Paducah Economic Development Hires New CEO

The Paducah Economic Development (PED) says they have hired a new CEO.  His name is  Scott D. Darnell.  PED says it was a 3 ½ month search for a new officer to replace Chad Chancellor who is leaving to pursue other interests.

"We are very excited that we were able to find and attract someone of Scott’s caliber to lead our program”, said Ken Hunt, chairman of the PED board. “Scott brings a breadth of experience, training and knowledge with over 12 years in economic development in both Georgia and North Carolina.” Darnell currently serves as the president of Burke Development Inc. in Morganton, NC – a community just outside of Charlotte, NC.

PED says a search committee worked with Logan Development of Oxford, MS to conduct a national search for a new CEO. That search resulted in dozens of qualified candidates for the position. The committee narrowed the list of candidates to six and in early August conducted a series of interviews. Those activities resulted in today’s action by the Board.

“We owed it to our community and our investors to do the best possible job we could in finding a new leader of PED. I want to thank the committee, which included the mayor and the judge executive, for their hard work on our behalf. I am very excited about the selection”, said Hunt.

“It is a real honor to join a program as strong as Paducah Economic Development”, said Darnell. “Not many programs have the public and private support to be successful in today’s economy – PED has that support and I am certain that we can maintain the momentum that has been built and strengthen the program over the next five years.”

Darnell will join PED in mid-September.