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Conference provides forum, brings Eastern Kentucky leaders together

April 04, 2011 12:00 AM

PIKEVILLE, KY

Leaders from counties across Eastern Kentucky will have an opportunity to come together during the 24th annual East Kentucky Leadership Conference April 28-29 in Pikeville.

Established by the East Kentucky Leadership Foundation, the conference has been instrumental in providing an important forum for discussing educational, economic, environmental and social agendas for the citizens of the region.

“The conference is not for a few speakers and a lot of listeners. The goal is to make everyone a speaker and a listener,” said leadership foundation Chairman Bill Weinberg. “Leaders from all walks of life attend the conference. It gives grassroots leadership the opportunity to be in an equal forum with elected and appointed political, educational and economic leadership.”

The two-day conference will be held at both the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center and on the Pikeville College campus. Session highlights include health care issues in the region, the future of coal and other alternative energy sources, “The Pill Pipeline Flowing in the Mountains,” philanthropy for community development, the Pike County Youth Leadership Council’s animal rights advocacy project, Pikeville College’s acknowledgement of university status, topics of interest on women and children, Young Professionals of Eastern Kentucky (YPEK), East Kentucky women in politics, funding early childhood development and a workshop on ARC Flex-E grants.

“The conference provides an excellent opportunity for those who want to be involved in leadership in Eastern Kentucky,” said Pikeville College President Paul E. Patton, this year’s conference co-chair. “This forum enables citizens to become better acquainted and provide input and discuss the things we need to do to improve our quality of life. We invite leaders from across the region to be a part of this important work.”

Early bird sessions and an awards banquet featuring Gov. Steve Beshear, keynote speaker, will be held on Thursday, April 28, at the expo. A highlight of the conference, the East Kentucky Leadership Foundation Awards Showcase honors leaders who have made a contribution to the region.

This year’s honorees include: Public Individual, Donovan Blackburn – Pikeville; Private Individual, Bill and Linda Francis – Prestonsburg; Organization, MACED (Mountain Association of Community Economic Development) – Paintsville and Hazard locations; Culture & Arts, Artists Collaborative Theatre – Elkhorn City; Media, Appalachian News-Express – Pikeville; and the Tony Turner Award, Willard Kinzer – Kinzer Drilling.

General and concurrent sessions will also be held on Friday, April 29, at Pikeville College’s Record Memorial Building, with the exception of a luncheon at 12:30 p.m. at the expo center.

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. For more information, contact the Pikeville Main Street Program at (606) 444-5284. Details, agenda, cost and online registration are also available at http://www.eastkentuckyleadership.org.