Ali Center announces 2024 Daughters of Greatness honorees
02.14.24
MEDIA ADVISORY
Ali Center announces 2024 Daughters of Greatness honorees
Four local women to be honored through annual breakfast series
LOUISVILLE, KY (February 14, 2024) – The Muhammad Ali Center is proud to share a slate of local honorees that exemplify the principles of Muhammad Ali, the Greatest of All Time.
The first honoree of the season will be Laura Douglas on February 16. Douglas is a highly respected leader in the corporate, legal, education, and social justice communities. In addition to her ten years of service on the Muhammad Ali Center’s Board of Directors, she led the organization for three years as its Chairperson, as well as becoming the Center’s Interim President and CEO from 2021 to 2022. She is currently an Emeritus Member on the Center’s Executive Committee.
On April 12, the Center will honor Yvette Gentry. Gentry has been serving as the Director of Resident and Community Safety for LDG Development since July 2022. LDG is a leading developer who builds quality affordable housing across the country. This role has given her the opportunity to use her skills, experience, and education to work on a mission that is close to her heart.
She spent the previous four years working in the nonprofit space as Executive Director of the Rajon Rondo Foundation and Director of Justice and Opportunity for Metro United Way Louisville. Gentry made history in 2020 as the first woman to lead the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) when she took on the role as interim Police Chief.
As part of Ali Festival 2024, the Center is proud to honor Whitney Austin on June 7. Impassioned after surviving the Sept. 6, 2018, mass shooting in Cincinnati, Ohio, Whitney cofounded Whitney/Strong with her husband, an organization focused on finding common ground to end gun violence through data-driven, responsible gun ownership solutions.
Under her leadership, Whitney/Strong has executed several responsible gun ownership solutions including securing the first two hearings on gun safety legislation in Frankfort in over a decade. Joining Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to announce the STRONG Ohio legislation, a response to the community call of “Do Something” after the Dayton Oregon District shooting in 2019.
And on September 13, the Center will honor Marissa Castellanos. Castellanos is Founder and Director of The Coterie, providing training, technical assistance, resource development, and project formation and implementation related to anti-human trafficking and intersecting issues. Castellanos is a member of the Technical Working Group for the National Standards of Care for Anti-Trafficking Service Providers, a project implemented by Freedom Network USA and supported by the DOJ Office for Victims of Crime and the ACF Office on Trafficking in Persons.
As Director of Grants at Love146, an international human rights organization that addresses child trafficking and exploitation through prevention and survivor care programming, Castellanos provides leadership and support for grant management. Prior to Love146, Marissa worked at Catholic Charities of Louisville where she began in 2008 developing what is now known as the Bakhita Empowerment Initiative, a statewide program addressing human trafficking through services, prevention, training, and awareness.
Each program will begin at 8:30 a.m. with breakfast and remarks before a keynote from the honoree at 9 a.m. Sponsorship and ticket information is available by contacting Theresa Burridge at tburridge@alicenter.org.
For more information on Daughters of Greatness or any of the Muhammad Ali Center’s programming, visit alicenter.org/our-work.
Contact:
Annie Moore
Muhammad Ali Center
amoore@alicenter.org
(502) 992 – 5338 or (812) 786 – 1072 mobile