Following a nationwide search, the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission Board of Directors (NKCAC) has selected Catrena Bowman-Thomas as the agency’s next executive director.
Bowman-Thomas has a proven track record in nonprofit leadership and will take over the reins of NKCAC on July 1. She is currently the Director of Community Services at Community Action Council in Lexington.
In her current role, she oversees operations at the Council’s Community Centers and manages innovative youth and workforce development programming designed to assist families and individuals reach their goals of self-sufficiency. She has been with the Community Action Council in direct service or administration roles for over 18 years.
Bowman-Thomas will oversee Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission’s $13-million-budget, staff of approximately 150, and 24 locations across eight counties dedicated to serving over 25,000 individuals each year.
The search was led by JC Morgan, Director of the Campbell County Library and Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission board chair along with NKCAC’s Executive Committee. Gilman Partners, an executive search firm with a nonprofit practice area, partnered with NKCAC for the search.
“Catrena is a charismatic, dynamic leader and she is committed to ending the cycle of poverty. She’s spent her career helping individuals and families find a life of self-reliance. We’re proud to have her at the helm of NKCAC,” Morgan said.
“I find it rewarding to help people reach their personal and professional goals. I have accepted this opportunity because NKCAC does that every day with every program and initiative the Agency provides.” Bowman-Thomas said.
“I am so excited to call NKCAC home and to work with such a strong staff and great group of community volunteers to provide a clearer pathway for moving people out of poverty.”
Bowman-Thomas’ list of community involvement is extensive and includes serving as a board member on the Lexington Leadership Foundation and Partners for Youth.
Bowman-Thomas holds a B.A. in Family Studies and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis on nonprofit management from the University of Kentucky.
She is a certified community action professional (CCAP) and a national ROMA certified trainer. A mother of three, she loves gospel music and is a self-professed fashionista.
Bowman-Thomas succeeds Florence Tandy who served in this capacity for over 13 years. Under Tandy’s leadership, the organization has grown in size, complexity, and capacity. Tandy launched several new initiatives during her tenure including regionally acclaimed work around supporting victims of childhood trauma, the rehab of Lincoln Grant School into the Lincoln Grant Scholar House and bringing to Early Head Start to Northern Kentucky.