Karen Brown has joined the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce as Director of Finance and Administration. She is assuming the responsibilities of Jill Hester, current Vice President of Operations, who is retiring this fall after 23 years with the Chamber.

In this position, Brown serves as the Chamber’s primary financial lead, responsible for managing all aspects of the organization’s financial operations. This includes oversight of accounting functions, budgeting and forecasting, audit preparation, tax and regulatory compliance, financial reporting, and banking across multiple affiliated entities and the Chamber’s nonprofit 501c3 organizations. Brown will also oversee the day-to-day administrative functions of the Chamber, support planning and execution of Chamber events and work to support Chamber members.  

Brown was most recently the Business Operations Manager at West Kentucky Community and Technical College for Paducah Junior College, Inc., the non-profit fundraising arm for WKCTC.  Prior to that she has held several roles in accounting and finance including with FDR Honda, Taylor Group PLLC and Mercy Health Lourdes Foundation in Paducah.  She also worked for Hospital Corporation of America in Nashville for several years before returning to her hometown of Paducah.  She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and from University of St. Francis, Joliet, IL with a Master of Science in Health Services Administration.