Paducah Economic Development board members have chosen a new CEO after a nearly four-month national search.
Scott Darnell currently serves as president of North Carolina-based Burke Development Incorporated. He says the years of cooperative leadership in McCracken County drew him to the position and that he has plans to work with displaced gaseous diffusion plant workers.
“The No. 1 priority is, of course, is going to be to continue looking for new job opportunities and that includes the recruitment expansion and small business opportunities,” Darnell said. “But with the downsizing there that’s definitely going to be a part of the strategy how do we turn a negative into a positive.
“The strategy to recruit new companies I’m sure has been looked at in the past and that’s something that’ll continue being looked at going forward.”
Darnell was one of six finalists in the board’s search. He begins his duties at PED in mid-September.