# Leadership Central Kentucky class kicks off 2026-27 program **Published:** 2026-09-01T00:43:00.857Z **Source:** [Commerce Lexington](https://www.commercelexington.com/news/leadership-central-kentucky-class-kicks-off-2026-27-program-year) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/leadership-central-kentucky-class-kicks-off-2026-27-program LEXINGTON, Ky. — [The newest cohort of the Leadership Central Kentucky program kicked off its orientation retreat August 18-19 at the Historic Boone Tavern in Madison County](https://www.commercelexington.com/news/leadership-central-kentucky-class-kicks-off-2026-27-program-year), marking the start of a 10-month regional leadership development initiative. [The program, presented by Kentucky Utilities, is designed for established leaders across Central Kentucky who are ready to expand their impact beyond their own organizations and communities](https://www.lanereport.com/188833/2026/08/leadership-central-kentucky-selects-class-for-2026-27-program/). [Following the orientation retreat, participants will attend full-day sessions on the third Wednesday of each month from September 2026 through May 2027](https://www.commercelexington.com/leadership-central-kentucky.html). [Each session explores key issues shaping Central Kentucky—including transportation, education, economic development, public advocacy, quality of life, and agri-tourism—through expert speakers, engaging tours, hands-on activities, and peer-to-peer discussions](https://www.lanereport.com/188833/2026/08/leadership-central-kentucky-selects-class-for-2026-27-program/). [Day sessions are hosted in different Central Kentucky counties, and participants must attend all but no more than two regular full-day sessions in order to graduate from the program](https://www.commercelexington.com/leadership-central-kentucky.html). [The program spans the eight-county region of Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Scott, and Woodford](https://www.lanereport.com/188833/2026/08/leadership-central-kentucky-selects-class-for-2026-27-program/). ["For going on a quarter of a century, the Leadership Central Kentucky program has strengthened regional collaboration by helping participants better understand how the economy of each county impacts the rest of our region,"](https://www.lanereport.com/188833/2026/08/leadership-central-kentucky-selects-class-for-2026-27-program/) said Tyra Harbut, Commerce Lexington's Director of Leadership Development. [The class consists of individuals from business, education, the arts, religion, government, and community-based organizations](https://www.commercelexington.com/leadership-central-kentucky.html). [Tuition for the program is $1,500, with a limited number of partial scholarships available](https://www.commercelexington.com/leadership-central-kentucky.html). More information is available at [www.leadershipcentralkentucky.com](https://www.leadershipcentralkentucky.com). ## Sources - [Commerce Lexington](https://www.commercelexington.com/news/leadership-central-kentucky-class-kicks-off-2026-27-program-year) - [Lane Report article announcing the 2026-27 class selection](https://www.lanereport.com/188833/2026/08/leadership-central-kentucky-selects-class-for-2026-27-program/) - [Commerce Lexington Leadership Central Kentucky program details](https://www.commercelexington.com/leadership-central-kentucky.html) - [Leadership Central Kentucky official website](https://www.leadershipcentralkentucky.com) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Commerce Lexington, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.commercelexington.com/news/leadership-central-kentucky-class-kicks-off-2026-27-program-year.