The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (NKY Chamber) has announced the 47th class of Leadership Northern Kentucky (Leadership NKY).
The 2026 class included 52 professionals representing a diverse cross-section of businesses and organizations throughout Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati.
Leadership NKY is a 10-month program that utilizes the community as a classroom, immersing participants to understand the strengths and challenges in the NKY Metro and Greater Cincinnati region. Class members will gain the necessary skills to address those challenges while motivating and engaging others in collaborative efforts while industry leaders educate them on a wide range of subjects. Past examples include sessions on economic development, education, government, human services, community health, and more.
More than 1,700 alumni have participated in Leadership NKY since the program’s inception in 1979.
“Leadership Northern Kentucky is a program that brings together leaders from across our region who all have the opportunity to make a significant impact”, said Christy Burch, CEO at the Ion Center for Violence Prevention and 2026 Leadership Northern Kentucky class chair. “This program will broaden participants’ understanding of what challenges exist in our community and how key players in our region are working together to address them. I am excited to see what this class takes away from the program and the impact they will make in our region going forward.”
Ann Marie Whelan, the NKY Chamber’s Director of Leadership, echoed the program’s emphasis on impact and collaboration.
“Leadership NKY is a unique and immersive experience that equips leaders to dive deep into the region’s most pressing issues and develop the skills to lead collaborative efforts that create lasting, positive impact across Northern Kentucky,” said Whelan. “We’re proud to welcome this year’s cohort into the program and look forward to the contributions they’ll make to our region’s future.”
The following individuals have been named to the 2026 Class of Leadership NKY:
• Megan Bessey, Planning and Development Services of Kenton County (PDS)
• Daniel Borneman, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Authority
• Charles Bowen, C-Forward
• Kate Brandy, Brandicorp
• Tess Burns, Gateway Community & Technical College
• Steven Caddell, Heritage Bank
• Chris Childress, Huntington Bank
• Adam Craun, Adam Craun Realtor
• Holly Danneman, MD, University of Kentucky College of Medicine – NKY
• Shelly Deavy, Northern Kentucky University
• Gregory Fassler, Campbell County Fiscal Court
• Kerri Finke, Ion Center for Violence Prevention
• Jillian Frasher, Boone County Public Library
• Justin Gamble, The Christ Hospital Network
• Robert Gearding, Krauss-Maffei Corporation
• Kevin Gilbert, HGC Construction
• Allison Hall, Gravity Diagnostics
• Kara Harp, The Lawrence Firm
• Drew Harris, Kenton County Attorney’s Office
• Michael Ingalls, PNC Private Bank
• Kari Jones, Kenton County Public Library
• Mirsada Kadiric, Kao USA, Inc.
• Melinda Kellam, Thomas More University
• Ned Kelly, EGC Construction
• Christopher Korba, Northern Kentucky Area Development District
• Dez Lane, MassMutual Ascend
• Jared Leick, Mazak Corporation
• Jason Lewis, City of Florence
• David Magee, Skanska USA Building
• Stephanie Mahaffey, Amazon Air
• Madeline Meece, Fifth Third Bank
• Sarah Miles, St. Elizabeth Healthcare
• Scott Millay, Level 4 Construction
• Jenn Moses, Citi
• Lisa Mosley, Notre Dame Academy
• Michelle Murphy, Prysmian
• Elly Neltner, Roebling Solutions
• Annamarie Reilly, Clark Schaefer Hackett
• Christopher Rickels, Gateway Community & Technical College
• Paige Sandy, EC LEARN
• Hunter Schlosser, Republic Bank
• Aaron Slovin, Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky
• David Stringer, Civista Bank
• Robert Summerford, Forvis Mazars
• Audrey Treasure, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber
• Sebastian Torres, City of Covington
• Brett Weber, Duke Energy
• Billy Wersel, First Financial Bank
• Amy Wiley, Brighton Center, Inc.
• Lauryn Wilson, The Delish Dish
• Allie Young, Degenhardt Enterprise dba City Wide Facility Solutions
• Elizabeth Younger, Bricker Graydon LLP
The Leadership NKY Class of 2026 program will begin in August.
To learn more about Leadership NKY or the NKY Chamber, visit www.nkychamber.com/leadershipnky.
Leadership NKY is part of the NKY Chamber’s leadership programming alongside Regional Youth Leadership and Encounter NKY.
Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce