Kim Huston

Kim Huston
NCEDA President

My name is Kim Huston and I’m the President of the Nelson County Economic Development Agency and Bardstown Industrial Development Corporation in Bardstown where these organizations oversee all the economic development activity including Industrial Development, Chamber of Commerce, Main Street and Tourism.

I have an extensive public service career that extends far past my economic development profession. I am a past Chairman and two-term Board member of the Kentucky Association for Economic Development (KAED). I currently serve on the Lincoln Trail Area Development District Workforce Investment Board, the Louisville Regional Leadership Coalition, the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority, The Guthrie Opportunity Foundation Board of Directors and on the Bernheim Forest Board of Trustees. I am also among an elite group of statewide Economic Development professionals to have been given the distinction as a KAED East Kentucky Power Economic Development Professional of the Year.

In 2015, my organization gained the distinction of being named by Southern Business and Development Magazine as the “Number One Economic Development Agency in the State of Kentucky.”

I am also a published author with the release of my book Small Town Sexy, the allure of living in small town America. I also travel extensively across the country speaking about the new allure of small towns and their economic development potential. My most recent accolade was an invitation to travel to Australia for several weeks, and be part of an international “Small Town Dream Team” teaching seminars and meeting with community leaders about their town’s challenges and opportunities. It’s my ultimate goal to convince people worldwide that you “can indeed live large in a small town.”