Patton Leadership Institute Holds Fourth Session in Floyd County

PIKEVILLE, KY (January 10, 2024) – The Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s Patton Leadership Institute (PLI) held its fourth session in Floyd County on Thursday, January 4, 2024. The cohort visits a different county each session. PLI will visit the state capitol in Frankfort on February 1, 2024.

The PLI class of 2024 met at Appalachian Wireless Headquarters in Ivel, where they received a tour of its Technical Facilities, as well as East Kentucky Network’s Data Center.  PLI Class of 2022 graduate, Kristin Mulcahy, facilitated these tours and spoke passionately about the vibrant history of Appalachian Wireless and East Kentucky Network, as well as its bright future. Executives of both Appalachian Wireless and East Kentucky Network spoke to the group on day-to-day operations, as well as how they are meeting the challenges of bringing reliable connectivity to the region. 

PLI Class of 2024 participant and Technical Operations Manager for Appalachian Wireless, Sam Keathley, led the group’s discussion on the recent outages and how Appalachian Wireless remains proactive in reducing these outages to maintain seamless connectivity for its customers.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 12 Project Manager, John Michael Johnson, then gave a presentation to the group on updates regarding current roadway projects and gave detailed insight on the many resources to be found on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s website.

Following this presentation, the group travelled to the East Kentucky Science Center and Varia Planetarium where they heard from several more speakers.  Mayor Les Stapleton of the City of Prestonsburg spoke on the value of effective leadership at the local level. Eric Ratliff of the Big Sandy Area Development District spoke to the group about economic growth in the region. Evan Smith of AppalReD Legal Aid gave a presentation on the importance of legal aid on civil matters for low-income members of the community.
To end the day, the PLI Class of 2024 saw a presentation in the Varia Planetarium on the night sky, and saw a laser light show set to music.

Patton Leadership Institute is a leadership development program of the Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. PLI is made up of leaders from across the Chamber’s eight-county region. Participants attend nine sessions over a nine-month period, and the curriculum weaves together topics crucial to the development of community such as education, economic development, healthcare, energy, tourism, and government. Leadership skills are integrated into each session.

For more information about the Chamber or PLI visit them online at www.sekchamber.com or call 606.432.5504.

The Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce is located at 178 College Street in Pikeville and serves more than 500 businesses in eight Eastern Kentucky Counties: Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, and Pike. The Chamber’s mission is to serve the businesses of Southeastern Kentucky through a commitment to networking, advocacy, education, and collaboration as we partner together to enhance the business climate in our region.
 

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