The Center for Free Enterprise at UofL

CFE director Steve Gohmann recently had the opportunity to catch up with alums Bella Beilman and Julianna Sims. Bella (now with Dress for Success Louisville) and Julianna (Thumbprint Consulting), were active participants in CFE programming throughout their time at UofL. It's always great to see former students thriving and making lives better.

Do you know an incredible family business or leader in our community that deserves recognition? The UofL Family Business Center is accepting nominations for its annual awards celebration. The FBC is looking for businesses and leaders that demonstrate strong leadership, innovation and a commitment to multi-generational success.

Read more about the awards and nominate here: https://tinyurl.com/ye2ay846
Nominations are open through July 3.

Congratulations to our College of Business grads and the entire class! 🎓You may be moving on, but you'll always be a Cardinal. ❤️🖤Best of luck in your next chapter.

Today we celebrate Center for Free Enterprise participant Janie Rowland who graduates from the University of Louisville this Saturday with her bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Janie originally joined the CFE reading group program to deepen her connection with other students, faculty and organizations on campus. Looking for an opportunity to learn and grow alongside her peers, she engaged in thoughtful discussions about books and the world around her. She said the conversations helped her learn more about economics, critical thinking and policy, and because of her involvement, she has begun to read and discover more on these topics. “It has motivated me to be a lifelong learner and contributor to a better society.”

During her time at UofL, Janie has also gained hands-on experience with The Bird’s Nest Agency, where she worked on social media and strategy planning for multiple clients. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi and the College of Business Student Council. Janie maintained an impressive 3.8-4.0 GPA throughout her college career, even while holding down jobs and her other extracurricular activities.

Janie said she is looking forward to her future, which includes working in social media and event management. She also plans to open a real estate media and marketing consultancy.

Great work Janie – congratulations!

It’s Commencement Week at the University of Louisville and we’re shining the spotlight on CFE students graduating on Saturday.

Congratulations to Victoria (Tori) Iorillo who will pick up her bachelor’s degree with a double major in marketing and equine business.

As a first-time participant in the Center for Free Enterprise reading groups, Tori took full advantage of opportunities offered by the center. Among them, having lunch and dinner with authors and Menard Family Lecture Series speakers, like social entrepreneur Martin Burt, author of “Who Owns Poverty?”
“It is a rare opportunity to directly engage with such an influential author,” said Tori. “Hearing his insights firsthand made the concepts we read about even more impactful.” Tori also said her experience in the reading groups and other CFE programming strengthened her critical thinking and her ability to connect ideas to real-world issues, which she knows will help her in her career.

Tori stayed engaged and active during her time at UofL. She was a member of the rowing team, an equine program student ambassador, a member of the hunt seat team and worked with the FCA Serve team. She was active in the College of Business Student Government Association, worked with the Birds Nest Marketing Agency and was Vice President of Public Relations for the CoB Investment Club. Tori gained work experience as an athletics gameday marketing intern, an ACCN/ESPN broadcast and production intern and was CardsTV on-air talent. Even with all of her extracurricular activities, Tori maintained her grades to be named Dean’s List Scholar.

Following graduation, Tori will be volunteering abroad and then plans to work in collegiate or professional sports. Amazing work Tori – we can’t wait to see where your journey takes you.

As we close out the semester, we'd like to recognize and thank our spring 2026 Menard Family Lecture Series speakers.

We're grateful for these professionals who shared their time and expertise with our students. Their ability to engage, inform and inspire offered students a deeper understanding of poverty and the economy - and the impact they can make as future business leaders.

🟥"The Cost of Homelessness: A Panel Discussion" | Susan Buchino, Lisa Dischinger, Ryan Dischinger & Rebecca Fleischaker
⬛️"Who Owns Poverty? A Radical Shift from Aid to Action" | Martin Burt
🟥"The American Economy at 250" | Phillip Magness, Ryan Yonk

For a fascinating examination of our country's economic history, take a look at the video from our most recent event. Phil Magness, The Independent Institute, and Ryan Yonk, American Institute for Economic Research, explored economic policies throughout the last 250 years and their impact on Americans' prosperity.

View the video at:
https://centers.louisville.edu/center-free-enterprise/news-events/media-room

We're thinking you need to watch the video from Martin Burt 's recent talk at the UofL College of Business. Martin's talk, "Who Owns Poverty?" detailed his innovative strategy for helping families lift themselves out of poverty. The Poverty Stoplight is already being used successfully around the world and in the US.

Watch the video and see photos from the talk here:
https://centers.louisville.edu/center-free-enterprise/news-events/media-room

The CFE welcomed Phil Magness (The Independent Institute) and Ryan Yonk (American Institute for Economic Research) to the UofL College of Business for the final event in the spring semester Menard Family Lecture Series. Their presentation, "The American Economy at 250," provided a historical journey through the past 250 years, noting the economic policies which impacted, for better and for worse, Americans, and concluding that the most successful periods in American economic history have been those in which markets were allowed to function.

The CFE proudly hosted its annual Truist Speaker Series with social entrepreneur Martin Burt recently for a talk on his innovative approach to eliminating poverty. Utilizing Burt's Poverty Stoplight, families examine their own unique challenges and then create individualized plans for lifting themselves out of poverty. The Stoplight method has been successfully implemented in multiple US states and around the world.

CFE reading groups read Dr. Burt's book, "Who Owns Poverty?," and were able to discuss and share ideas with him over lunch, dinner and after his talk. The CFE loves to facilitate these unique opportunities for students to interact with business innovators like Burt.

The video and more photos from Martin's presentation will be available soon on the Center for Free Enterprise website.