The Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) was presented with the Kentucky Board of Education’s (KBE’s) 2025 Kelly Award for Business and Partnership at its Oct. 2 meeting. IKORCC has been strong partners with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) since 2013. At the presentation were, from left, Associate Commissioner Beth Hargis of KDE’s Office of Career and Technical Education, Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher, Hope Harp, outreach specialist for IKORCC; and KBE Board Chair Sharon Porter Robinson. Photo by Myles Young, Kentucky Department of Education, Oct. 2, 2025
The Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) was presented with the Kentucky Board of Education’s (KBE’s) 2025 Kelly Award for Business and Partnership at its Oct. 2 meeting.
“We are honored to be selected from such a prestigious group of nominees, and it is our privilege to serve the students, instructors and communities of the Commonwealth,” said Hope Harp, outreach specialist for IKORCC. “This Kelly Award inspires us to innovate boldly, listen closely and continue lifting every learner toward a brighter future.
“Since our partnership, over 700 students have directly entered the workforce right here, in their communities. We, along with the Central Midwest Carpenters, have been and will always be dedicated to building up students’ skills for success across Kentucky.”
The Kelly Award honors Joseph W. Kelly, who served as a member of KBE from 1989 until 1998 and provided exceptional leadership as its chair for seven years. Kelly’s expertise was instrumental in the fundamental early years of implementing Kentucky’s nationally recognized school improvement efforts.
“We are pleased to present this award to recognize the importance of business and education working together,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. “These partnerships show that business leaders like the Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters are ‘All In’ on supporting our students and helping move education forward in the Commonwealth.”
IKORCC was nominated for the award by Mary Taylor, an industry training specialist in KDE’s Office of Career and Technical Education.
In her nomination letter, Taylor described IKORCC as “extraordinary champions and partners for students and teachers in Kentucky.”
KDE has had a strong partnership with IKORCC since 2013 through the development of the Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) pre-apprenticeship program to accelerate opportunities for secondary students into registered apprenticeship programs after they graduate, Taylor said in her nomination letter.
“Hundreds of students have taken advantage of this program and have gone straight into the workforce through IKORCC, earning high wages in high-demand occupations while earning a nationally recognized credential,” she wrote. “IKORCC is KDE’s go-to in representing industry on a variety of topics because they always answer our call and never expect anything in return.
“They served on the steering committee for reauthorizing Kentucky’s Perkins state plan, are a member of the state’s Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee and were Kentucky’s representative on modernizing the National Career Cluster framework. Additionally, they participate in many workforce presentations championing and challenging other employers to get involved.”
IKORCC is also a major sponsor of two events that directly benefit students. For the past three years, they have been a sponsor of the Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education conference. They also sponsor the Construction Career Expo in Shelbyville that hosts more than 3,000 students during the two-day event.
“This partnership is solid at the school level as well,” Taylor wrote. “IKORCC representatives are on a first name basis with teachers, they give their time and expertise on local advisory committees and are always donating materials and resources. In addition, they host professional development opportunities for teachers, providing hands-on experience and projects multiple times throughout the year. For students, they provide free OSHA training and inspect welds at no cost that leads to a valuable industry certification.”
Like several of KDE’s industry partners dedicated to career and technical student organizations, this past spring the group hosted three SkillsUSA contests for the state conference, costing them more than $15,000 in materials and supplies. However, Taylor wrote, where they set themselves apart for the second year in a row was offering to pay all expenses – registration, hotel, meals, gas, food, parking and even entertainment – for the winners of the state contests and their instructors to attend the national SkillsUSA Championships competition in Atlanta for an additional $26,000.
Harp has been the driving force behind the collaboration at all levels, Taylor said.
“Her passion and desire to help youth are very personal and is derived from her wanting others to have an easier path in meeting their career goals,” Taylor wrote about Harp. “This nomination could have easily just been for Hope, but she would be quick to say that they are a team and it should go to everyone that works with Kentucky.”
The Kelly Award is given by the KBE in the fall of each year to a Kentucky businessperson or business who has partnered with a public school or district to provide outstanding leadership that promotes school improvement and student success.
Criteria for the award includes:
- Creating or sustaining strategic partnership between a business and school or district that leads to improved student outcomes, including but not limited to, postsecondary success and workforce outcomes; and
- Significant contribution to a school or a district that leads or will likely lead to increased or improved educational opportunities or improved educational, postsecondary or workforce outcomes for students.
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