Leadership Kentucky announces 2024 BRIGHT Kentucky Class

Leadership Kentucky has announced members of the BRIGHT Kentucky Class of 2024, including representatives from Whitley, Knox, Laurel and Bell counties.

BRIGHT Kentucky, which began in 2019, engages bright, entrepreneurial minds from various occupational sectors to offer non-partisan, ethical leadership training, expanded networks, and mentors designed especially for residents of the 54 Kentucky counties of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The program is made possible by an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant and private funding from the Whitaker Foundation, AEP Foundation/Kentucky Power, and other generous donors.

BRIGHT Kentucky consists 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, which runs July through November, will take participants across Eastern Kentucky: Berea/Frankfort in July, Columbia in August, London in September, Pikeville in October, and Morehead in November. The program kicked off on July 10 with an engaging session on understanding and maximizing the participants’ leadership style.

This year’s class includes 35 participants from 20 ARC counties representing a variety of public and private sectors, including the following individuals from either Bell, Knox, Whitley or Laurel counties.

• Boone Bowling (Bell County) – City of Middlesboro
• Josey Cruse (Knox County) – Operation UNITE
• Connor Holland (Knox County) – Cumberland Valley Area Development District
• Jennifer Lambert (Whitley County) – RRJ Solutions
• Don Morring (Laurel County) – Kentucky One Health/Common Spirit
• Candace Tingen (Bell County) – Self Employed