Valerie Owens Combs

Valerie Owens Combs is President and CEO of N E Green & Associates, Inc. – A Total Quality Management (TQM) firm focusing on continuously improving output performance in human and product production systems in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ms. Combs has lived in, and received her early childhood education in several states and countries around the world. Having been exposed to several languages and cultural diversity, she returned to the United States and Louisville, Kentucky to pick up her education in the ninth grade. The combination of intelligence and athletic ability while at Suda E. Butler High School placed Valerie, a junior, and Butler High School in the forefront of girl’s basketball in the State of Kentucky. With Butler's ranking as the #1 girl’s basketball team, she led Butler to the Kentucky State Championship in 1975. As a senior in 1976, Valerie, ranked as the #2 player in Kentucky, led Butler High School Girls back to the State Championship and finished runner-up.

Her high school academic and basketball achievements put Ms. Owens Combs in line to become the first female to sign a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at the University of Louisville (UofL) on a full athletic scholarship. She was also the first female 1000 point player in UofL’s history. She was enshrined in the University of Louisville's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

In 1981, Ms. Owens Combs earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with a major in Recreation. Since there was no WNBA at the time, Valerie began her professional career pursuit. Following up on her UofL Internship at the Kentucky Easter Seal Society, Inc. she was appointed as the agency's Assistant Recreation Director which eventually lead to Director of Recreation.

Valerie still had an interest in traveling and pursued training to become a Flight Attendant by entering the Trans World Airlines Flight Academy. She completed the training, earning her Wings in 1985 and also served as Flight Service Manager for several years until merger with American Airlines. Valerie survived the turbulent airline corporate mergers and eventually retired from flying with 29 years of service from American Airlines as a Professional Flight Attendant.

During Valerie Owens Combs’ years of layoffs from the airlines, she became an entrepreneur, developing her own product and returned to UofL and the Athletic Department to learn and polish her skills as a development officer. Ms. Owens Combs started with part-time work in the Cardinal Athletic Fund and quickly rose through the ranks to become Director of Major Gifts in the Athletic Department before returning to the Airlines to complete her flying career.

Ms. Owens Combs is married to Gregory Anthony Combs who is part owner of a tennis club at Springhurst and they have a daughter, Giavanna Combs. Rev. 5/2/14