Leslie Buddeke Smart, Cfre

As past president of a communications and development firm, Leslie Buddeke Smart, CFRE brings a strong administrative background and an intimate knowledge of the culture of philanthropy. She has served as a two-term president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Louisville Chapter and on the Committee on Directorship for the International Association of Fundraising Professionals. She has supervised fundraising campaigns for Norton Healthcare, Yew Dell Gardens, Kosair Charities, the American Lung Association of Kentucky and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. Smart currently serves as the President, CHI Saint Joseph Health Foundations overseeing the six Foundations including the Legacy Foundation of Kentuckiana, Flaget Memorial Hospital Foundation, Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, Saint Joseph Berea Foundation, Saint Joseph London Foundation, and Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Foundation. Prior to this role she served as the executive director of philanthropy for the Children's Hospital Foundation where she supported a $208 million campaign for Norton Children's Hospital. Smart earned the 2020 Yearling of the Year Award from the Rotary Club of Lexington, 2020 CommonSpirit Health Phillies Award Top Performing Division, 2011 Frank W. Penick, Founders Award for Excellence in Fundraising Excellence AFP Greater Louisville Chapter, the 2006 Alumna of the Year from the University of Louisville’s Communication Department as the first non-journalist recipient, and is a Kentucky Colonel. She is a graduate of Leadership Lexington 2021, Leadership Kentucky 2017, and Leadership Louisville 2013. She has been engaged in volunteer and professional leadership for over 28 nonprofits in Kentucky and served as one of the first moderators of the Bluegrass Chapter of the Young President’s Organization’s Spouses Forum. Smart is a recent past board of director for the Louisville Ballet, the Kentucky Opera and past parish council chair for the Cathedral of the Assumption. Smart currently serves as a board of director for Leadership Kentucky, Downtown Lexington Partnership, Fund for the Arts, OperaLex, and New Opportunity School for Woman. She also serves as the Stewardship Committee Chair for Christ the King and Leadership Lexington Steering Program Committee. Smart is also a co-founder of Lexington Forward, Advancing Nonprofit Excellence.