Nelly dress, $235, at Mamili.
Emanuel Arnold: Executive Director of Operations, OneWest
Written by Dawn Anderson, Rocko Jerome and Taylor Riley | Photographed on location at the Frazier History Museum by Kylene White | Styled by Christine Fellingham and Melissa Gagliardi | Hair and makeup by Sarah Allen, Kassandra Cazares Aldana, Kayla Greenwell, Breanna Peters and Michaela Reeves
The field narrowed from over 400 nominations to 89 nominees and finally to the 16 award winners you will meet on the following pages. Representing each of their categories with distinction, your 2023 Most Admired Women bring humility, grace and a great capacity for change to their roles as leaders in our community. We asked each of them to reflect on how they got to this moment, what your votes and this award means to them and where their journeys might take them from here.
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In September 2022, OneWest, “a community development corporation committed to elevating our entire city through commercial development growth in west Louisville,” expanded its leadership to include the hiring of Emanuel Arnold as Director of Operations. “I am shocked to be nominated as I’m not doing this work for attention,” she says. “My passion, although I have only been in Louisville for three years, is community service. However, I am blessed and thankful for this award. This is a huge achievement.” It follows other major milestones such as her 2019 Master’s degree from Indiana State University, and her 2021 wedding to Ell Arnold, Jr.
OneWest (onewest.org) has exceeded $10 million in commercial development projects and 200,000 square feet of commercial and mixed-use real estate space for workforce opportunity improvement in Louisville’s West End. Emanuel has hit the ground running to maintain and accelerate this momentum. “I’m younger than most of my peers, therefore being taken seriously can sometimes be a challenge, but I approach any issues head-on,” she says. “I choose to lead as a fully-equipped fearless woman with empathy and understanding.”
“I’m younger than most of my peers, therefore being taken seriously can sometimes be a challenge, but I approach any issues head-on. I choose to lead as a fully-equipped fearless woman with empathy and understanding.”
Emanuel has always had an interest in economic development and helping entrepreneurs get the resources they need. In her previous role, Emanuel served as an Economic Development Manager for the city of Louisville Metro. Her current role takes her skills and interest to the next level. “For OneWest, equity and equality are always at the forefront,” Emanuel says. She grew up imagining herself as some sort of director or leader giving back to the community and has already achieved that level: ‘But I’m not done. I have a lot more to give. I’m not completely satisfied as long as there are more communities needing assistance,” she says. “When it comes to success, I’m not there yet, but I know I will be. I want to look back on my life knowing I’ve done everything I was put on Earth to do and achieve every goal I set for myself.”
Emanuel’s mother Carmen Boyd is a major influence. “I would not be who or where I am today without her,” she says. Melanie Beaver, Emanuel’s 4th-grade teacher, also left a lasting impression: “She told me I was born to be a leader and that has stuck with me my entire life. She helped me understand that what I do matters, because others looked up to me.” Emanuel says her grandmother also played a pivotal role and that she has many others to thank as well.
Michelle Obama is another role model. “She’s very influential, carries herself with dignity, and is the perfect counterpart for her husband,” Emanuel says. “When others attempted to tarnish their name, she responded with grace. That speaks volumes about her character.”
Following in the footsteps of such strong women is a tall order, but Emanuel is determined. She says, “I plan to continue to create change with OneWest in the West End, eliminating food deserts and providing more jobs, restaurants, and stores until the area has the same resources as the rest of the city.” — Dawn Anderson
