Leadership Kentucky, currently celebrating its 35th anniversary, is proud to announce the members of the inaugural BRIGHT Kentucky Class of 2019.

Included in the class is Lindsay Hale, an employee of Clark County Public Schools.

BRIGHT Kentucky will engage bright, entrepreneurial minds from all sectors and regions 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.

The program is made possible by a $500,000 ARC grant and private funding from the Whitaker Foundation, SOAR and others.

“I am thrilled to see so many young professionals investing in Eastern Kentucky and eager to participate in this program,” BRIGHT Program Coordinator Karen Butcher said. “These individuals are some of the brightest in their communities and the Appalachian Region of Kentucky is sure to thrive because of their commitment.”

BRIGHT Kentucky is made up of five three-day sessions where the major focal point 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: Natural Bridge Region in July, Big Sandy Region and Cumberland Region in September, the Daniel Boone Region in October, and the Gateway Region in November. The program start date was July 29.

This year’s class includes 50 participants from 29 different ARC counties representing a variety of public and private sectors.