For Immediate Release
March 23, 2022
Contact:
Laura Brooks, [email protected], 606.584.4572
Lexington, KY. – The Kentucky Association of Manufacturers (KAM) announced the election of four new members to its board of directors.
The newly elected members are Dr. Larry Ferguson, Acting President of Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Versailles; Billy Kent, Director of Brown-Forman Distillery and Warehousing at the Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville; Karen Rapp, Louisville Plant Manager at the Chemours Company, Louisville; and Amy Wombwell, Co-Founder and COO, BlackBox Energy Systems, Owingsville.
Dr. Larry Ferguson
Acting President
Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Versailles
Dr. Ferguson has over 25 years of leadership experience in both the private sector and higher education. He has served in executive level leadership positions with responsibilities for academic affairs and resource development. He has also been engaged in workforce development for multiple industry sectors including manufacturing, financial services, information technology, and healthcare. Additionally, he has significant experience in economic development at both the local, state, and national levels. During his career he has had the fortunate opportunity to serve as an instructor, college dean, vice-chancellor, college president, system vice-president and system chancellor.
Billy Kent
Director of Brown-Forman Distillery and Warehousing
Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville
Kent has been with Brown-Forman for 15 years in manufacturing leadership and engineering services. Previously, he worked at the United Parcel Service for 8 years in material handling and logistics. He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville.
Karen Rapp
Plant Manager, Lousiville Works
The Chemours Company, Louisville
Rapp has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Hanover College in Indiana and brings more than 17 years of manufacturing and e-commerce experience to her new role. Most recently at Amazon in Shepherdsville, KY, Rapp was the Change Management and Operations Manager for outbound Logistics and product returns. She started her career at Clariant Louisville as a Research Chemist and progressed through various global and North America-region manufacturing leadership and project management positions. Immediately prior to joining Amazon, Rapp was the North America Project Manager for Operations Excellence at Clariant.
Amy Wombwell
Co-Founder and COO
BlackBox Energy Systems, Owingsville
Wombwell turned her lifelong fascination with science, technology, and machines into an exciting new career as COO and co-founder of a start-up in energy generation technology. She brings a lifetime of teaching, sales, and people skills to manage business development. BlackBox Energy Systems technology is ultra fast and light, and the engineering behind it is out of this world.
Wombwell will serve as the chair of the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers’ Defense and Aerospace Council.
About KAM: The mission of the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers is to make a better Kentucky by promoting and growing manufacturing in the Commonwealth.
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