FRANKFORT, KY – The Kentucky Association of Manufacturers (KAM) Board of Directors has elected its 2026-27 officers, led by new Chairman Jeremy Ballard, General Manager of the Production Division of Toyotetsu North America in Somerset, KY. Ballard, who also chairs KAM’s Automotive Council, succeeds Kerry Creech, the former President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in Georgetown, KY. Creech recently retired from Toyota and concluded his service on the board.
“I am gratified by the confidence of my Board colleagues to elect me as chair,” said Ballard, “and fortunate to succeed Kerry Creech, who provided such outstanding leadership to Kentucky’s business community over the past several years as our chairman. I am also excited to be joined by a trio of outstanding business leaders as the new officers of our board as we work with our board and team to strengthen and grow Kentucky’s economy and the economic opportunities that result for Kentucky communities and families.”
Ballard, a native of Indiana who lives in Lancaster, KY, is a graduate of Berea College and Eastern Kentucky University and has served in several roles with Toyotetsu during his 26-year career with the company. He has served as a KAM director since 2018.
“It’s been an honor to serve Kentucky’s manufacturers and business community on the KAM board for the past several years,” said Creech, of Winchester, KY. “I am proud of the work we’ve done to advance our Commonwealth’s economy and create opportunities for so many Kentuckians.” Creech started with Toyota Kentucky in 1990 as a powertrain production team member and served in several management positions before being named president in 2023.
2026-27 KAM board officers are:
Keith Hamilton, Louisville, KY, Chair-Elect and Senior Vice Chair. Hamilton is President of LB Manufacturing in Springfield, KY, and represents the business community on the boards of several organizations, including the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Regents as chairman, and the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority.
Kimberly O’Donnell, Lexington, KY, Secretary. O’Donnell is the Lexington Office Managing Partner of Dentons Bingham Greenebaum, the global law firm headquartered in Indianapolis, IN.
Clarence Mingo, Columbus, OH, Treasurer. Mingo is the Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Government Relations, of The Marzetti Company, the food and beverage manufacturer headquartered in Westerville, OH, with a major manufacturing facility in Horse Cave, KY.
“We are grateful to these five Kentucky business leaders for their leadership and service to our association and our Commonwealth,” said Frank Jemley, President and CEO of KAM. “They set a high bar with their examples.”