YPAL names Peyton Rhea as new Executive Director

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 15, 2026) — The Young Professionals of Louisville (YPAL) is proud to announce the selection of Peyton Rhea as its new full-time Executive Director, effective July 6, 2026.

Rhea brings a broad background in nonprofit leadership, community engagement, business development, and relationship management to the role. He most recently served as Community Engagement Manager for CASA of the River Region, where he led volunteer recruitment, community outreach, fundraising initiatives, and partnership development efforts across seven Kentucky counties.

Prior to CASA, he held community engagement and mission-focused leadership roles with Catholic Charities of Louisville and gained valuable sales and account management experience with ADP, Team Travel Source, and the Louisville Bats.

Throughout his career, Rhea has demonstrated a passion for connecting people, strengthening communities, and creating opportunities for meaningful engagement. His experience cultivating partnerships, recruiting volunteers, leading public outreach efforts, and building community awareness closely aligns with YPAL’s mission to connect, engage, and develop young professionals to build a stronger community.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Peyton as YPAL’s next executive director,” said Sam Draut, YPAL President. “What impressed us most about Peyton was his ability to connect with people. Whether he’s cultivating sponsors, recruiting volunteers, or representing an organization in the community, he leads with authenticity and a genuine desire to help others succeed. Those qualities are at the heart of YPAL’s mission.”

As executive director, Rhea will oversee day-to-day operations, sponsorship development, and strategic partnerships while working alongside YPAL’s Board of Directors to advance the organization’s mission and impact.

“I am honored and excited to join YPAL as Executive Director,” Rhea said. “Louisville is a city filled with incredible talent, energy, and opportunity, and YPAL plays a vital role in helping young professionals connect, grow, and become leaders in our community. I look forward to working alongside our members, volunteers, board leaders, sponsors, and community partners to build on YPAL’s strong foundation and create even more opportunities for young professionals to engage, develop, and make a lasting impact throughout our region.”

Rhea steps into the role previously held by Grace Huneck, who departed in mid-April to welcome her first child. During her year-and-a-half tenure, Huneck played a key role in strengthening the organization’s mission and expanding its reach. She helped establish greater organizational stability, secured new sponsorships, transitioned YPAL from a 501(c)(6) to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and built collaborative relationships with other nonprofits across Louisville.

A graduate of Western Kentucky University, Rhea has dedicated his career to serving others through community engagement, volunteer development, and mission-driven leadership. As a young professional himself, he brings firsthand insight into the experiences and aspirations of the next generation of Louisville’s workforce and civic leaders.

YPAL serves as the premier organization for young professionals in the Louisville region, providing opportunities for leadership development, professional growth, networking, and community engagement. Through its programs, events, and initiatives, YPAL connects emerging leaders to one another and to the greater Louisville community.

To connect with Peyton Rhea, visit his LinkedIn profile or email him at peyton@ypal.org.

Learn more about Peyton below:

Why I YPAL: Community is so essential in every walk of life and young professionals are an especially vulnerable age group. A lot of times young people who are fresh out of school or who have just moved to the area sacrifice community to start a career. Trying to navigate that experience without a reliable community is very difficult. YPAL provides a space for young people to connect, learn, and grow from people in similar life stages but with different perspectives and backgrounds. This improves the lives of our local young professionals, improves their development as a professional building a career, as well as going a long way to improving Louisville as a whole.

Hometown: I was born and raised in Louisville, KY! (Though Bowling Green, KY was my home for 4 years when I went to WKU for college. Go Tops!)

Why Louisville: Though I was born here, I chose to come back and stay because Louisville has a dynamic mix of culture and personality while still being affordable, navigable, and family friendly. It is comfortable but packed with opportunity for just about anyone.

How I found out about YPAL: Back in 2018, I was fresh out of college and interning in sales at the Louisville Bats. I was missing the strong community that I had left behind at WKU and was told by a colleague about a YPAL event at a local brewery that was happening that night. I reluctantly went but was pleasantly surprised to realize that there was a community of people just like me, new to the working world and eager to find a space to connect and grow. YPAL stayed on my radar ever sense as a strong community that I could count on.

What I’m looking forward to most: I am so excited to have an imprint of the future growth of YPAL. To build upon the strong foundation that we have and be able to connect with new people, branch into new industries, develop new partnerships, and help serve Louisville and its growing young professional scene. The future is so bright for us, and I can’t wait to see what it looks like down the road.