Gabbard is New SKED Board Member

SOMERSET, KY – Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative CEO Keith Gabbard has been elected to the Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation’s (SKED) Board of Directors

The Jackson County, Kentucky native was nominated to fill the position and elected by the SKED Board of Directors at its May 2025 meeting.

“I’m honored to join the board of directors of the Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation (SKED) in Somerset, Kentucky,” Gabbard said. “With years of experience expanding fiber broadband access across Southeastern Kentucky, I look forward to supporting SKED’s mission of advancing economic opportunity and infrastructure throughout our region. It’s a privilege to serve alongside leaders dedicated to creating jobs, strengthening communities, and building a brighter future for Southern and Eastern Kentucky.”

SKED’s 12-member volunteer Board of Directors comprises some of the region’s most successful leaders in banking, education, business, utilities and economic development. Directors shape the mission and provide governance for the Somerset, Ky.-based nonprofit economic development organization.

Gabbard has been the CEO of Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative (PRTC) in McKee, Ky., since 1996. With nearly 50 years in the telecommunications industry, he began his tenure at PRTC in 1976, initially answering phones. He is a lifelong resident of Jackson County and an alumnus of Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business management.

Under Gabbard’s leadership, PRTC has transformed telecommunications in Jackson and Owsley counties by implementing a 100% fiber-optic network, completed in 2014. This initiative positioned the region as one of the first in Kentucky, and even the nation, to offer gigabit-speed internet to all residents, significantly enhancing opportunities in education, healthcare, and economic development.

In addition to his role at PRTC, Gabbard has served on the Eastern Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board, the Foundation for Rural Service Board of Directors, the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, the Daniel Boone Community Action Agency and as three-time President of the Kentucky Rural Broadband Association.

Gabbard’s dedication to enhancing connectivity and fostering economic development has garnered national recognition, including features in prominent publications such as The New Yorker.

SKED Executive Director Brett Traver says Gabbard’s decades of leadership in the telecommunications industry will provide SKED’s management with vital information when making decisions affecting SKED’s 45-county service territory.

Gabbard joins a veteran group of directors on SKED’s board: Darryl McGaha, retired Lake Cumberland Area Development executive director, as president; Hometown Bank CEO Tim Barnes as vice president; 4 Arrows Consulting, LLC owner David Blakeman as secretary; Southern Kentucky Economic Development Agency Executive Director Bruce Carpenter as treasurer and Corey Craig, president and CEO of Citizens Bank of Mount Vernon, as at-large director.

Other directors currently serving on the SKED Board include Charlene Harris, president and CEO of First National Bank of Russell Springs; Dr. Jennifer Lindon, president and CEO of Hazard Community and Technical College; Steve Allen, executive vice president of human resources at the University of the Cumberlands; Amanda Clark, Kentucky Power economic and business development manager; Brittany Cox, East Kentucky Power Cooperative Associate Economic Development Manager and Colby Kirk, One East Kentucky president and CEO.

In its 39th year of service to a 45-county service region in Southern and Eastern Kentucky, the SKED Board of Directors has installed three new members on its board. They include Gabbard Cox and Kirk,

Traver says the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) is honored to be represented by a distinguished and experienced slate of directors.

“We truly appreciate the guidance our volunteer directors give to manage our CDFI’s programs,” Traver said. “Their guidance helps bring our plans and future growth to life.”