May 14, 2026 - Louisville Business First recently honored its Enterprising Women for 2026, recognizing 25 professional women who are making significant contributions to the Louisville community and to their professions. Sacred Heart School for the Arts Executive Director Kathie Davis and others were honored at a special event on May 12.
According to Louisville Business First, the honorees – spanning various industries – were chosen for displaying leadership, community and civic engagement, business management, mentoring, volunteerism, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Under Davis’ leadership over the past four years, Sacred Heart School for the Arts (SHSA) has increased enrollment, now serves over 40 elementary, middle, and high schools in the Louisville area, and has expanded from four to six productions to 17 full-scale theatre and dance productions annually. In addition, SHSA launched the Ursuline Performing Arts Collective (UPAC), a pre-professional after-school program offering seventh through twelfth-grade students a scope and sequence of training in the performing arts. To read more, please visit Kathie Davis’ feature.
“Congratulations to Kathie Davis on her well-deserved honor that reflects her strong leadership, passion for the performing arts, and tireless dedication to Sacred Heart Schools and Sacred Heart School for the Arts,” said Dr. Karen McNay, President, Sacred Heart Schools. “Under Kathie and her team’s leadership, Sacred Heart School for the Arts has grown in scope and impact, enriching the lives of students across our community. Kathie embraces our mission and Ursuline Core Values and shares her faith in all she does.”
Lucy Lee Helm ‘75, a Sacred Heart Academy alumna and retired Starbucks executive, keynoted the Business Women First Enterprising Women program. Over the years, Helm has been deeply involved with Sacred Heart’s Jean Frazier Leadership Institute (JFLI), helping to shape its development and growth as a founding member of the JFLI Leadership Cabinet and providing a transformative $1 million endowed gift in 2023 for student leadership development.
Pictured left to right: Emily Karem SHA '96, Director of Jean Frazier Leadership Institute; Lucy Lee Helm SHA '75; Dr. Karen McNay, Sacred Heart Schools President; Mr. Davis and Kathie Davis; Suanne Byron, SHSA office manager; Tina Kauffmann SHA '84, SHS VP of Advancement; Lauren Coffey, JFLI Program Manager
About Sacred Heart School for the Arts
Sacred Heart School for the Arts (SHSA), part of Sacred Heart Schools, provides after-school arts instruction and performances for coed students across the Louisville area. SHSA exists to intentionally form 21-century leaders by using dance, drama, music, and visual arts as vehicles for developing creativity, self-expression, and future-ready human skills, supported by modern rehearsal, studio, and performance facilities.
About the Jean Frazier Leadership Institute (JFLI)
The Jean Frazier Leadership Institute equips Sacred Heart students with the tools to make positive change in the world. JFLI integrates leadership formation throughout the Sacred Heart experience from curriculum-embedded learning for all students, to optional experiential opportunities, to capstone programs where students apply their growth in meaningful, real-world settings, such as the Lucy Lee Helm ’75 Leadership Incubator.
About Sacred Heart Schools
Sacred Heart Schools is a Catholic community sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville and guided by the Ursuline Core Values of Reverence, Service, Leadership, and Community. Founded by the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville in 1877, Sacred Heart Schools’ mission is to inspire diverse learners to become globally minded, compassionate leaders. Sacred Heart Schools provides Catholic, Ursuline, International Baccalaureate (IB), and Cognia accredited education from early childhood through high school. It also offers community-wide after-school arts instruction and performances. Located on the 48-acre Ursuline campus in Louisville, Kentucky, Sacred Heart includes four member schools: Sacred Heart Academy (girls, grades 9-12), Sacred Heart Model School (co-ed, grades JK-8), Sacred Heart Preschool (coed, ages 1-4) and Sacred Heart School for the Arts (coed, all ages). Additionally, the Jean Frazier Leadership Institute supports the leadership development of all students.
Check out Kathie Davis’ Q&A interview here and read more here.