Staff report
The Northern Kentucky Area Development District board of directors has announced that Edwin King is its new executive director.
King will be the sixth executive director since the organization was created by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1971. He will assume the role in December, following the departure of current executive director, Tara Johnson-Noem, who will be stepping aside to at the end of November to pursue other opportunities.
The Northern Kentucky Area Development District, which serves Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Owen and Pendleton Counties, provides a broad portfolio of services to the region, including aging and disability services, community development, financial compliance and management services, local government services, and workforce development.
NKADD Board Chairman Mayor Robb Adams, of Carrollton, said King stood out among dozens of applications received for the position.
“After reviewing a highly competitive field of about 70 applicants from across the public and nonprofit sectors, Mr. King stood out for his combination of expertise and commitment to our regional vitality,” he said. “We are confident that Mr. King’s experience at all levels of government service will position NKADD well for its next chapter.”
King will begin his tenure at NKADD on December 7. He has served as City Administrator for the City of Fort Mitchell for nearly six years. King was the recipient of the 2025 American Society for Public Administration-Greater Cincinnati Chapter, Outstanding Public Service Award.
“I am deeply grateful for the confidence the Board has placed in me and humbled by the opportunity to serve in this capacity,” King said. “NKADD’s work touches so many aspects of life in our region, and leading an organization with such an important purpose is both an honor and a responsibility I do not take lightly.”
With nearly 20 years of federal, state, and local government experience, King has built a career defined by leadership, sound administration, and a commitment to strengthening communities through public service. Under his stewardship, the City of Fort Mitchell was named the Kentucky League of Cities’ 2023 City Government of the Year.
King is a past president of the Northern Kentucky City/County Managers Association and serves on the boards of the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission and Welcome House Properties, where he supports efforts related to community opportunity and housing stability. At age 40, he expanded his public service by joining the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve as a Petty Officer First Class and was commissioned as an officer in 2025.
Before joining Fort Mitchell, King served as executive director of Kentucky Housing Corporation, leading the agency to national recognition for program administration and efficiency. During that tenure, he also served on the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Community Advisory Council and the Board of the National Council of State Housing Agencies. At the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, he directed multifamily housing programs and helped advance affordable housing initiatives across the state.
King began his public service career in Washington, D.C. as a professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. After leaving the Senate, he worked in fixed-income investigations for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority overseeing municipal and corporate bond transactions. In Kentucky, he has served as Chief of Staff of the Finance and Administration Cabinet and as both a full-time and adjunct lecturer at Northern Kentucky University, teaching financial regulation, corporate finance, and international finance.
King earned a master’s degree in finance from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Murray State University. He and his wife live in Erlanger with their two children.