KACo Director of Government Affairs Shellie Hampton was among the speakers at the SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region) Summit earlier this week at the Corbin Arena at the Southeastern Kentucky Agriculture and Exposition Complex.
SOAR covers a regional area in the eastern part of the state that includes 54 counties within the Appalachian Regional Commission and puts a spotlight on its many diverse programs and greatest needs.
Hampton participated in a panel that discussed broadband in Appalachia, how it’s improving and what steps still need to be taken to make it even better.
On the panel were (pictured above from left), moderator Renee Shaw (Kentucky Educational Television), Lonnie Lawson (President & CEO, The Center for Rural Development), Hampton, Rich Prewitt (Director of Economic Development and Marketing, Cumberland Valley Electric), Hilda Legg (former state Director, USDA Kentucky) and David Flessas (CEO, Accelecom/OpenFiberKY).
Earlier Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted economic development initiatives happening in Kentucky, particularly in the Appalachian region.
“I think we sit at the precipice of an era where we can make prosperity reach every single part of Kentucky, including eastern Kentucky, which has been left out, or left behind, far too many times,” Beshear said. “We are living through a historic moment that we can not only get right but eliminate every barrier that has ever held us back.”
