In the last 35 years of his involvement, Christian County Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Taylor Hayes couldn’t remember the last time a woman served as the keynote speaker for the prestigious Annual Dinner.
Maybe once. Maybe never at all.
That emphatically changed during Thursday night’s 135th iteration at The Bruce Convention Center, when the indefatigable Renee Shaw — best known for her 27 years of KET Public Affairs efforts through Kentucky Edition, Kentucky Tonight and Connections — took center stage, and heaped praise on Hopkinsville and its surroundings.
A Portland, Tennessee, native and graduate of Western Kentucky University, her accolades are innumerable. But over the last three days, she and her team have been embedded in Christian County — taking in its successes, exploring its possibilities, and observing its potential.
Like so many in the room, she, too, was a “PBS Kid,” cultivating her lifelong curiosity.
Directly referencing Amy Watson in the crowd, she also shared being raised on Nashville’s News Channel 5.
Turning locally, she celebrated the crafted works of Gloria Jean Watkins, commonly known as bell hooks, Chris Tyson Renshaw’s heart for the Christian County Public Schools, Margaret Prim’s pledge for the arts at the Alhambra Theatre, Terrence Davis and the life-changing pathways formed at the Boys & Girls Club of Hopkinsville-Christian County, Hopkinsville and Madisonville Community College leadership and their directions in trades and education, Jada Poindexter and her homegrown push to be a leader…and more.
She also applauded the wherewithal of local educators to move toward school consolidation, its construction just yards away from the Bruce.
Christian County, she added, is on a trajectory that can “change the Commonwealth” while “doing it right.”
As for the chamber’s annual awards:
— Cody Noffsinger presented Ryan Milauskas with “Young Professional of the Year.”
— Chandler Ladd presented the “Bob Kelso’s Ambassador of the Year” to Karen Knight.
— Hayes hugged Royce Stevens, before handing her the “President’s Award.”
— And as outgoing Chamber Chair, Eyvette Sellers passed the gavel to HWEA’s Nikki Chambers.
FULL SHAW SPEECH:
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