The NKY Chamber honored Lisa Desmarais, chairwoman of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) Board of Regents, with the NKY Community Award, sponsored by First National Bank of Kentucky.
The NKY Chamber Community Award is given out to individuals, businesses, or organizations throughout Northern Kentucky who have made a positive difference in the community.
Desmarais retired from Kenton County, where she served as the Director of Technology Services. Her previous positions include Director of Finance and Operations for the City of Covington and Director of Facilities and Technology at a K-12 school.
Before working in government and non-profit sectors, Desmarais spent 16 years working in the for-profit sector at companies such as Cap Gemini, Ernst & Young, Fidelity Investments, and American Express.
After receiving her master’s in public administration from Northern Kentucky University, Desmarais became the technology director for the City of Covington and later added the roles of Director of Finance and Operations. She then worked for Kenton County and was instrumental during the move into their new headquarters in Covington, where she spearheaded the move of seven separate IT networks.
During the course of her busy career as a professional and mother, Desmarais also participated as a volunteer and board member for a dozen non-profit organizations in the region including Covington Partners, Behringer Crawford, Faith Community Pharmacy, Interfaith Hospitality Network, Safety Net Alliance, Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky Junior Board and others.
Since August 2016, she has served on the KCTCS Board of Regents, a Kentucky statewide governing board.
In June of 2021, she was elected by the Board of Regents to the position of Board Chair, making her the first person from Northern Kentucky to serve in that role.
“Lisa brought tremendous value and leadership to each of the roles she held in the government, non-profit and for-profit sectors during her professional career,” said Brent Cooper, president & CEO of the NKY Chamber. “But it’s her extraordinary service to the community we want to recognize with this Community Award. We commend her continued volunteer work for non-profits and are extremely proud of her accomplishment as the first chairwoman for the KCTCS Board of Regents to come from the Northern Kentucky Metro.”
Cooper presented Desmarais with the NKY Community Award during the NKY Chamber’s monthly Eggs ‘N Issues event at Receptions Banquet and Conference Center in Erlanger.
Said Cooper, “I’m not sure people realize the impact KCTCS has on the entire state, and the critical role our community colleges play in our overall workforce ecosystem. We see it every day with Gateway Community and Technical College here in Northern Kentucky. Lisa’s service and dedication will have a lasting impact on our region and the entire Commonwealth.”