The Northern Kentucky Area Development District (NKADD) has named Chris Courtney as its new associate director for local government services.
Courtney’s hiring completes the transition of a revamped senior staff at the Northern Kentucky Area Development District following the retirement of Lisa Cooper and promotion of Tara Johnson-Noem to executive director last year.
“Chris is a solutions-oriented leader,” said Johnson-Noem. “We are thrilled for him to join NKADD and to start working on behalf of our cities and counties.”
Prior to joining NKADD April 3, Courtney served for seven years as manager of communications and community affairs for the Boone County Fiscal Court in the office of Judge-Executive Gary Moore. He has previously served in roles at Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission and Gateway Community and Technical College.
“Chris Courtney has been a strong contributor to the Northern Kentucky community for many years,” said Kenton County Judge/Executive and NKADD Board Chair, Kris Knochelmann. “His experience in communications, undertaking complex projects, and enhancing community engagement will now be expanded across NKADD’s eight-county region.”
Courtney is a graduate of Covington Catholic High School and Northern Kentucky University. He is a Navy veteran, having served as a sonar technician on the USS City of Corpus Christi, a submarine stationed in the South Pacific. He is the former chairman of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati 2-1-1 advisory board and former education chair of the Tri-State Veterans Community Alliance Advisory Board. He and his wife Katie have three children, Ben, Cara and Aaron.
In his role at NKADD, Courtney will lead a team that’s responsible for public administration and community development services. The Northern Kentucky Area Development District leads programs including brownfield redevelopment, GIS mapping, infrastructure planning, emergency preparedness and hazard mitgation, grant application and administration, tax rate calculation and more.
NKADD is one of 15 multi-county development organizations that comprise a statewide network. Founded in 1971, the NKADD serves Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Owen, and Pendleton Counties in Northern Kentucky.
Under the oversight of a 35-member board, NKADD staff foster regional strategies, solutions, and partnerships that achieve sustainable economic growth and improve the overall quality of life for the citizens of the region across a wide range of private and local, state and federally-funded initiatives from aging and disability services to workforce and community development.
Northern Kentucky Area Development District