Kentucky to the World in Bowling Green

For more than a decade, Kentucky to the World’s mission has been to elevate the cultural and intellectual reputation of our Commonwealth, within Kentucky and on the global stage. We accomplish this by sharing compelling stories of extraordinary people with Kentucky roots who are currently shaping the world with their creativity, intellect, and passion through live events, television specials, digital content, collectibles, school programs, and other initiatives.

WHAT IS KENTUCKY TO THE WORLD?

Kentucky to the World (KTW) is unique in its singular focus on Kentucky‘s intellectual and cultural reputation. Our work showcases how we lead the charge for the narrative development that is vital to our state’s economic and workforce future.

We’ve hosted more than 20 live events with more than 6,600 attendees and more than 20 programs airing/streaming through a longstanding partnership with KET. We’ve also served more than 1,500 students from more than 65 schools and organizations through our student programs. Our live programs have featured notable Kentuckians ranging from Walking Dead creator Tony Moore, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Dana Canedy, and multi-platinum hip hop sound engineer Finis “KY” White to Nobel Prize-winning MIT Professor Dr. Phillip Sharp, NASA Lead Flight Engineer Tracy Drain, and Olympic Gold Medalist Mary T. Meagher. Our work includes live events, student programs, television specials, interactive exhibits, multimedia digital stories, and even a KTW deck of playing cards produced in the Commonwealth and featuring 48 inspiring live Kentuckians.

More about Kentucky to the World: Mission & Vision | Board & Team

WHY BOWLING GREEN

As we consider the future of the Bluegrass State, we see the phenomenal growth that has been happening in South Central Kentucky. The Bowling Green area and the Western Kentucky Coalfields have given rise to some of Kentucky’s most distinctive leaders, thinkers, artists, and innovators.

Already the fastest-growing part of the state, Bowling Green’s place in the “North Nashville” corridor will accelerate that growth even faster, considering Nashville’s place as one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S. For Kentucky to the World, we see the development of a Bowling Green headquarters as a strategic investment in a region of the state that will be a driving power for where the story of Kentucky is headed on the global stage.

We especially appreciate the recognition we have seen across the board about how important Kentucky’s intellectual and cultural reputation is to realizing the full potential of that growth.

THE FUTURE OF KTW IN BOWLING GREEN

In 2022, KTW was recruited as one of the exclusive tenants in Western Kentucky University’s Innovation Campus Collaborative SmartSpace. This new home for KTW has given us the opportunity to begin building our Bowling Green presence. From our launch reception at the River Ridge Studio on Beech Bend Road; and our media partnership on the AccelerateKY Connect. Inform. Inspire. conference at the WKU Knicely Conference Center; to our participation in WKU Innovation Campus events like Summit of the South and the Civic Imagination & Worldbuilding conference, we have been proud to become full participants in the Bowling Green community. In the past couple of years, we have produced a range of digital stories about exceptional projects and initiatives in the Bowling Green area. Our expansion into Bowling Green has been covered by Bowling Green Daily News, WBKO, WNKY, and Kentucky Edition and prominently showcased by WKU President Dr. Tim Caboni.

This year, KTW’s Board Chair (Sam Ford of AccelerateKY); Vice-Chair (Adam Burden of Houchins Insurance Group), and Secretary (Karin Cox of Kinetic) are all Bowling Greenians, as is newly appointed founding Board Emeritus member Anne Murray. Most recently we elected Amy Hardin, a well-known and respected Bowling Green development professional.  Our current board leadership is focused on garnering significant investment in our Bowling Green-based operations and team, which now includes having our head of public relations and social media, Nora Bryant of State and Tell, based in Bowling Green. 

In 2024, we held our third summer board meeting in Bowling Green, and we are working closely with the WKU Innovation Campus team to build an ambitious plan for storytelling, live events, media production, and more in Bowling Green. 

2025-2026  KTW BOWLING GREEN PLANS

With your support in the next year, we intend to produce the following in Bowling Green:

• Provide KTW storytelling materials to be used across WKU Innovation Campus events

• Stream KTW videos on TVs across WKU Innovation Campus facilities

• Move interactive exhibit from Frazier Museum in Louisville  to WKU Innovation Campus

• In 2025 Host the New Americans Celebration and Awards event that showcases Bowling Green’s vibrant immigrant communities

• Produce 2-3 Bowling Green-based programs, including the program held on Sept. 27 “This Is the Way: Stagecraft, Stunts, and Fighting on Screen” with Native Kentuckian Tom O’Connell, known for his roles as a stunt double as the Heavy Mandalorian and Darth Vader

• Hold  a student program in Bowling Green corresponding with each of these events and in collaboration with WKU’s Gatton Academy  

• Host a “Kentucky to Nashville” KTW event, showcasing Kentucky culture in Music City

• Produce digital stories and television specials from these events

• Develop an ongoing storytelling series with creators in the AccelerateKY/University of Southern California Civic Imagination Incubator, housed at the WKU Innovation Campus

CONSIDER A GIFT

Nothing shapes the possibilities we dream and the solutions we discover quite like stories.

And, who better to help us tell the story of the future of Kentucky than individuals who are working toward building it?
These stories will inspire people throughout Kentucky and beyond to see what’s possible, and t o think about a future for themselves here.

  Gifts of all sizes to support  KTW in our transition to Bowling Green are most appreciated!!

Please contact Nora Bryant (nora@kentuckytotheworld.org) for more information on how you can support Kentucky to the World, or if you are interested in exploring becoming a Kentucky to the World sponsor in Bowling Green.

A brief overview of sponsorship levels and benefits is presented below.