FRANKFORT, Ky. — Leadership Kentucky has announced the 2021 members of BRIGHT Kentucky, a program that offers entrepreneurial-minded Kentuckians from a variety of occupational sectors the opportunity to participate in nonpartisan, ethical leadership training.
The program is designed specifically for residents of the 54 Kentucky counties of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and is made up of five, three-day sessions where the primary goal is to help participants fully understand the local economic context and to build robust skill sets in communication, collaboration, consensus building, visioning, and community engagement.
The program runs July through November and will take participants across Eastern Kentucky: Pikeville in July, Hart County in August, Ashland in September, Somerset and Corbin in October, and Berea and Frankfort in November. The program’s start date is July 21.
BRIGHT Kentucky is made possible by a $500,000 grant from ARC and the private funding from the Whitaker Foundation, SOAR, Kentucky Power, and other donors.
This year’s class includes 41 participants from 27 different ARC counties
- Lina Abdallah — Pike County — Pikeville Medical Center
- Erin Adkins — Elliott County — First National Bank of Grayson
- Cole Atkinson — Laurel County — The Butchers Pub & Kamea Capital LLC
- Joshua Baker — Knott County — Alice Lloyd College
- Hunter Boyd — Boyd County — Boyd County Fiscal Court
- JR Briscoe — Pike County — University of Pikeville
- Timothy Caldwell — Floyd County — Mr. Tibbs Trading Company
- Kendra Calhoun — Harlan County — Boys & Girls Clubs of Appalachia
- Baylen Campbell — Perry County — Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky
- Ricky Campbell — Perry County — Whitaker Bank, Inc.
- Clay Christian — Letcher County — Double Kwik, Childers Oil
- Jordan Collins — Knott County — Hindman Settlement School
- Wendy Crain-Lawson —Menifee County — Gateway Community Action
- Michelle Culp — Boyd County — Boyd County Fiscal Court
- Jackson Davenport — Madison County — Chenault Vineyards
- Natalie Detherage — Knox County — The Holler Creative
- Tara Dykes — Leslie County — Kentucky River District Health Department
- Jessica England —Lincoln County — Somerset Community College
- Stephen Frazier — Casey County — Tarter Farm and Ranch Equipment
- Kiara Gabbard — Rowan County — PrintUSA
- Whitley Gatliff — Laurel County — Baptist Health Corbin
- Olivia Gilkison — Boyd County — VanAntwerp Attorneys, LLP
- Jocelyn Gross — Rowan County — Gateway Area Development District
- Brittany Guffey — Wayne County — Transamerica Agency Network
- Colby Hall — Floyd County — Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR)
- Austin Hart — Fleming County — Fleming County Schools
- Emily Hathcock — Warren County — Barren River Area Development District
- Justin Holsinger — Greenup County — AEP/Kentucky Power
- John Hughes — Madison County — Office of the Attorney General
- Tara Leisure — Clark County — P&P Creative
- Matt Lorimer — Garrard County — Isaiah House Inc.
- Ben Madon — Bell County — First State Bank of the Southeast
- Ashley McCarty — Madison County — Bluewater Diagnostics Laboratory
- Will Napier — Laurel County — Cumberland Valley Area Development
- Toni Ousley — Johnson County — Big Sandy Skills U
- DJ Rymer — Boyd County — City of Ashland, KY
- Kelsey Sebastian — Breathitt County — Kelsey’s on Main
- Kellene Turner — Whitley County — Kellene.Turner.Art
- Kiristen Webb — Leslie County — Leslie County Schools
- Chris Whitenack — Lawrence County — Addiction Recovery Care
- Jennifer Witt — Laurel County — Operation UNITE
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