Kilgore Economic Development Corp. names executive director

“We are confident in her experience and her abilities to lead our organization, and we are excited about the future,” said KEDC board President Bob Davis.

Denton leaves the Palestine Economic Development Corp. to lead KEDC. Having served as the economic development director in Palestine since May 2020, she handled all aspects of economic development for the city, including primary employer retention and expansion, recruitment, marketing, property development and sales, budgeting, project finance and incentives and property management. She also served as department director for tourism, the visitor’s center and Main Street.

Denton previously was assistant director for KEDC in 2004 for 10 years before leaving Kilgore to lead the Athens Economic Development Corp. Her career path also includes office manager, corporate off-site trainer/auditor and project coordinator positions.

She is a graduate of the Advanced Economic Development Leadership Program, where she earned her Master Practitioner credential through Clemson University, Texas Christian University, the University of Alabama and the University of Southern Mississippi.

She also has earned her Economic Development Finance Professional Certification through the National Development Council as well as Professional Community and Economic Developer certification through the Community Development Institute at Lone Star College in The Woodlands and the University of Central Arkansas.

She is certified as a Business Retention and Expansion Professional through Business Retention & Expansion International. She attended the Basic Economic Development Course at Texas A&M University.

She takes over fom Jana Russell, who was the executive director of KEDC for the last year-and-a-half and will remain as assistant director until her upcoming retirement.