LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, (June 2, 2023) – Spalding University is pleased to announce its 2023 honorary degree recipients. These prestigious awards are bestowed upon community leaders for their life achievements that exemplify the mission of Spalding University. Carolle Jones Clay, Jean West Losavio and C. William Weyland will be celebrated at Spalding’s Commencement Reception on June 2nd at 6pm in the College Street Cafe.
Carolle Jones Clay will be awarded the 2023 Doctor of Laws. She is currently serving as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Community Relations for Republic Bank & Trust Company (Louisville Kentucky) and was named the President of the Republic Bank Foundation in February 2020. Carolle began her career at Republic Bank in 1998, and is responsible for the bank’s community relations and philanthropy efforts. She also oversees the bank’s Special Events Department.
Carolle Jones Clay serves on numerous community boards, including the Louisville Downtown Partnership (LDP – formed by the merger of Louisville Downtown Development Corporation and Louisville Downtown Management District), the University of Louisville Depression Center Advisory Council, The Kentucky Historical Society Foundation, and Vital Sites Board of Directors. She is an active member on the Boards of Directors of The Kentucky Derby Festival and the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation, as well as the WLKY Spirit of Louisville Foundation – Bell Awards Board of Trustees, The Louisville Fund for the Arts, The Louisville Ballet, and the Kentucky Performing Arts Foundation. Carolle was appointed by Mayor Greg Fischer (May 2, 2016) to Co-Chair the Historic Preservation Task Force Committee. She was commissioned to serve on the mayor’s 2018 Advisory Committee on Public Art & Monuments, and she also serves as one of the Mayor’s Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration Commissioners. Carolle attended Western Kentucky University.
Jean West Losavio will be awarded the 2023 Doctor of Humane Letters. With more than 30 years experience as an Emmy Award winning Anchor and Medical, Health, and Science Reporter at WAVE-TV, and WHAS-TV in Louisville, Kentucky, Jean West also has international broadcast experience as a Reporter and Anchor for the Far East Network in Japan. Her reports have appeared on National Public Radio and ABC’s “Prime Time Live”. Jean’s new ventures also allow her to consult with companies, governments, and education outlets on issues involving media and educational information strategy and dissemination.
Jean traveled to Bangalore India, in May of 2016, where she facilitated media training for the Global Communications Team for the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth’s International Missions Project. She also presented to the 7th Annual Ajman Event Cities Conference in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, in March of 2015, by invitation of His Highness, Sheik of Ajman. Her published presentation outlined strategies and implementation designed to communicate information and services available to international entities looking to do business in the United Arab Emirates. In 2013, Jean was an invited presenter to Law Enforcement officials at Hong Kong University Law School in Hong Kong, China. Her work there involved Translation and Communication methods for International Law Enforcement officials to use in communicating policies and procedures, which will result in effective policing and judicial outcomes.
Jean West is the producer and host of the area’s first and only local programs devoted entirely to medical and health issues impacting the community. Her “Jean West’s Medical Daily” segments premiered in 2009, airing inside WBKI-TV’s daily program “The CW Louisville Live This Morning” along with her weekly half hour “Jean West’s Medical Digest”, the station’s highest rated local program which aired during prime time Sunday nights at 10:30. The program was also carried on the OTA Network based in Seattle, Washington, with national coverage including Canada – which made “Jean West’s Medical Digest” the only Kentucky produced program with weekly International reach. Jean’s programs have earned awards and critical praise from the medical community and viewers alike.
Jean has completed training at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in “Principles of Clinical and Translational Research”, which gives her a unique skill in communicating the complexities of science and research and their clinical value to those who may be affected by health challenges. Since 2021, she has been a featured columnist for Today’s Woman Magazine where she shares her joys, concerns, and comedy in her Modern Family experience. Jean is a graduate of Southern University, with a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of California, Davis.
C. William Weyland will be awarded the 2023 Doctor of Public Service. A pioneer in urban mixed use redevelopment strategies, Bill Weyland is an architect, developer, and real estate broker who has committed much of his career to revitalizing Downtown Louisville. As the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Weyland Ventures, Bill is known for a variety of challenging urban projects, including the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, anchored by the famous ten-story bat, the Glassworks Building, and the Henry Clay Building.
To accomplish these projects, Weyland Ventures has become a diverse team with expertise in tax credit incentives, urban planning and design, construction coordination, building operations, hospitality, and small business creation. The company has developed projects in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.
Bill is a lifelong Louisvillian and a product of Catholic Schools. From kindergarten through the attainment of a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Notre Dame, he was the first member of his family to earn a college degree. Bill and his wife, Edith, have five children and nine grandchildren.
Bill has served as Chair for the Boards of Spalding University and New Directions Housing. Additionally, he has served as a board member of several organizations focused on our community’s needs related to education, the Arts, and affordable housing.
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Spalding University is the world’s first Certified Compassionate University. Located in downtown Louisville, Spalding University is a diverse community of learners, dedicated to meeting the needs of the times, in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, through quality undergraduate and graduate liberal and professional studies, grounded in spiritual values, with emphasis on service and the promotion of peace and justice.