Leadership Kentucky has announced members of the BRIGHT Kentucky Class of 2025, which includes a Whitley County resident, two Knox County residents and two Laurel County residents among others.
BRIGHT Kentucky, which began in 2019, empowers today’s emerging leaders (ages 21–40) in the Appalachian region to drive innovation, collaboration, and community and economic development — while honoring the vision and values of the foundational leaders who came before them.
The program builds on a strong legacy by equipping a new generation with non-partisan, ethical leadership training, and expanded networks 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 from July through November, will take participants across Eastern Kentucky: Hazard in July, Somerset/Monticello in August, Frankfort/Berea in September, London/Corbin in October, and Ashland/Morehead in November. The program is set to kick off on July 9 with an engaging session on understanding and maximizing the participants’ leadership style.
This year’s class includes 38 participants from 21 ARC counties representing a variety of public and private sectors, including:
- Paul Dengel of Whitley County – USDA Rural Development
- Ford Edwards of Knox County – Union Commonwealth University
- Chris Partin of Knox County – Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR)
- Chris Wagers of Laurel County – Saint Joseph London
- Shawn Miller of Laurel County – Pineville Community Health Center
- Marvin Guerrero of Pulaski County – Forcht Bank
Leadership Kentucky, created in 1984 as a non-profit educational organization, brings together a diverse group of people who possess a broad variety of leadership abilities, career accomplishments, and volunteer activities to gain insight into complex issues facing the state.
