Mercy Academy’s new capital campaign aims to grow its endowment and create a space to help students and faculty take Science Technology Engineering Art and Math curriculum into the future, said school leaders.
The school, located at 5801 Fegenbush Lane, launched the public phase of “Mercy Bold,” a $15 million capital campaign, on March 7. The campaign attracted $8 million in gifts and pledges during the quiet phase, said Leslie Hibdon in a recent interview. Hibdon serves as Mercy’s director of advancement.
The funds will be used in part to build the Dr. Sheri Kalbfeisch Innovation Center on five and a half acres of land adjacent to the campus.
Becky Montague, Mercy’s president, said the campaign addresses two of the school’s greatest needs.
“Mercy Academy has always been at the forefront of providing a future-focused education for young women in Louisville,” she said in a press release. “After we completed our strategic plan in 2020, it was clear that additional space for STEAM and increased tuition assistance are the greatest needs for our students.”
The first $2 million contributed to the campaign came from Paul Kalbfeisch, whose late wife Sheri Kalbfeisch was a graduate of the class of 1965 and a well-known physician in the city, said the release. The innovation center is named in her memory.
“The word that comes to mind when I think about the Mercy BOLD campaign is ‘empowerment.’ With this new state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge new space, it really feels like we are empowering Mercy girls to be the best they can be and just shoot for the stars.”
Nora Brown
The 12,000 square-foot center will be built on the school’s campus and connected to the current school building by a breezeway. It will include two state-of-the-art STEAM workspaces, a health science lab, mock medical exam rooms, a faculty wellness room, art studios and an outdoor classroom and courtyard. The center will also include four “collaborative” spaces to support Mercy’s project-based learning curriculum, said the release.
A geothermal system will provide heating and cooling, “reducing environmental impacts and lowering operational costs,” the release said.
Construction is expected to begin in 2026.
Another of the campaign’s priorities is to finish paying for the five-and-a-half acres of land —adjacent to the Fegenbush campus — Mercy purchased in 2024. The purchase was financed by the owner, said Hibdon.
Hibdon noted that a “unique and defining aspect” of the campaign is that all the professionals assisting with the campaign and its goals are Mercy alumna. The women — Mariah Weyland Gratz, Jenna Hollinden, Peggy Hagerty Duffy, Rhonda Karageorge, Emily Meyer Ziegler, Ashley DeVault Zaring, Jennifer Nash Forst, Erin Ruhl and Abby Hans — are involved in all areas of the campaign, from designing the innovation center, to providing engineering, legal, real estate public relations and marketing expertise.
Mercy started its STEM program (science, technology, engineering, and math) in 2014 and in 2016 became the first all-girl school in the nation to receive STEM certification.
Hibdon said the student body was excited to hear of the campaign and the construction of the innovation center.
Student, Nora Brown said, “The word that comes to mind when I think about the Mercy BOLD campaign is ‘empowerment.’ With this new state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge new space, it really feels like we are empowering Mercy girls to be the best they can be and just shoot for the stars.”
Student, Avery Heffernan said, “What set Mercy apart from the rest was their STEM program. Seeing the STEM lab, the underwater research team, the architecture, construction, engineering (ACE) program, a whole new world was opened up. I’ve learned about so many different career options through Mercy and their STEM program.”
