions about growth and the Urban Service Boundary.

• Research: We know that Lexington has approximately 5,000 acres of vacant and undeveloped land left inside the Urban Service Boundary — 3,500 acres zoned for housing and 1,500 are zoned for economic development.
• Additionally: Lexington has approximately 9,000 acres of nonresidential properties that are underutilized and serve as great potential redevelopment opportunities.
• Reminder: The most recent expansion of the Urban Service Boundary added another 2,800 acres to be developed for housing and jobs, which is in addition to the numbers outlined above.

Session One will inform attendees on how we can best utilize this  land to meet our growth demands and grow our city in a smart, sustainable and equitable way.

Presentations + Speakers

Presentation 3

Time, Date + Location

🗓️ Tuesday, May 20

🕔 5:30 p.m.

📍 Red Mile Gaming and Racing, 1200 Red Mile Road, Lexington, Kentucky 40504

Grow Smart Academy: Session One will be presented at Red Mile Gaming & Racing, the second-oldest harness racing track in the world and an exciting entertainment destination.

Session Two: Keynote Presentation

Session Two of Grow Smart Academy has concluded.

Each year, Grow Smart Academy features a keynote presentation. These speakers are recognized on a national, and often global, scale for their work in urban planning, architecture, and design.

2025 Keynote Speaker

Vishaan Chakrabarti, FAIA, FRAIC

Vishaan Chakrabarti is an architect, author, and public thought leader.He is the founder of PAU | Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, a Manhattan-based architecture firm dedicated to building ecological, equitable and joyous communities.

As a licensed practitioner across several states, Chakrabarti leads the studio’s cultural, institutional, commercial, and infrastructure work including Brooklyn’s Domino Sugar Refinery, Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Princeton’s Hobson College, Philadelphia’s Schuylkill Yards, and New York’s Pennsylvania Station.

His past positions include working as a principal in other global architecture firms, teaching at Columbia University, and serving as the William Wurster Dean at UC Berkeley’s college of architecture. As Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s director of planning for Manhattan in the aftermath of 9/11, Chakrabarti helped to reimagine the High Line, rebuild the World Trade Center, extend the #7 subway line, and revitalize the waterfront.

In addition to his role at PAU and serving on numerous non-profit boards, Chakrabarti currently teaches at Cornell University as the Thomas J. Baird Visiting Critic in Architecture, and is a regular contributor to the New York Times, Vital City, and other publications.

Brittany Roethemeier, J.D.

Location

We are excited to host Grow Smart Academy’s keynote session at the historic Kentucky Theatre in downtown Lexington for the second year in a row.

At 100-years-old, the Kentucky Theatre is Lexington’s premiere historic theatre — located downtown at 214 E. Main St., Lexington, KY 40507.

Time and Date

🕔 5:00 p.m.

🗓️ Tuesday, June 3rd

📍 The Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main St., Lexington, KY 40507

Alternative Transportation

A key element of smart growth is focusing on accessible and efficient modes of transportation other than personal automobiles.

• Download the Mystop app for either Apple or Android to start planning your route to the Kentucky Theatre. 🚌

Policy + Pints: Smart Growth Happy Hour

Fayette Alliance is hosting a networking happy hour on Tuesday, June 10 to keep the conversations around smart growth flowing. Smart growth advocates are invited to join the Fayette Alliance staff and board to chat about the ideas proposed during Grow Smart Academy: Sessions One and Two.

• Schedule: Happy hour starts at 5:30pm and ends around 7:30pm, please come and go as you please!
• Location: Inside the barrel room at West Sixth Brewery, 501 W. 6th St., Suite 100, Lexington, KY, 40508.
• Snacks: Appetizers will be provided.

Please join us for a drink to chat about creating vibrant, walkable neighborhoods, attracting innovative businesses, preserving our productive and beautiful bluegrass farmland, and ensuring everyone has access to affordable housing and efficient transportation.

Fayette Alliance will provide one free drink ticket to all registered guests. Please feel free to bring a friend.

Session Three: Sustainability and Transportation

Details:

How we decide to travel as a community directly affects the preservation of our farmland (or the lack thereof).

Grow Smart Academy: Session Three, Sustainability and Transportation will dive deeper into that idea with discussions on the following topics:

• Ongoing efforts to diversify the way we travel around our city — whether by foot, bike, or car.
• The importance of walkable and bikeable development to sustainable growth. 
• The role our prime soils play in ensuring the vitality of our local food systems. 

The soils in and around Lexington-Fayette County are some of the most fertile in the US. The 6-12 inches of topsoil found throughout our rural area took between 3,000-6,000 years to form — and once it’s gone, we can’t get it back. 

• We depend on this soil for livestock, equine, and locally-sourced produce — all of which support and diversify our economy.

Promoting car-focused, sprawling suburban development is one of the quickest ways to destroy the lush and productive farmland surrounding our city. 

In contrast, pedestrian-focused development allows for more people to move throughout our city while taking up less space and reducing carbon emissions. 

• Prioritizing this type of infrastructure is also a more efficient use of land and taxpayer resources. 

Join us to dig deep into the importance of Lexington’s unique soils and learn about the initiatives both the City of Lexington and local urban planners are taking to make pedestrian-oriented travel and development easier and more accessible for all residents.

Speakers  + Presentations:

Time, Date + Location:

🕔 5:30 p.m.

🗓️ Tuesday, July 8th

📍 UK Cornerstone Theatre, 401 S Limestone, Lexington, KY 40508

Registration:

Previous Sessions:

2024

Program Overview:

Grow Smart Academy is a free, five-session program designed to educate Lexingtonians on land-use planning and its relationship to our community’s economic development, environment, and quality of life.

If you’re interested in learning more about how land use impacts your daily life — from public transit, walkability, housing affordability, greenspaces, climate, and livelihood —  join us at Grow Smart Academy to learn more about these local issues from community experts.

• Important: This program changes yearly — so alumni are encouraged to register again.

Watch Jeff Speck’s 2023 Keynote Presentation

Watch Galina Tachieva’s 2024 Keynote Presentation

Disclaimer: If you are interested in only attending Grow Smart Academy: Session One for Galina Tachieva’s presentation, there is space to indicate so on the registration form below.

Accessibility: If you have any language or accessibility needs or a need for transportation support to attend each session, please contact info@fayettealliance.com.

Galina Tachieva, DPZ CoDESIGN, award-winning author, urban planner

Galina Tachieva is the managing partner of DPZ CoDESIGN, directing the work of the firm in the US and around the world. With more than 25 years of expertise in sustainable planning, urban redevelopment and form-based codes, Galina is the author of the “Sprawl Repair Manual”, an award-winning publication by Island Press, which focuses on the retrofit of auto-centric suburban places into complete walkable communities.

Multilingual, Galina has experience with projects across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Russia, including downtowns and urban revitalizations, regional plans, environmental conservation, new communities, and resort towns. Managing complex projects and teams, she has led charrettes and other public processes, from project initiation through implementation.

Galina maintains an active civic engagement. A Fellow of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) she has been leading its national Sprawl Retrofit Initiative. She is a founding member of the Council for European Urbanism (CEU), and she has lectured throughout the world. She has been a visiting lecturer and design critic at Harvard University, the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), and at the University of Miami, among others.

Born and raised in Bulgaria, she received her architectural education at the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia, Bulgaria. Later, Galina received her Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Miami School of Architecture. Galina is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is a LEED-Accredited Professional.

Book Contributions

• Retrofitting Sprawl: Addressing Seventy Years of Failed Urban Form

• Christoph Gielen: Ciphers

• Anonymization: The Global Proliferation of Urban Sprawl

• The Sprawl Repair Manual

Articles

• How to Build Better Burbs to Ease the Housing Crunch

• Busting 4 Common Myths About the Suburbs

• From “Sprawl” to a “Complete Community”

• Millennials prefer revitalized historic areas, not malls

Session Details:

Session One: Intro to Smart Growth 

Tuesday, May 7, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main St. Lexington, KY 40507

Keynote Presentation | “Growth Strategies”

Session One Smart Growth Guidebook

View the photos from Session One

Session One will serve as our kick-off event to Grow Smart Academy where we will provide basic concepts and examples of smart growth, which will be expanded upon in the following three sessions.

Author and Urban Planner Galina Tachieva will be our keynote speaker for Session One. She will discuss her book, “Sprawl Repair Manual,” and provide examples of how we can retrofit Lexington to be a more walkable, pedestrian-friendly city.

Speakers: 

Galina Tachieva, DPZ CoDESIGN, award-winning author, urban planner

Galina Tachieva is the managing partner of DPZ CoDESIGN, directing the work of the firm in the US and around the world. With more than 25 years of expertise in sustainable planning, urban redevelopment and form-based codes, Galina is the author of the “Sprawl Repair Manual”, an award-winning publication by Island Press, which focuses on the retrofit of auto-centric suburban places into complete walkable communities.

Multilingual, Galina has experience with projects across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Russia, including downtowns and urban revitalizations, regional plans, environmental conservation, new communities, and resort towns. Managing complex projects and teams, she has led charrettes and other public processes, from project initiation through implementation.

Galina maintains an active civic engagement. A Fellow of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) she has been leading its national Sprawl Retrofit Initiative. She is a founding member of the Council for European Urbanism (CEU), and she has lectured throughout the world. She has been a visiting lecturer and design critic at Harvard University, the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), and at the University of Miami, among others.

Born and raised in Bulgaria, she received her architectural education at the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia, Bulgaria. Later, Galina received her Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Miami School of Architecture. Galina is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is a LEED-Accredited Professional.

Brittany M. Roethemeier, Executive Director, Fayette Alliance

Session Two: Growing Our City

Tuesday, June 4, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | The Cornerstone, 401 S. Limestone, Lexington, KY 40508

View the Session Two Packet

Presentation | “Urban Growth Master Plan”

Lexington’s planning and land use policies, set out in our Comprehensive Plan, outline the vision for how we live, work, and play. This session connects land use policy to our everyday quality of life. Grow Smart Academy: Session Two will educate attendees on infill and redevelopment, the preliminary plans for the proposed expansion areas, and the 2045 Comprehensive Plan.

Join us as we hear from:

• Stan Harvey of Lord Aeck Sargent as he presents Fayette Alliance’s newest research, analyzing land use in Lexington-Fayette County,
• Sam Castro of TSW as she discusses the Urban Growth Plan — the plan guiding how the proposed expansion areas will be developed,
• and LFUCG’s Division of Planning staff about the 2045 Comprehensive Plan Implementation Plan, the Urban Growth Plan, and how they are working to address the challenges facing our city.

Speakers:

Stan Harvey, Director of Urban Design and Planning – Lord Aeck Sargent

Stan Harvey is a Lord Aeck Sargent (LAS) principal in the firm’s Urban Design & Planning practice area and director of the Lexington, Kentucky office. With a background in both architecture and city planning, his specialties are conceptualizing planning processes, facilitating community participation, directing facilities/infrastructure programs, and developing implementation strategies.

Harvey earned his master’s degrees in city planning and architecture, both degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His bachelor’s degree in architecture was awarded by the University of Michigan.

Harvey is currently a member of the APA’s Kentucky chapter; the Fayette Alliance, where he serves on the board; the American Institute of Certified Planners; the American Planning Association; and Downtown Lexington Corporation, a community and business advocacy group that encourages responsible economic development in the downtown business core and in the various neighborhoods surrounding this central area. Before moving in 2006 from Atlanta to his hometown Lexington to establish the Urban Collage office there, he was a member of the APA’s Georgia chapter, and served for two years as its vice president of chapter services; The Carter Center, where he served on the board of councilors; and Central Atlanta Progress.

Sam Castro, AICP, LEED ND, Senior Associate, TSW

Sam is a Certified Planner and a LEED Accredited Professional for Neighborhood Development, and earned a Masters of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Her background includes large-scale master planning and transportation planning in the private sector, as well as experience in all phases of urban design, city planning, landscape architecture, and public engagement. Most recently, she served as a senior long range planner with the City of Lexington’s Division of Planning, and is a guest professor/lecturer at the University of Kentucky’s College of Design and Department of Landscape Architecture. She is a member of the Kentucky Chapters of the U.S. Green Building Council and the American Planning Association (APA), and currently serves as co-chair of the Kentucky APA’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. Sam has called Lexington home for more than a decade, and when not at the office she can often be found with her husband cheering on their two kids at a soccer match or baseball game, or enjoying a local park.

Chris Taylor, Administrative Officer, Long Range Planning, LFUCG

Chris Taylor is an Administrative Officer with the City of Lexington’s Long-Range Planning section. He has a degree in Economics from the University of Kentucky. Chris has been with Lexington’s Planning Division for 14 years. In his most recent role, he was instrumental in the completion of the City’s newest comprehensive plan, Imagine Lexington, which provides for creative infill & redevelopment within the nation’s first urban service boundary. Currently, he’s working to revise Lexington’s zoning ordinance to provide considerably more housing opportunities.

Hal Baillie, AICP, Planner Principal, Division of Planning

Hal Baillie is the City of Lexington’s Principal Planner of Long-Range Planning and a certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans and a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Hal has been working in historic preservation, cultural resource management, and urban planning for over 15 years. He has worked in both the public and private sectors, throughout the US Southwest and Southeast before starting his work for the City of Lexington. He has held multiple positions within the Division of Planning. Most recently, Hal’s work has focused on completion of Imagine Lexington 2045, Lexington’s 2023 Comprehensive Plan. His primary goal as an urban planner and resident of Lexington is to support and promote the development of sustainable and equitable communities.

Session Three: Sustainability and Transportation

Tuesday, July 9, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | The Cornerstone, 401 S Limestone, Lexington, KY 40508

Presentation One | “Edelen Renewables”

Presentation Two | “Sustainability”

Presentation Three | “Traffic Planning and the Future of Transportation”

Grow Smart Academy: Session Three will focus on sustainability and transportation in Lexington-Fayette County.

Participants will learn from local experts about the principles and practices our city employs to help Lexingtonians get to where they live, work, and play, as well as what steps the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government is taking to empower Lexington to build a more resilient and sustainable city.

Attendees will learn about:

• improvements and ongoing roadway and transportation projects,
• the results of the 2021 community-wide GreenHouse Gas Emissions Inventory results and what our city is doing to become a greener, more sustainable city,
• and how Edelen Renewables and American Farmland Trust are combating climate change through Farmers Powering Communities–a project that aims to protect America’s most productive farmland and ranchland while expanding equitable access to renewable energy.

Speakers:

Adam Edelen, Founder & CEO, Edelen Renewables

Adam is the founder of Edelen Renewables, which has garnered significant attention for structuring innovative partnerships between coal interests in Appalachia and global renewable energy giants.

As a chief of staff to former Kentucky governor, Steve Beshear, and later as the State Auditor of Kentucky, Adam earned a reputation as a modernizer and reformer in government. His efforts resulted in prison terms for corrupt politicians and school administrators, uncovered fraud and abuse in Kentucky’s nearly $3 billion system of “Ghost Government” (special taxing districts), and the testing of more than 3,000 previously unaccounted for rape kits.

Adam has been described in the media as “a man on a mission” and “a refreshing example of leadership,” and his record of accomplishments has garnered state and national recognition. He has been named the Outstanding Young Kentuckian and one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce, an honor previously bestowed upon presidents Kennedy, Ford, Nixon, and Clinton. More recently he has been honored by the Aspen Institute, the German Marshall Fund, and the Kentucky Rural Health Association.

Adam is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and currently sits on its Board of Public Health. He is an avid sportsman, a proud father of twin sons, a student of history, and a University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball and football fan.

Jada Walker Griggs, City of Lexington, Division of Environmental Services

Jada Walker Griggs is a Program Manager Senior with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Jada has over two decades of experience in municipal government, of which, 14 years were spent in Risk, Safety and Loss Control Management and 9 years in the Division of Environmental Service. Her regulatory background led her to an Environmental Initiatives Specialist position which poised her for her current position, leading sustainability efforts for the City of Lexington-Fayette County. Jada works as a liaison across divisions, while also being the outward-facing community connector for initiatives she helps organize, develop, and implement. She has experience administering various federal and state grants during her time at LFUCG, including the Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants, the EPA Brownfield Program Assessment and Clean-up Grants, and most recently the Lexington-Fayette MSA Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant. Jada facilitated efforts to update the community-wide sustainability plan, Empower Lexington: A Plan for a Resilient Community, was selected as a cohort with the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Cities, and is on the President’s Sustainability Advisory Committee for the University of Kentucky (UK)

Jada is a former sworn City Commissioner in Cynthiana, KY where she served as Commissioner for the Department of Public Works and Maintenance for 7 ½ years.

She is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and a mother of two.

Abby Terry, PE, LEED Green Assoc. | Environmental Engineer

Mrs. Terry is a professional engineer at Tetra Tech with diverse experience in environmental compliance, permitting, and sustainability. She has extensive experience working with the Lexington-Fayette County Urban Government (LFUCG). She provides day-to-day support to the Division of Water Quality’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program, and recently completed a community-wide and municipal greenhouse gas inventory for the Division of Environmental Services. Her current work involves assisting with the development of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Comprehensive Climate Action Plan under the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Program.

David Filiatreau, PE, PTOE | Traffic Engineer Manager, Division of Traffic Engineering

David is native to Central Kentucky having grown up about an hour west of Lexington in Washington County.  David has worked in a variety of different settings within the transportation industry starting out with KYTC in construction and highway maintenance.  After 4.5 years in the Winchester Section office David took a position in Lexington working in Traffic Engineering in the signalized traffic signal section. David became the Traffic Signal Manager in 2016 and led a variety of projects including one which modernized all traffic hardware and software.  In 2019 David and his family moved to Summerville, South Carolina to work with the consultant Stantec focused primarily on transportation design as well as traffic and safety studies.  After nearly 3.5 years in South Carolina, David moved back to Kentucky and rejoined LFUCG as the Traffic Manager in New Development serving as the Division of Traffic Engineering’s representative to the Planning Commission. David has been married to his wife Victoria (another native Kentuckian) since 2014, and they have two children, Clive 6, and Vera 4. David enjoys sports, cooking, and time with his family.

Session Four: Promoting Our Farms

Tuesday, August 6, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Spy Coast Farm Education Center, 3511 Newtown Pike

Presentation One | “The Importance of Agriculture to the Lexington Economy”

Presentation Two | The History of Coleman Crest Farm

Promoting our beautiful and productive Bluegrass farmland is a key part of Fayette Alliance’s mission.

Our unique farms contribute to our identity, economic development, and quality of life. Fayette Alliance advocates for sustainable, responsible, and innovative growth because we know that balancing our irreplaceable Bluegrass farmland and growing an equitable city for all is what will continue to make Lexington-Fayette County an extraordinary place to live.

This session will educate attendees on how our farmland impacts our community, and why smart growth and farmland preservation are important partners in Lexington’s thriving community.

Session Four attendees will hear from Jim Coleman, the owner and operator of  Kentucky’s first certified Black-owned organic farm,  and from Dr. Alison Davis about the local economic impacts of agriculture and its major contributions to our local, diverse economy.

Speakers:

Dr. Modesty Burleson, VMD, Chief Operating Officer, Spy Coast Farms

Modesty Burleson, VMD was born and raised in York, Pennsylvania. She started riding at 6 and got her first pony by the age of 9.  From that moment, she always knew she wanted to go to veterinary school for equine medicine.

Her mentor growing up, Dr. William J. Solomon of Pin Oak Lane Farm in New Freedom, PA introduced her to the Thoroughbred and Standardbred breeding industry. Modesty attended Virginia Tech for undergraduate studies and then the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

After graduation, Dr. Burleson moved to Lexington, Kentucky for a one-year ambulatory internship at the prestigious veterinary practice Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital with Dr. Tom Riddle. She had always planned to move back to Pennsylvania to work with Dr. Solomon, but after her internship, Dr. Riddle asked her to stay on as the resident veterinarian at Shadwell Farm owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.  During this time, she met her husband, Lyn Burleson, and decided to stay on as a Rood and Riddle associate.

In 2010, Spy Coast Farm hired Dr.Burleson from Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital as their resident veterinarian. At the time, Spy Coast Farm had only 20 horses on 200 acres and a handful of employees. Over the last decade, Dr.Burleson worked closely with owner, Lisa Lourie, to grow and develop the farm to become a world-renowned breeding and training facility.  The farm now spans 800 acres with over 50 employees and includes a Reproduction Center, a Young Horse Training Facility, a Quarantine Center, and a state-of-the-art Rehabilitation and Fitness Center. Dr. Burleson is now the Chief Operating Officer and the primary Reproduction veterinarian on the farm.

Dr. Modesty Burleson and her husband, Lyn Burleson, own and operate two commercial breeding farms in Midway, Kentucky.  They breed over 100 Thoroughbreds a year and run a sales consignment at Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton. 

Dr. Alison Davis, Professor of Agriculture Economics, University of Kentucky

Dr. Alison Davis is a Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky and the Executive Director of the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK). CEDIK is an integrated engagement/research center housed within the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the University of Kentucky. CEDIK’s mission is to build engaged communities and vibrant economies. Dr. Davis leads a team of fourteen engagement and research staff to support CEDIK’s five priority areas: economic development, leadership development, community health, community design, and arts engagement. 

Dr. Davis’ role is to build relationships across campus, Kentucky, and the South to promote a stronger sense of community and an improved economic base in rural areas.  Her economic development program utilizes workshops, training, and educational materials to highlight the importance of community engagement, land use planning, infrastructure development, regionalism, and the impact of changing public policy on communities.

Jim Coleman, President and CEO, Coleman Crest Farm

From his family’s farm in Lexington, Kentucky to Wall Street, Jim Coleman has delivered stellar results over the last 37 years with Oscar Mayer & Co., Pepsi Cola Company, Altria Corporation, American Express, several entrepreneurial ventures, and several government and quasi-government entities including the New York State Senate, Westchester County Government, and the Prince George’s County Maryland Economic Development Corporation.

Jim was raised on his family’s farm, Coleman Crest, which was originally purchased by his great-grandfather, James Coleman, on March 27, 1888, after he and his family had tilled the farm as slaves. Jim is the sole owner of Coleman Crest Farm today.

In 2015, Jim was appointed president & CEO of the Prince George’s County Maryland Economic Development Corporation by Prince George’s Maryland County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III. Jim led a team of 75 economic development professionals to attract over 40 new companies to Prince George’s County, retained the county’s top 500 largest employers, and convinced them to expand to create over 5,400 new jobs. Under Jim’s leadership, the corporation’s workforce services division was trained and prepared.

At the end of his tenure at the Prince George’s County Maryland Economic Development Corporation in 2018, Jim returned to the private sector to launch his business consulting firm, Coleman Crest Advisers, LLC. The mission of Coleman Crest Advisers is to help clients grow their sales revenue by enhancing the skills and capabilities of their employees. After the death of his loving wife Cathy, of 37 years, Jim relocated to Lexington, Kentucky in August 2020 to restore Coleman Crest Farm. Jim is currently preparing Coleman Crest to be a profitable farming enterprise with three operating divisions including; organic crop production, an Incubator for Aspiring Farmers, and Agritourism.

To date, Jim has secured produce customer relationships with Critchfield Meats, Good Foods, Idle Hour Country Club, Thompson Catering, Ramsey’s Diner, Black Soil, and Dudley’s on Short. Jim has established partnerships with the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University to leverage the latest approaches to agriculture management and to leverage the innovative spirit of their students to achieve his long-term vision for Coleman Crest which is to preserve the farm in perpetuity, as a teaching farm for aspiring farmers.

Jim is a 1983 graduate of Howard University with a B.A. in Economics. He is the author of “Cut the Crap and Close the Gap”, an operating guide for small and large businesses and not-for-profit organizations. “Cut the Crap and Close the Gap” was published by Morgan James in 2016 and is available on Amazon and everywhere books are sold.

Jim is a certified management training facilitator with Development Dimensions International, the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness, and Dale Carnegie. Jim is a 2014 graduate of the World-Wide College of Auctioneering. Jim is a board member of One World United and Virtuous and the Henry Clay Estate Foundation

Session Five: Land Use and Economic Development

Tuesday, September 17, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | The Cornerstone, 401 S Limestone

Session Five | Panel Discussion

Presentation One | About VisitLEX

Presentation Two | About the Greater Lex Regional Growth Campaign

Presentation Three | About Startups, Tech, and Entrepreneurship in Lexington.

Details:

In this new session of Grow Smart Academy, Land Use and Economic Development,  we will focus on how Lexington-Fayette County’s land use policies impact economic development.

Lexington is a city with a diverse economy. And while we’re well-established as the Horse Capital of the World — a title that plays a large part in our land use, and has a multi-billion dollar economic impact — countless other draws also bring residents and visitors to our city: the University of Kentucky, Bourbon and Brewgrass Trails, wineries, restaurants, our world-class healthcare, schools, outdoor recreation, and so much more.

A city’s growth and economic vitality do not depend on the outward expansion of its borders. Leveraging the balance between our unique and productive landscape and our vibrant urban core is key to attracting and retaining talent, growing and supporting businesses, and improving our quality of life. Further, planning regionally for economic development is key to a successful future for Lexington-Fayette County and our surrounding counties. 

This session will discuss:

• The importance of our productive landscape to our local economy
• Continued investment in downtown and existing neighborhoods necessary for success
• Growth of innovation and tech sectors in Lexington-Fayette County
• Retaining and expanding existing businesses 
• Promoting the growth of new businesses in locations that are optimal for our community
• Regional economic development planning in partnership with neighboring communities

At Grow Smart Academy: Session Five, we’ll hear from a diverse panel of regional economic development experts who will discuss how land use and economic development are intertwined. We will hear from:

• Mary Quinn Ramer of Visit Lex
• Nick Such and Mackenzie Hanes of Awesome Inc.,
• and Andi Johnson of Commerce Lexington

Additionally, David Lowe and Victoria Meyer from Yes, Parks! will present about the ballot referendum which, if approved in November by Lexington-Fayette County voters, would support dedicated funds for Lexington’s parks, providing over $8 million annually to improve and develop neighborhood parks, playgrounds, walking paths, hiking trails, and other recreation facilities in our city. Investing in parks is one of the best ways to invest in the social, physical, and financial well-being of our community and ensure the vibrance of our city for generations.

Panel:

Mary Quinn Ramer | President, VisitLEX

Mary Quinn K. Ramer is President of VisitLEX, where she leads all marketing, convention and
administrative activities for the destination organization.

She brings 25 years of tourism, marketing communications, and event planning experience to
VisitLEX. But more than that, she brings an innovative attitude and community-minded spirit to
everything she does, which makes VisitLEX’s efforts more inclusive and successful.

Mary Quinn also tirelessly works to bring Lexington to the world by cultivating a creative
environment that is always seeking to improve, which leads to opportunities that garner national
and international media attention.

Prior to becoming President, Mary Quinn spent seven years as the Vice President of Marketing at the organization. During her tenure, she has led and managed a successful rebranding effort and launch of the iconic “blue horse” brand and accompanying merchandising, coordinated all Bureau activities for three international equine events, initiated an original culinary tourism initiative, and launched a national PR campaign for the destination.

Working with city officials and architects, Mary Quinn was an active participant in the restoration of the Old Fayette Courthouse, which now houses VisitLEX headquarters and Lexington’s visitor center. Mary Quinn also played an active role in securing funding and planning the expansion of the state-of-the-art Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington.

She also fought tirelessly for Lexington during the pandemic – helping secure funding for tourism, hospitality businesses, and displaced workers. Mary Quinn was an instrumental partner in the creation and implementation of Nourish Lexington, a public-private partnership that provided hundreds of thousands of healthy meals for families in need while offering meaningful employment and much-needed income to local food system professionals, small business owners, and farmers.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Centre College, Mary Quinn received the Distinguished Young Alumna Award from the College in 2008. Mary Quinn lives in downtown Lexington with her family and enjoys traveling across the globe and to interesting spots in her beloved Commonwealth.

Nick Such | Co-founder, Awesome Inc

Nick Such is a co-founder of Awesome Inc where his team works at the intersections of the education and creation of technology and startups. He has been involved in several different entrepreneurial ventures, ranging from indoor mapping software to large-format multitouch displays, as well as technology training and consulting. Nick enjoys engaging with the local startup community through events such as 5 Across and Startup Weekend.

During his time studying engineering at the University of Kentucky, he was the captain of the Solar Car Team and an international race car driver. Nick lives in Lexington, KY with his wife, Mollie, and their four young children. He enjoys bicycling, gardening, and trying to understand Tolkien and Aquinas.

Mackenzie Hanes | Executive Director, Tech Association of the Bluegrass and Program Director, Awesome Inc

Mackenzie Hanes, originally from Mayfield, Kentucky, came to Central Kentucky to attend the University of Louisville and subsequently became a happy transplant in Frankfort. Mackenzie serves as the Executive Director of the Tech Association of the Bluegrass (TAB), an organization dedicated to building the tech ecosystem in Central Kentucky. Mackenzie is also the Program Director for Awesome Inc which provides computer science education in high schools and intensive training for career changers looking to get their start in tech. Mackenzie is focused on serving the established and growing tech community in Lexington as she coaches non-traditional tech talent and connects regional and global tech leaders to the future of the Bluegrass.

In addition to her work in tech, Mackenzie is pursuing a doctoral degree from the University of Louisville in Higher Education Leadership and Organizational Development. As an entrepreneur, she and her husband, Logan, established the Basement Rickhouse, a Bourbon education and appreciation company that celebrates and teaches about the history, culture, and community of America’s Native Spirit.

Mackenzie lends her leadership and support as a Co-Chair of the Women of Woodford committee with the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce and has served and continues to serve in many regional and state associations supporting learners and career changers through the Kentucky Association of Colleges and Employers, Southern Association of Colleges and Employers, and Bourbon Women. Mackenzie is an alumna of Leadership Central Kentucky.

Andi Johnson, Tuesday Aug. 6, 2024 in Lexington, Ky. Photo by Mark Mahan Mahan Multimedia

Andi Johnson | Chief Policy Officer and Director of Regional Engagement, Commerce Lexington

Prior to joining Commerce Lexington in 2013, Johnson worked for five years
as the Republican Party of Kentucky’s communications director and political director.

From 2004-2007, Johnson worked in Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s administration as an executive assistant for the Office of Lt. Gov. Stephen Pence and later as the deputy communications director for the Governor’s Office of Local Development. She began her career in politics as a staff assistant for U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell from 2003-2004.

She also is a member of the Kentucky Association of Economic Development.
Johnson holds a B.A. in political science from Georgetown College and an M.A. in diplomacy from the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School for Diplomacy and International Commerce.

Policy and Pints: A Networking Happy Hour

Tuesday, May 28, 5:30-7 p.m. | West Sixth Brewery, 501 W. Sixth St., Ste. 100, Lexington, KY 40508

Policy, Pedals, and Pints is a networking happy hour hosted by the Fayette Alliance team. Attendees are encouraged to meet new, like-minded smart growth advocates while chatting about Grow Smart Academy, land use policy, and all things Lexington.

Happy hour starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends around 7:30 p.m.  Appetizers and the first round of drinks will be provided. Please feel free to bring a friend.

West Sixth Brewery is located at 501 W 6th St #100, Lexington, KY 40508. Happy Hour will be in the Barrel Room.

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Sponsors:

2023

Key Takeaways From Our 2023 Grow Smart Academy Programming

Keynote Speaker: Jeff Speck

• Bio:Jeff Speck is a city planner and author who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and created the Governors’ Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007, he has led Speck & Associates, an award-winning private design consultancy serving mainly American cities. With Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Mr. Speck is the co-author of Suburban Nation, which the Wall Street Journal calls “the urbanist’s bible.” His 2012 book Walkable City was the best-selling city-planning title of the past decade and has been translated into eight languages. He is also the principal author of The Smart Growth Manual and Walkable City Rules. Jeff Speck has been named a fellow of both the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Congress for New Urbanism. He was the 2022 recipient of the Seaside Prize, whose former awardees include Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander. His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than six million times.

Session Details

Session One: Intro to Smart Growth

Monday, May 8, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Transylvania University

Session One will serve as our kick-off event to Grow Smart Academy where we will provide basic concepts and examples of smart growth, which will be expanded upon in the following three sessions.

We will feature Jeff Speck, a city planner and author who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. He has been named a fellow of both the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Congress for New Urbanism. He was the 2022 recipient of the Seaside Prize, whose former awardees include Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander. His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than six million times.

Disclaimer: Everyone is welcome to attend Jeff Speck’s keynote presentation at Session One, even those who cannot participate in all four weeks of Grow Smart Academy. Please register in advance here and indicate that you will only be attending this session so we can accommodate all guests.

Speakers:

Jeff Speck, city planner, and author

Jeff Speck is a city planner and author who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and created the Governors’ Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007, he has led Speck & Associates, an award-winning private design consultancy serving mainly American cities. 

Brittany M. Roethemeier, Executive Director, Fayette Alliance

Chris Woodall, Manager of Long-Range Planning, City of Lexington

Chris Woodall is the City of Lexington’s Manager of Long-Range Planning, and a certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Urban & Regional Planning from Florida State University with a concentration in growth management. Chris has been planning for the future of central Kentucky for over a decade, having served as the Planning Director in Jessamine County prior to taking his current position.

With the input of over 11,000 citizens, he oversaw the creation of “Imagine Lexington” the City’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan that sets out a vision for how we can grow in a responsible way while preserving and maintaining what sets us apart.  Now, five years later, Chris and the City are again asking thousands more residents how they “Imagine Lexington,” this time planning for the year 2045. “Imagine Lexington 2045” is scheduled to be adopted in 2023.

Chris Taylor, Principal Planner in Long-Range Planning, City of Lexington

Chris Taylor has been with the City of Lexington’s Division of Planning for nearly twenty years, and has been a Principal Planner in Long-Range Planning since 2017.  He was instrumental in the creation of “Imagine Lexington” the City’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan, and has been committed to implementing that plan and ensuring it doesn’t just sit on the shelf.  Mr. Taylor is devoted to addressing Lexington’s housing supply issues through creative solutions, partnerships, and regulatory reform, and is a fierce advocate for acknowledging and working to correct inequities of historic planning practices and policies.

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Session Three: Sustainability and Transportation

Tuesday, July 11, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Red Mile Gaming & Racing

The integration of green infrastructure within our urban core provides an opportunity to mitigate the impacts of climate change while improving the quality of life for citizens and the vibrancy of our city.

Lexington-Fayette County’s productive rural landscape is green infrastructure, and farmland provides the opportunity to sequester carbon to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Limiting urban sprawl is critical to sustainable and equitable growth for all Lexingtonians.

Attendees will learn about improvements to public transit, ongoing projects like Imagine New Circle Road and Imagine Nicholasville Road, as well as how the city is looking at a Complete Streets initiative and utilizing large amounts of federal funding for infrastructure. Additionally, gain insight into three alternative future scenarios projected through 2040 and what they mean for the future of agriculture.

Speakers:

Scott Thompson, Senior Transportation Planner, Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator, Lexington Fayette Urban County Government

Scott is a native of Louisville and came to Lexington in 1997 to pursue a degree from the University of Kentucky in Landscape Architecture. Since graduating in 2001, he has worked in the public and private sectors as a Designer, Project manager, and Resident inspector for projects ranging from residential site design; park designing and master planning; storm and wastewater management; trails, roads, highway design, and planning; and community design and planning. He has always had an interest in public health and how the built environment is directly tied to daily physical activity.

Scott is the Senior Transportation Planner, Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator for the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government and the Lexington Area MPO. My current work involves working to increase bicycle and pedestrian transportation system access, developing safe, high-quality, interconnected facilities for bicycling and walking, and promoting the increase of their use.

Fred Combs joined Lextran in 2016 and is currently the Director of Planning, Technology, and Community Relations. In his role at Lextran, Fred oversees a team dedicated to the agency’s technology, building relationships with the community, implementing capital projects, marketing, and long-range planning, among other functions.

In the past year, Fred helped secure roughly $10 million in competitive federal grant awards to incorporate additional compressed natural gas, hybrid electric, and battery electric vehicles into Lextran’s fleet. With Fred’s leadership, Lextran completed a Comprehensive Operations Analysis in 2022 that evaluated the alignment of resources and mobility needs in Lexington and is currently planning the implementation of recommended service improvements in 2023.

Fred also serves as Lextran’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Liaison Officer, the Chair of the Lexington Area MPO’s Transportation Technical Coordination Committee, and on the advisory board of Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s Architectural Technology program. Fred is a certified planner as designated by the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Dr. Alison Davis, Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky

Dr. Alison Davis is a Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky and the Executive Director of the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK). CEDIK is an integrated engagement/research center housed within the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky. CEDIK’s mission is to build engaged communities and vibrant economies. Dr. Davis leads a team of fourteen engagement and research staff to support for CEDIK’s four priority areas: economic development, leadership development, community health, and community design.

Dr. Davis’ role is to build relationships across campus, Kentucky, and the South with the goal of promoting a stronger sense of community and an improved economic base in rural areas.  Her rural economic development program utilizes workshops, trainings, and educational materials to highlight the importance of community engagement, infrastructure development, regionalism, and the impact of changing public policy on rural communities.

Tiffany Michelle Brown, has worked in the legal industry and successfully managed community-based reform efforts in the non-profit industry, Tiffany Michelle has created a reputation as a powerful advocate for equity and racial justice. Her advocacy for the issues for which she advocates is grounded in her personal experiences. Her passion and life’s purpose for this work can’t be replicated. Today, Tiffany Michelle serves as the first Chief Equity and Implementation Officer for the City of Lexington charged with building out and implementing the recommendations on the Mayor’s new Commission on Race, Justice and Equality. Prior to this, she advocated for equity through a lens of racial and social justice at the Center for Social Justice at the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio. As a social justice advocate, she believes that it is imperative for community-based reformers and institutional policymakers to work together to achieve sustainable and meaningful solutions. A true consensus builder and passionate connection maker, she has a talent for communicating to multiple stakeholders and helping synthesize multiple perspectives to come up with a shared vision and set of goals. Her dedication to public service and advocacy, as well as her gift for telling the story and narrative of her experience and life’s work in a connected, authentic way that resonates with audiences, is fueled by her own trials and triumphs and the countless stories of people who continue to be unfairly met with systemic barriers. Her past professional and personal experiences have ignited a passion for being intentional in her work and created an unrelenting desire to be an agent of change. She routinely engages in thought leadership and partnerships surrounding her deep commitment to empowering young people to develop their own voices and be their own agents of change.

Lisa Lourie grew up in New England where she worked as an ICU/CCU nurse before obtaining her Masters in Health Care Management. Other than the occasional trail ride, she had minimal experience with horses until the age of 42 when she began riding lessons with her then 8-year-old daughter. Lisa started Spy Coast Farm (SCF) in 2003 on Long Island, NY and moved the farm to Lexington, Kentucky in 2008. The farm now breeds between 40-50 foals a year, at least half of which are for clients. Lisa Lourie is committed to the advancement of the equine industry here in America. To that end, Spy Coast Farm offers breeding services and trains young horses for their breeding clients. They offer CEM Quarantine and a state-of-the-art Rehabilitation and Fitness Center and recently opened their Equine Education Center to serve the wide variety of equine practitioners here in Lexington and beyond. Spy Coast also has a large internship program that includes hosting numerous veterinary externs, undergraduate students, international students, as well as an annual 12-month veterinary internship. In 2019, Lisa and the SCF Human Resource Manager attended the Blackburn Correctional Facility Farm Day. Impressed by what they saw, they interviewed potential grooms on the spot and have since hired elite grooms from the TRF/Blackburn program, The Lexington Rescue Mission and Stable Recovery. Spy Coast Farm’s most recent efforts have focused on addressing the needs of at-risk and underserved youth here in Lexington. They work with programs such as Black Men Working, Legacy Equine Academy, Locust Trace, Success Academy and Stables (at CKRH) to offer out-of-classroom learning opportunities that might engage future generations in the equine and agricultural industries. Lisa sits on the U.K. Gluck Equine Research Center Board, The Kentucky Horse Park Foundation Board, and the Midway College Equine Advisory Committee. She also sits on a variety of USEF and USHJA committees. She was awarded the USEF “Breeder of the Year Award” in 2018.

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Networking Happy Hour: Bikes, Bubbles + Brunch

Saturday, August 19 | 12-2 p.m. | The Grove, 200 W. Main St.

Register Here

This free event encourages Grow Smart Academy students to network, celebrate the completion of all four Grow Smart Academy programs, and explore our city — all while enjoying delicious small bites from the Luna food truck at The Grove. Registration to the event, and attendance to Session One, get you a free drink ticket at the event. The Fayette Alliance team will be on-site with information on walking and biking the Town Branch Trail through downtown Lexington.