Search Begins for New Economic Development Cabinet Secretary
The Kentucky Economic Development Partnership Board (Board) has begun the search process to fill the position of Secretary of the Cabinet for Economic Development (CED), formerly held by Marvin E. “Gene” Strong, Jr. Secretary Strong led the Cabinet for fifteen years until his retirement in January of this year.
Chief of Staff Benjamin E. “Gene” Fuqua is serving as Acting Cabinet Secretary. Mr. Fuqua, a native of Franklin County and a 1975 graduate of Eastern Kentucky University spent much of his career in banking in Tennessee and Kentucky, moving up through the ranks to become Chairman and CEO of First Federal Bank in 1989. In 1992 Mr. Fuqua was named Commissioner of the Department for Financial Incentives in the Cabinet for Economic Development. He then became the Deputy to former Secretary Gene Strong and now serves as Chief of Staff and Acting Secretary.
The process of hiring a new secretary for the CED is set forth by statute (KRS154-10.040). In that statute, the search process is outlined as follows:
- The Board must set the qualifications and requirements for the position;
- A national search firm must be hired to conduct a nationwide search for likely candidates;
- The firm submits an initial list of likely candidates to the Board;
- The Board will narrow this list to three (3) names and submit the list to the Governor;
- The Governor has the option of choosing a secretary from these three submissions or rejecting the list altogether and requesting a list of three additional names to be submitted to him; and
- Once the new secretary has been appointed, she/he serves at the pleasure of the Board.
The Request for Proposal for a national search firm was posted by the Board on January 22, 2007 with a response date of February 9, 2007. The Pace Group, a national search firm with regional offices in Tupelo, Mississippi, and Austin, Texas, and specializing in searches for economic development, chambers of commerce, healthcare executives as well other senior-level positions, was selected to help the Board find potential candidates to fill the position. The firm is now searching for candidates and the opening is listed at: http://www.thepacegroup.com. The firm has been in existence for nearly 15 years and has an outstanding national reputation and an excellent track record.
The firm must present the Board with the first round of potential candidates within ninety days of the contract date. The Board is expected to submit a list of three candidates to the Governor some time in the summer of 2007.
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