Staff report
Northern Kentucky Area Development District Executive Director Tara Johnson-Noem will be the featured speaker during the Rotary Club of Florence meeting Monday at the NKADD offices, 22 Spiral Drive in Florence.
Johnson-Noem will share how the NKADD collaborates, empowers, and convenes to serve the region — and how that work impacts the residents, employers and communities of Northern Kentucky.
Since becoming NKADD’s executive director in August 2022, Johnson-Noem has led an organization with a broad mission to support the eight-county region through collaboration, strategic planning and direct services. NKADD serves Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Owen and Pendleton counties and brings together local leaders and staff to provide expertise in areas including aging and disability services, community development and planning, financial management, food insecurity, local government services and workforce development.
Johnson-Noem leads a team of 88 staff and an annual budget of more than $48 million in local, state and federal grants and contracts. Her career has included strategic leadership roles with NKADD, Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, Vision 2015, the Catalytic Fund and United Way of Greater Cincinnati. She began her professional career in marketing and communications before earning a Master of Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Spanish from Centre College.
Beyond her professional work, Johnson-Noem is an active community volunteer. She serves as a Den Leader for her daughter’s Tiger Den and is a board member of the Dan Beard Council, Scouting America. She and her husband, Shane, co-founded and hosted the NKY History Hour for the Behringer Crawford Museum in 2020.
Her community leadership has earned numerous honors, including the 2018 Cincinnati Business Courier Forty Under 40, the 2022 Trailblazer District Award of Merit, the 2024 Northern Kentucky Chamber Outstanding Woman of Northern Kentucky award and the 2024 Horizon Community Foundation Executive Director of the Year award for a large nonprofit organization.
The Rotary Club of Florence has announced a new RSVP process. Members may RSVP through DACdb. Members and guests may also RSVP by clicking on the event listed on the calendar at www.florencerotary.org or via www.IsMyRotaryClub.org.
For all registrations, the club asks registants to indicate in the comment field if you or your guest will be purchasing lunch.
The meeting will also be streamed live on the Rotary Club of Florence Youtube channel.