You Decide, Kentucky! (YDK!) has hired Lena Muldoon as Executive Director to lead a statewide effort focused on modernizing the Kentucky Constitution.

“We are thrilled to have Lena joining us to lead a statewide educational campaign,” said YDK! Co-Chair Carter Hendricks of Hopkinsville. “As a young organization, we have the important task of educating our fellow Kentuckians on the importance of tax reform that empowers local decisions and local investments that can transform communities. Lena’s proven, dynamic, and mission driven leadership is the perfect fit for YDK!.”

Co-Chair and Corbin Mayor Suzie Razmus added, “We are proud to welcome Lena as the leader in our efforts to usher in a new era of unprecedented growth for Kentucky. It is high time we compete on a level playing field with our neighboring states, who already realize the enormous potential of revenue diversity for our local governments.”

The addition of an Executive Director as a full-time staff member will help catapult YDK! to the next phase of its work. Muldoon will have overall responsibility for YDK!’s execution of the board’s mission, and will lead the hands-on operations while fostering growth and developing YDK!’s initiatives.

“My career has been committed to the lives of Kentuckians by focusing on the work of local governments and communities,” Muldoon said. “I am ecstatic to have the chance to continue doing so by working to ensure that everyone in our Commonwealth is represented in this crucial effort for the future.”

With their eyes on the coming legislative session, YDK! is a grassroots organization that is educating the public on the need to amend Section 181 of Kentucky’s Constitution to empower local governments and citizens to decide what revenue streams will improve the quality of life in their communities. The statewide group is educating local residents and organizations to imagine the possibilities and work together to improve their hometowns – ultimately ensuring that the potential constitutional amendment passes on the ballot.

“Local communities need flexibility to diversify local tax revenues while ensuring the tax code does not negatively impact businesses or its workforce,” Muldoon said. “Amending our constitution to give the General Assembly authority over all tax policy is the next step in modernizing our tax code.”

Muldoon joins YDK! from Louisville Metro Government’s Office of the Mayor, where she has spent the last several years overseeing legislative strategy and execution as Intergovernmental Affairs Liaison. Raised in Louisville, Muldoon graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from DePaul University before completing her Master of Arts at the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

You Decide, Kentucky! is a statewide initiative that supports modernizing the Kentucky Constitution to give the General Assembly the authority to implement tax reform at the local level. It was created by a

2020 Leadership Louisville Bingham Fellows class initiative where community leaders studied what it will take to elevate Kentucky communities in the national landscape and create greater opportunities for economic growth.