LKY 2026 Kicks Off in Berea
So That’s Why They Say, “Welcome to the Club”
By: Regan Satterwhite, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, Director of Government Relations
Before Leadership Kentucky even began, several alumni said the same thing to me: “Welcome to the club.” I appreciated the sentiment, but I did not fully understand what they meant. It’s one of those experiences that is hard to explain until you are in the middle of it, possibly confused, definitely inspired, and, at some point, wondering how a group of strangers started to feel like best friends in less than 72 hours.
The session began with warm welcomes from Board Chair Melissa Knight, Teresa Hail, the Leadership Kentucky staff, and others who helped set the tone for the excitement ahead. From the beginning, it was clear this would not be a passive experience. As class members, we were immediately asked to introduce one another, explore Berea through a Treasure Hunt, and begin building the connections that are at the heart of the program.
Watching someone introduce someone, rather than themselves, interestingly reveals both people at once. The group heard about careers, hometowns, families, bucket-list trips, shared interests, and discovered more than a few unexpected connections. There were already jokes about future vacations being planned after groups of classmates realized they had the same destinations on their wish lists. And by the end of the first day, those jokes did not seem entirely unrealistic.
The class also visited Eastern Kentucky University’s University Club at Arlington for a reception and dinner hosted by EKU and a message from Dr. Tanlee Wasson. It was a meaningful opportunity to see a unique part of one of Kentucky’s public universities and to reflect on the role EKU plays in preparing future leaders across the Commonwealth. The evening also gave classmates time to continue conversations beyond the formal agenda—the kind of conversations that start with a name tag and end much later in the hotel lobby or bar, a new friendship cemented.
Then came SimSoc.
It was part strategy exercise, part leadership lesson, part social experiment, and part “what exactly is happening right now?” But beneath the chaos, competition, and occasional panic was a powerful lesson about communication, assumptions, power, access, and the importance of seeking to understand before you can be understood. The experience was intense, eye-opening, and probably impossible to explain without sounding a little dramatic, which, to be fair, feels appropriate.
The session also included a Kentucky history challenge with Scott Alvey and Tommy Druen from the Kentucky Historical Society. Many class members, including me, quickly learned that being born and raised in Kentucky does not necessarily mean you are ready for Kentucky trivia. The activity was humbling, funny, and a reminder that part of this experience will be learning the Commonwealth more deeply and understanding its history, communities, challenges, and people.
The Predictive Index session with Tom Weishan gave the class another way to better understand themselves and one another. It was fascinating to see how different leadership styles show up across the room and how those differences shape the way people communicate, make decisions, and work together. It also led to a few fun discoveries, including me finding my near “personality twin.” And of course, he’s awesome.
For anyone (like me) who arrived in Berea feeling a little nervous or wondering whether they belonged in a room full of such accomplished people, the first session offered an answer pretty quickly. Leadership Kentucky is not about already having it all figured out. It is about growing as leaders from wherever we are starting. Everyone has something to contribute, something to learn, and something to take back to their communities.
By the end of the first session, the phrase “welcome to the club” finally made sense. The Class of 2026 may only be one session in, but if Berea is any indication, the year ahead will be challenging, meaningful, hilarious, and full of growth. It may be early to say it, but this group already feels bonded and well on its way to becoming the BEST. CLASS. EVER.
