Sara Hemingway

Sara Hemingway is an Owensboro, Kentucky native who has spent more than twenty years serving as Executive Director of the Marilyn and William Young Charitable Foundation. Her career has been rooted in philanthropy, the arts, and community leadership, with previous fundraising roles at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville and the Cheekwood Museum of Art and Botanical Garden in Nashville.

She earned her degree in Arts Administration from Indiana University and later completed a certificate in Nonprofit Management through the Center for Non-Profit Management. In 2013, Sara was honored to participate in the Hull Fellowship Program, a leadership initiative of the Southeastern Council of Foundations. She is also a graduate of Leadership Owensboro and Leadership Kentucky.

Sara is deeply involved in regional and community philanthropy. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Philanthropy Southeast Board and was a founding board member of Impact 100 Owensboro, where she also co-created the Impact 100 Next Generation program with her oldest daughter. Over the years, she has served in leadership and advisory roles with the Felix E. Martin Jr. Foundation, Leadership Kentucky, Grantmakers of Kentucky, the Cultural Review Panel of Owensboro, the RiverPark Center’s 25th Anniversary Committee, and the Junior League of Owensboro, where she served as president.

Outside of work, Sara and her husband, David, enjoy time with their three adult children and two much-loved corgis.

Melissa Ashby

Melissa Wells Ashby, a native of Cumberland 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.