Sara Hemingway
Sara Hemingway is an Owensboro, KY native who serves as the Executive Director of the Marilyn and William Young Charitable Foundation, a position that she has held for twenty years. Her past work experiences have included fund raising positions at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville and Cheekwood Museum of Art and Botanical Garden in Nashville. She holds a degree in Arts Administration from Indiana University and while working in Nashville, she earned a certificate in Non-Profit Management from the Center for Non-Profit Management. In 2013, Sara was privileged to graduate from the Hull Fellowship program, a leadership course of the Southeastern Council of Foundations. Hemingway has participated in both the Leadership Owensboro and Leadership Kentucky programs.
Her professional and volunteer involvement includes currently serving as a Board Member of Philanthropy Southeast and Kentucky Humanities. She served as a founding Board Member of Impact 100 Owensboro and originator of the Impact 100 Next Generation program. Previously, Sara has served as a Board Member of the Felix E. Martin Jr. Foundation in Muhlenberg County and Leadership Kentucky, a member of the Steering Committee of Grantmakers of Kentucky, the Cultural Review Panel of Owensboro, co-chair of the RiverPark Center’s 25th Anniversary Committee and President of the Junior League of Owensboro.
She and her husband David have three children and two adorable corgis.
Melissa Ashby
Melissa Wells Ashby, a native of Cum
berland 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.