The Kentucky Chamber Foundation released its 2025 Impact Report this week, highlighting employer-led efforts to strengthen Kentucky’s workforce and expand opportunity across the Commonwealth.
The report reflects the Foundation’s focus on turning collaboration into action. Through partnerships connecting business, education, and community leadership, the Foundation is helping develop practical solutions to challenges shaping Kentucky’s workforce and economic future.
“The Kentucky Chamber Foundation plays a critical role in aligning business, education, and government around real solutions,” said Les Fugate, Kentucky Chamber Foundation Board Chair and Vice President Director, Public Affairs, U.S. State and Local, Canada, & Latin America, Brown-Forman. “When we bring the right partners together with a shared focus on outcomes, we can create lasting opportunity for Kentuckians and strengthen the future of our Commonwealth.”
One example highlighted in the report is the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), where workforce data revealed growing demand for aircraft mechanics as the airport expands as a global cargo and logistics hub. Through partnerships supported by the Kentucky Chamber Foundation, CVG launched the Epic Flight Academy to help build a long-term aviation maintenance workforce pipeline. The first cohort of 17 FAA-certified mechanics completed training in 2025, and additional cohorts are already underway.
Throughout 2025, Foundation-led initiatives helped 283 employers improve hiring and workforce practices. More than 3,250 students participated in hands-on career exploration experiences, while 40 school principals completed executive-level leadership training that impacted more than 19,000 students across Kentucky. Additional stories, partnerships, and outcomes are highlighted throughout the report.
Beth Davisson, senior vice president of the Kentucky Chamber Foundation, said the work highlighted throughout the report reflects a commitment to solutions.
“The growth reflected in this report belongs to employers, educators, state leaders, and community partners aligned around practical solutions and long-term impact,” Davisson said. “When those partnerships take hold, they unlock opportunity at scale, strengthen businesses, and create pathways to prosperity that reach communities across Kentucky.”
The full 2025 Kentucky Chamber Foundation Impact Report is available here.