The Downtown Lexington Corp. board announced Friday that Kathryn Minton will lead the agency on an interim basis following the recent resignation of longtime leader Renee Shepard.
“The Board of Directors is delighted that Kathryn has agreed to be our interim president/executive director,” DLC board president Temple Juett said in a statement. “Her background makes her an ideal choice to lead our organization during this period of transition.”
Juett said Minton has been with the agency since 2007 and has been its vice president of business development for five years. Minton holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Kentucky and a master’s of business administration from Midway University.
“I am excited to fill the role of interim president/executive director. I am thankful for Renee's leadership and the opportunity I have had working with her and learning from her,” Minton said. “I am grateful for the Board of Directors’ support, and DLC will continue focusing on enhancing downtown Lexington as a unique and vibrant destination to live, work and play.”
The move comes less than two weeks after Shepard, who lead the agency for a decade, announced her resignation.
At the time, Shepard praised the DLC and expressed pride in being part of helping to to grow Lexington’s appreciation for intersection of arts and commerce.
“The popularity and growth of Thursday Night Live is probably the one thing that makes me the proudest,” she said. “To see so many people from all different walks of life come together each week and enjoy the same event is something really special.”
Shepard said her decision was driven in part by plans to start a consulting firm. Shepard said she and partner Virginia Graves, who worked for former Gov. Steve Beshear, are launching Graves Shepard Consulting.
Juett has said the DLC’s executive committee would begin looking for a permanent replacement but gave no timetable for completing that search.