34th Annual EKLF Conference a Success

The 34th Annual East Kentucky Leadership Conference was a success! More than 100 leaders from across the region gathered in Pikeville for networking, discussing, and sharing of ideas. The East Kentucky Leadership Foundation convenes this conference each April to focus on helping Eastern Kentucky leaders work together to create a unified front in battling the region’s historic challenges.

The 2022 conference showcased thematic sessions for “Creating Destination Communities.” Sessions included “Building Connected Communities,” “Good Town, Good Prospects” “After Treatment: The Recovery Journey,” “Our Energy Future,” “Kentucky Public Health: Looking to the Future,” and “We are now a Destination.”

The first-day agenda included an intensive session, “New Federal Resources for our communities,” in which representatives from the President’s interagency working group discussed new funding programs to support community and economic efforts. Participants also learned about a new online clearinghouse that makes it easy to identify funding sources for com­munity development projects.  

Rocky Adkins, Senior Advisor to Governor Andy Beshear delivered the Keynote address during the annual awards banquet. Adkins discussed the importance of strong local leadership and the many current economic successes in the region. During the banquet, eight awards were presented recognizing public and private individuals and organizations for their successes. You can watch videos of all the award winners here.

The 2023 conference will be held April 27th-28th. More details coming soon.

Updated MAY 2, 2022