The Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce’s April 3rd breakfast will feature Dr. Anton R. Reece, President and CEO of West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC), as the speaker. This breakfast is sponsored by WKCTC. Youth LEAD Class #14 will also be recognized for their graduation and members of the class will speak at the breakfast.
The breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Paducah-McCracken County Convention Center. Pre-registration is required by Monday, March 31st at 2 p.m. at paducahchamber.org or by calling 270-443-1746. Power Card holders do not have to pre-register. The cost is $25.
Dr. Reece has served 30 years in higher education and broadcasting communications. On October 1, 2016, Dr. Reece was selected as the second President of WKCTC. Under his leadership WKCTC has earned national distinction as the top two-year college in the nation by Gardner/Barefoot Institute in 2024, a record five-time top 10 Aspen Institute finalist, and in 2021 as a top five college in the nation as a finalist with distinction among the nation’s 1000 community and technical colleges. Also under his leadership, WKCTC received a historic $15 million gift in December 2020 from Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott for student success initiatives and outcomes.
Dr. Reece has utilized his visionary, creative, and leadership to actively build partnerships, convene teams with transformative results and intentionality outreach to diverse, rural, and underserved communities, NAACP, and engage K-12 education, business, industry, religious, Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development, and community partners in Paducah and the Jackson Purchase area. Dr. Reece pioneered the annual Regional Educators Award for K-12 educators and the first Regional Business Symposium attracting over one hundred businesses and CEOs to address workforce and economic development needs.
Dr. Reece hails from the Caribbean nation of Barbados and a graduate of The Lodge High School. He is an honors graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting News, a Master of Arts in Counseling Student Personnel from Eastern Kentucky University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Research at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville.
Youth LEAD is for high school juniors and 35 students will graduate from Class #14. While in the program, students spend one day a month learning about human needs and service learning, communication and career development, business and economy, law and government, and health care.
