It is the first Power 50 recognition for all three men.

Two members of the , Christopher Dischinger and John Hollenbach, also are among those recognized.

For the sixth consecutive year, Business First has published the list of 50 most influential business and civic leaders in the region. Louisville Business First selected honorees from individuals nominated by the public and those covered in the publication’s own reporting and sourcing. It does not include elected officials. The 5 on the Rise class recognizes emerging influential leaders.

Bradley assumed leadership of UofL in March after serving as executive vice president and university provost and dean of the UofL School of Dentistry. Since taking the helm at UofL, Bradley has overseen the completion of the , the opening of the Engineering Student Success and Research Building and surpassing 25,000 enrolled students for the first time in the university’s history.

In his State of the University address on Feb. 12, Bradley highlighted goals for UofL, including a focus on further improvements in enrollment, six-year retention rates, degrees offered and experiential learning opportunities. He intends to prioritize new residence halls and academic research facilities.

“I am grateful to lead this great university and amplify its positive impact on the city of Louisville,” Bradley said. “It is an honor to be recognized by Business First in the Power 50 2026, particularly after less than a year in my role as president of UofL.”

Since being named director of athletics in 2022, Heird also has had some significant wins. He hired Jeff Brohm to lead the football program and Pat Kelsey to take the reins of men’s basketball. In the 2024-25 season, ten UofL teams earned a top-25 ranking and 11 programs earned trips to the postseason.��

Under Heird’s leadership, student-athlete academic success has been a priority. Last semester closed with an overall department GPA of 3.431��— with 18 of 19 sports above 3.2. UofL athletes are also winning with a 96% graduation success rate.��

Jason Smith, chief executive officer of UofL Health, was named CEO of the health system in October after serving most recently as its interim CEO and chief medical officer. In December, he oversaw the opening of the $186 million, seven-story .

The honorees will be profiled in the March 27, 2026, print edition of Louisville Business First, and online around that time.

A UofL School of Medicine alumna, Jones leads UofL’s diversity initiatives as senior associate vice president for diversity and equity. She also is associate vice president for health affairs/diversity initiatives, professor of pediatrics and vice chair, Department of Pediatrics-Inclusive Excellence.

In addition to the lifetime achievement award for Jones, the publication recognized the following faculty members and UofL Health providers as Health Care Heroes.

Frontline Hero:��Ruth Carrico, professor in the UofL Division of Infectious Diseases and a family nurse practitioner, UofL Health

Health Entrepreneur:��Suzanne Ildstad, professor, UofL Department of Surgery, director, UofL Institute for Cellular Therapeutics, founder and chief scientific officer, Talaris Therapeutics Inc., and Distinguished Professor of Transplantation Research at UofL Health – Jewish Hospital.

���ԲԴDZ����ٴǰ�(��):��Paula Bates, professor of medicine at UofL School of Medicine, and Kenneth Palmer, professor of pharmacology and toxicology and Helmsley Charitable Trust Endowed Chair in Plant-based Pharmaceutical Research at UofL as well as director of the UofL Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases and UofL’s Regional Biocontainment Laboratory.

�ʰ��DZ�������(��):��Valerie Briones-Pryor, medical director for the hospitalist team, UofL Health — Jewish Hospital and UofL Health — Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, and Gary Weinstein, clinical associate professor for the UofL Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, owner of Gary Weinstein MD and founder/volunteer of the Louisville Free Mental Health Clinic. Weinstein practices at Louisville VA Medical Center.

The 2021 Health Care Heroes will be profiled in the April 9 edition of Louisville Business First and recognized during a virtual event April 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event also will include a panel discussion with the CEOs of Louisville’s three largest health systems: Tom Miller of UofL Health, Gerard Colman of Baptist Health and Russell Cox of Norton Healthcare. Register to attend .

The UofL-related honorees are Mary Ellen Wiederwohl ’96;��Sharon Kerrick ’03, ’04, ’08; Eden Bridgeman ’08;��Aimee Jewell ’13; and Jessica Bird, a friend and supporter of the university.

Wiederwohl, a School of Music graduate, is the chief of Louisville Forward and was recognized as the “Woman of Influence.”��

Kerrick, dean of the W. Fielding Rubel School of Business at Bellarmine University, was recognized as “Mentor of the Year” by the publication.��

Bridgeman, chief marketing officer of Manna Inc., and Jewell, engagement specialist for Leadership Louisville Center and president of the Young Professional Association of Louisville, were both named “Women to Watch.”��

Finally, Bird, a New York Times bestselling author for her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, was recognized as a “Woman of Achievement.” She is a supporter of the UofL and is involved in UofL Athletics as both a football and basketball ticket holder.��

For more, visit .��

UofL scored 67.09 out of a possible 100 on the health employer index (HEI), which is 10 points higher than the national average (58.7) and higher than the Louisville average as well. The average index for a Louisville company this year was 60.4 – up 17 points from last year.��

“It is great to see how we stack up against so many other business and organizations, locally and nationally, and to know UofL is well-positioned as a leader,”�� said Patricia Benson, AVP of Health, Wellness and Disease Management.��

Benson said the UofL team will review the six key metrics of the HEI index to consider how to improve the employee wellness program, as well as how to best serve the entire campus community.��

“That is one of the positives that come from events and competitions like Healthiest Employer.�� It gives us an understanding of how we are doing in comparison to the industry as a whole and where to make changes,” she said.��

UofL has participated in the Business First Healthiest Employer competition since inception, securing the title as Healthiest Employer in the inaugural event in 2010. This year’s large group category competition included companies such as Yum! Brands, Humana, Norton Healthcare, GE Appliances and more.

Benson said since 2010, more companies — both locally and nationally — have implemented worksite wellness programs, reaping positive rewards.��

“UofL has a great story to share in that regard – both in terms of return on investment and value on investment,” she said. “We will continue looking for ways to expand our comprehensive health and wellness offerings with the heart of every employee in the forefront of our mind.”

Methodology

The Healthy Employer Index (HEI) is based on an analysis of the company’s wellness program in six key metrics: ��

• Culture/leadership commitment;
• Foundational components;
• Strategic planning;
• Communications/marketing;
• Programming/interventions; and
• Reporting/analysis.

The scores were calculated by Healthiest Employers, an Indianapolis-based research firm. The scores are calculated using an online survey completed by participating employers. Each employer is ranked with their individual Healthiest Employer Index (HEI). The survey consists of 75 scored questions.