Written by Renee Fister, Murray State University, Associate Provost

As we moved from Pikeville in July to Paducah in August, Leadership Kentucky 2025 enjoyed a wealth of experiences from art to industry with health, criminal justice, and education woven throughout.  We are thankful to all our sponsors who made these events and opportunities possible!

Many in the Class of 2025 had the opportunity to visit the Paducah Department of Energy site with Myrna Redfield of Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership and Maegan Mansfield of BFW/Marcum Engineering.  We visited the inside of a main control room and learned about the engineering aspects of decontamination processes that are still happening.  With the recent news of General Matter and Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) working on uranium enrichment and the naming of Paducah as one of four national AI Infrastructure sites, this location has been bustling with activity.  The expansiveness of the facilities, the need to deconstruct the buildings and safely remove produce made us aware of the impact this plant had and will again have in the future.  Many thanks to Ben Stinnett with BFW/Marcum for arranging this visit. 

Michael Ramage, Murray State University and LKY Class of 2025 member, welcomed everyone to Paducah with an historical and economic overview of the community before we headed out to the Hotel Metropolitan and National Quilt Museum. 

At the Hotel Metropolitan, Betty Dobson, executive director of the Hotel, introduced us to the feisty and unforgettable Maggie Steed and led us on a journey that demonstrated the benefit and impact that this hotel had on African Americans traveling along the Chitlin Circuit. World-renowned artists and athletes stayed with Maggie.  We will never forget Betty’s descriptions of the paper bag and curl tests that decided an African American child’s admission into school. The Class of 2025 is so grateful to Betty for her insight, wonderful chess pie, and exemplary hospitality.

The National Quilt Museum drew our group in with a focus on imagination, talent, art, and structure.  One of our own, Gwenda Motley, was featured in Kentucky Quilts and Quiltmakers highlighting her story and quilt expertise!  People from all 50 states and more than 40 countries visit the museum yearly and April during National Quilt Week is a sight to behold.  It was a delight to see the patterns and recognize that math rules – even in quilting!

The Class then visited the Murray State Paducah campus to hear from President Ron Patterson, who began his tenure at Murray State on July 1, 2025. Dr. Patterson graciously spent time with us and engaged in a discussion on leadership.  We also heard from Alex Sherwood, Murray State/DOE grant project director, who explained the work that is being done with local high school students related to the DOE site and the workforce initiatives being developed.  The class then went to a reception and dinner at the Paducah Chamber.  We met with Leadership Kentucky alumni and enjoyed a terrific dinner from Artisan Kitchen.  Special thanks to LKY 2025 class members Kenny Boyd, Elizabeth Mudd, and Ben Stinnett for making this a reality. 

On the second day, we ventured to Eddyville, KY to visit the Kentucky State Penitentiary.  As many as were in the group equaled the number of expectations as we approached the penitentiary. After we were processed and moved under the sign, “Treat Others as you want to be Treated,” we went into the chapel – a room of chairs, concrete floor and a musical section.   Warden Laura Plappert and her staff demonstrated their care and concern for their positions and the seriousness of their positions in a way that had to be witnessed in the genuineness that it espoused.  The class visited different cell blocks with inmates within those cells, the yard, garment factory for the manufacturing of the prison garb for all prisons in the state, execution building, and transition units for those who had behavioral problems. The inmate panel provided each of us with a view into the lives and perspectives of those we heard from and offered insight into what these men were striving to maintain.  The questions revolving around the changes we can make as leaders for the inmates who return to society resonated through the day.  The staff panel exemplified their camaraderie and dedication, as well as an understanding of the time needed to reflect on their days and appreciation of the danger inherent in their work. Both the inmates and staff described an atmosphere of hope and noted the importance of the mental health services available at KSP. We returned that evening imbued with many thoughts and had the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company at different restaurants in Paducah.

On Friday, Kenny Boyd, president of Baptist Health Paducah and LKY Class of 2025 member, welcomed us to the hospital with a delicious breakfast. We started the morning with an explanation of the tragic day of January 23, 2018, at Marshall County High School by then Superintendent Trent Lovett.  The atmosphere in the room was such that one could hear a pin drop as the events that he portrayed held us. Only 11 minutes passed between the first shot and capture of the shooter. The tragedy, unsurprisingly, led to changes in the school district and highlights that we as leaders can make a difference through legislation, aiding those we see with mental health needs, and by encouraging safe gun measures.  Following this presentation was a physician’s panel featuring three Baptist Health providers - Dr. Caitlyn Cecil, Dr. John Cecil, and Dr. Chris Hancock. The focus on mental health within primary care highlighted a significant need for resources and encompassed 70% of their patient visits! They encouraged each of us as parents to delay the use of smart phones by our children until well into their teenaged years, monitor social media activity, and take the phone from our children after 8 p.m. each night. Following these steps can significantly impact the mental and emotional well-being of our children and make a difference in the lives of those who come after us.

The Class of 2025 closed our time in Paducah with a class panel on construction and manufacturing that focused on workforce development and building infrastructure.  An item that resonated with me was that we need to celebrate what we want to see repeated.