Tim Barnett leads the Jesse E. Barnett (JEB) Jr. Enrichment Center, a nonprofit organization that blends competitive sports with free education support and mentoring to create a safe environment for Louisville students to thrive.
Powered by F.O.C.U.S Training Academy, the Enrichment Center currently offers Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) classes with breakfast and lunch served daily through the Rajon Rondo Learning Center for Teens, a new facility made possible by The Rajon Rondo Foundation.
The Enrichment Center sees an average of 63 students per week attending both public and private schools reaching 10 ZIP codes across Louisville and Southern Indiana.
The Enrichment Center’s unique approach to connecting basketball training to social and personal development is designed to empower the community’s next generation of leaders and invite them to share their varying perspectives.
Barnett founded F.O.C.U.S in 2005 and the Enrichment Center in 2019. Before becoming President and CEO, Barnett spent years several years coaching girls and boy’ basketball teams. He coached the 6th-8th grade boys’ basketball team at Traner Middle School, held the title as Head Junior Varsity and Assistant Varsity Coach of the boys’ basketball team at Galena High School in Reno, Nevada before moving back to Louisville and becoming the Assistant Varsity Coach and the Head Freshman Boys’ Coach at Ballard High School.
As a West End native, Barnett knew the impact the Enrichment Center would have on the community. His mission from the beginning was to be there for kids who were going through the same struggles he experienced. Basketball became the vehicle to teach kids about the game of life.
Barnett finished his basketball and academic career at the University of Nebraska–Reno where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology.
For more information about him and his work at the Enrichment Center, visit jebcenter.org.