Paducah Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilson has announced this week the first-ever class of “Leadership West Kentucky” — which will serve as a new regional leadership development program, one sponsored by the West Kentucky Regional Chamber Alliance and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Thirty participants from 14 west Kentucky counties serve as the inaugural collective, which Wilson noted was created to “promote regionalism, and build a network of informed citizens across community lines.”
As administrator for WKRCA, the Paducah Chamber is coordinating this new leadership initiative through their Leadership Center, and curriculum will include leadership development, regional issues, relationship-building and county uniqueness/awareness.
This class has already participated in a two-day orientation, and will meet monthly through May in a host of locations throughout the Purchase and Pennyrile. One-day sessions will focus on a featured community, and will certainly tie together inclusive topics such as transportation, education, economic development, quality of life, advocacy, agriculture and tourism.
In February, this panel will focus on Lyon and Caldwell counties. In March, the group will meet in Murray. In April, they’ll turn to Fulton & Hickman counties, and a final graduate session will be held May in Hopkinsville.
Members of this class locally include:
Jay Campbell of Fredonia Valley Bank and Joe Pelletier of Rogers Group, for Caldwell County;
Martha Argotte of United Southern Bank, retired Ruth Lynch of the Christian County Board of Education, Josh Ryan of Planters Bank and DeeAnna Sova of the Hopkinsville-Christian County Library, for Christian County;
D’Anna Browning of the City of Marion and Tonya Driver of the Crittenden County Board of Education, for Crittenden County;
Monica Walker of Holiday Hills Resort and Lake Barkley Chamber, for Lyon County;
Tyler Coleman of Farmers Bank & Trust, for Livingston County;
Scott Sholar of the Tennessee Valley Authority, for Trigg County;
As well as Stephanie Moss of Child Watch and Ryan Tolbert of Atmos Energy.
For more information about Leadership West Kentucky and the West Kentucky Regional Chamber Alliance, visit wkrca.org.
