Senior Director, U.S. Programs

Linsley Kinkade, senior director of U.S. Programs, leads a talented team that supports asset-based community development in the rural mid-South through projects that improve quality of life and engender a sense of place. A Winrock employee for more than 15 years, her work includes fostering entrepreneurship and small business development programming that supports proof-of-concept, Main Street and high-tech businesses to increase economic growth. Kinkade’s portfolio also includes the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, a dynamic makerspace that inspires the next generation of creatives with access to cutting-edge tech and arts facilities, training and education opportunities. Her passion for rural America is deeply engrained. She has worked with more than 70 communities across the mid-South, helping to design and launch entrepreneurship, economic and workforce development programs that serve diverse stakeholders. Prior to joining Winrock, Kinkade worked in Washington, D.C. as a staffer to a U.S. representative and a U.S. senator, both from Arkansas. She serves on the Community Development Institute’s Central Advisory Board and is a certified Professional Community and Economic Developer. A native south Arkansan and University of Arkansas graduate, she proudly calls Little Rock home.