Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brent Cooper has announced that the organization’s upcoming program year will be his final year in the role.
Cooper will step down to focus on the continued growth and expansion of his IT firm, C-Forward.
Cooper, who was named President and CEO in 2017 after years of active board leadership, has led the NKY Chamber through nearly a decade of transformative growth, regional advocacy, and community impact.
He will remain in his position through the upcoming year to ensure a seamless leadership transition while the Board conducts a comprehensive search for his successor.
“Serving this Chamber and Northern Kentucky’s business community for the last nine years has been the honor of my professional life,” said Cooper. “What makes this organization so extraordinary isn’t one person – it’s our talented staff, our more than 1,100 volunteers, our engaged board, and our passionate members.
“As C-Forward enters its next big growth phase, the timing is right for me to focus on that expansion while giving our Chamber family a generous runway to welcome its next leader.”
With Cooper at the helm, the NKY Chamber achieved significant growth increasing membership by over 22% while driving key regional priorities in housing, workforce development, and infrastructure, including momentum on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project. The NKY Chamber co-created GROW NKY (now NKY Works) to address talent demands, established four Business Councils, helped found the Launch NKY Center for Civic Leadership, and relocated headquarters to the new OneNKY Center in Covington to deepen regional collaboration.
“Looking at the year ahead, my commitment to this organization and our 1,750 members is as strong as day one – we aren’t taking our foot off the gas,” added Cooper. “We have ambitious goals for the coming year, and, because of the strength of our team, we are setting up the next era of leadership for long-term success. I look forward to working alongside everyone to make this our most impactful year yet, and I can’t wait to see how the Chamber continues to elevate our region.”
The NKY Chamber’s Executive Committee will engage an executive search firm to guide the selection process. The search process will be led by Larry Krauter, CEO of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).
“Brent has lived the NKY Chamber’s mission every day – advocating fiercely for our business community and leaving behind a financially robust, highly impactful organization,” said Board Chair Jason Payne, President, CEO, and Chairman of First National Bank of Williamson. “While we will miss his day-to-day leadership, we are thrilled to celebrate his ongoing entrepreneurial success with C-Forward. Thanks to his commitment to a full transition year and the exceptional staff and volunteer leadership already in place, the Chamber is in an ideal position as we look toward the future.”
Additional details regarding the search committee and the application process will be shared in the coming weeks.
See the NKyTribune’s story about 2020 NEWSMAKER Brent Cooper here.