Joshua Watkins is a dedicated project management professional with over a decade of experience leading impactful initiatives within local government. As the director of strategic initiatives for Louisville Metro Government, Joshua excels in strategic planning and execution, performance management, customer service enhancement, and coaching and training. His expertise has been pivotal in developing evidence-based policies that significantly improve the quality of life for Louisville’s residents.

Throughout his career, Joshua has managed a diverse range of projects, including real estate development, violence prevention, and organizational performance improvement. As a real estate coordinator, he transformed the Louisville Landbank’s Sales Programs and achieved a 330 percent increase in property sales, which saved $500,000 in demolition costs. He also secured over $4.5 million in private investment for rehabilitation and new construction projects.

In his roles as program manager and executive administrator for the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, Joshua led Louisville’s inaugural Cure Violence Project. This initiative utilized a $1.5 million investment to support grass roots organizations focused on violence reduction and restorative justice. Its efforts resulted in a 90 percent reduction in injury recidivism and the establishment of four community violence interruption sites. As director of performance improvement, Joshua and his team developed Louisville Metro Government’s first maturity model to assess the performance of 27 agencies with over 4,500 employees. This project facilitated strategic planning and the creation of evidence-based action plans to support an operating budget of $750 million.

Joshua holds a bachelor degree in community leadership development from the University of Kentucky and a master of business administration in public administration from Northcentral University. He is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Additionally, he is a licensed Realtor in Kentucky.

His outstanding work has earned him multiple awards, including honor awards from the Kentucky Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for the Produce Park and Rsquared 40212 programs, and a Special Merit Award from the Kentucky Chapter of the American Planning Association for innovative solutions addressing vacant and abandoned properties in Louisville.

Beyond his professional achievements, Joshua is deeply committed to community service. He serves as the state representative for Kentucky House District 42. In his first year as a legislator, he introduced the groundbreaking Kentucky Housing Opportunity Act, which would reallocate $100 million for a new affordable-housing loan fund. This could potentially allow governments, businesses, and families to build new homes or rehabilitate their current homes.

Further, Joshua is a trustee for the Kentucky College of Art and Design, a board member for the Waterfront Development Corporation, treasurer for Friends of Waterfront Park, and president of the Louisville Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. Additionally, Joshua is a local minister, musician, and community theater performer who enjoys cooking, reading, and being a devoted uncle and godfather.