Vol 20/Issue 10
greater owensboro chamber of commerce
OCT.
CHAMBER MATTERS 2022
Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) is a public, two-year, open admissions college, and one of the sixteen colleges of the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, OCTC is a comprehensive community and technical college that values innovation, is focused on student success, and is responsive to economic trends. OCTC serves 4,000 students every fall from Daviess, Ohio, Hancock, and McLean Counties and the surrounding region. For immediate employment after graduation, students are attracted to industry-relevant technical programs and innovative “work and learn” model programs such as GO FAME, GO Careers, and entrylevel healthcare career packages. Additional programs tailored to the adult learner include a new Life Skills Certificate, TechX, iTEC, and a CDL Academy. Students transferring to Western Kentucky University (WKU) after attending OCTC have earned a higher-grade point average than native WKU students 12 of the last 15 years. OCTC’s Workforce Solutions worked with more than 786 companies last year, on training, testing, and developing customized programs to meet industry-specific needs. In addition, Workforce Solutions partnered with local companies to invest $846,642 in KCTCS-TRAINS funding in the fiscal year 2022. They also provide re-entry program options and the SkillTrain unit offers GED prep, English language, and citizenship classes. OCTC’s Discover College includes dual credit options taught on-campus, online, and at partnering high schools. Students in the Early College program attend classes on campus at OCTC full-time during their junior and senior years of high school, allowing them to graduate simultaneously with a high school diploma and an associate degree. In 2022, OCTC was again nationally recognized as a “Great College to Work For” achieving Honor Roll status for supervisor effectiveness, confidence in senior leadership, employee wellbeing, mission and pride, job satisfaction, and a focus on diversity and inclusion.
Rooster Booster to feature County Judge/Executive forum The Chamber will host its Rooster Booster breakfast this Thursday, October 6 at 7:30 a.m. at the Owensboro Convention Center (501 West Second Street). The program is sponsored by Owensboro Community and Technical College and will feature the County Judge/ Executive forum with candidates Commissioner Charlie Castlen and Bruce Kunze. CHARLIE CASTLEN Charlie Castlen has held the position of Central Division County Commissioner for the past 11 years, and previously served five terms as an Owensboro City Commissioner. He is a graduate of Brescia CHARLIE University and is CASTLEN a self-employed CPA with more than thirty-three years of experience in banking, public accounting and government. Charlie has been married to his wife, Lisa, for over thirty-six years. Together, they have three children: Sarah, Theresa and Daniel, and two grandchildren. Charlie is a social and fiscal conservative and is a committed friend of the taxpayer.
Reserve your spot now at www.chamber.owensboro. com or by calling the Chamber office at (270) 926-1860 by noon on Wednesday, October 5. COST IN ADVANCE: $15 for Chamber Members and $25 for non-members. COST AT THE DOOR: $20 for Chamber Members and $25 for non-members. BRUCE KUNZE Bruce Kunze has spent many years working in public service, including roles as a teacher and counselor in the Daviess County Public Schools, Daviess County Commissioner, church leader and community volunteer. As a long-time board member of the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market, he coordinated the planning, funding, and construction of the new market pavilion. He is currently a director of the non-partisan Wendell Ford Government Education BRUCE Center, board member of KUNZE the Community Dental Clinic, Treasurer of our local Retired Teachers Association and volunteers working with our new Afghan refugee population. Bruce and his wife, Susie, are lifelong Daviess County residents and have been married for 41 years. They have two adult children and four grandchildren.
MEET THE
LEADERSHIP OWENSBORO CLASS OF 2023
Hannah Adams US Bank
Ashley Agada Girls Inc.
Carlie Brown Owensboro Public Schools
Cheryl Burks-McCarthy Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service
Jacob Burton Independence Bank
Megan Carter Owensboro Health
Hannah Cecil Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Kentucky
Keith Cottoner H.L. Neblett Community Center
Isaac Duncan Brescia University
Ashley Evans-Smith CASA of Ohio Valley Inc
Austin Hamilton Owensboro Grain
Olivia Hardy Puzzle Pieces
Melissa Hoffer Owensboro Health
Kara Howard Wendell Foster
Ronda Howard New Beginnings Sexual Assault Support Services
Sarah Howard German American Bank
Brad Howton Owensboro Municipal Utilities
Tony Jones US Bank
Erin Kamuf Southern Star Central Gas Pipelines Inc.
Josh Kelly Owensboro Times
Chyna Kelton Yager Materials
Mark Luckett Southern Star Central Gas Pipelines Inc
Mary-Katherine Maddox The Malcolm Bryant Corporation
Dr. Shanna McGinnis Blue Bridge Homes LLC
Anthony Morrow Boardwalk Pipelines
Phytos Neophytou Owensboro Municipal Utilities
Jared Ramsey Daviess County Public Schools Police
Jennifer Richardson RiverPark Center
Tristan Russelburg Owensboro Police Department
Crystal Sapp St. Joseph Peace Mission
Will Wathen Southern Star Central Gas Pipelines Inc.