Chuck was hired in 2021 as the Community Foundation of Henderson’s first staff person. A native of Lexington, he and his wife, Donna, made Henderson their home more than four decades ago while spending their careers as journalists with The Gleaner newspaper. Chuck was for more than 30 years the business editor and a columnist with The Gleaner and continues to contribute freelance articles. He also serves as executive director of the Henderson Leadership Initiative.

As a journalist, Chuck reported on the formation of the Community Foundation of Henderson and its subsequent growth. He has long been active in Henderson’s nonprofit community, having served as chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board and chairman of the Trust Fund Committee at First United Methodist Church. He currently is board chairman for St. Anthony’s Hospice and the secretary for Henderson Songfest Inc., the philanthropic arm of the Sandy Lee Watkins Songwriters Festival. For 10 years he chaired the Taste of Henderson Barbecue event at the W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival.

Chuck and Donna Stinnett have been the recipients of the Lewis Owens Award for Community Service from the Kentucky Press Association and the William R. Burleigh Award for Community Service from the Scripps Howard Foundation. The Stinnett’s were named the Henderson Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Distinguished Citizens of the Year; in 2016, they were inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame. They are the parents of an adult daughter, Rebecca.