A year and a half after Vision 2015 announced that it would become Skyward, Skyward is announcing that will become The Alliance.
The regional advocacy and planning organization based in Covington has faced an uncertain future since its director, Bill Scheyer, announced his retirement last year. The Skyward board of directors voted to reorganize under a new operating model that, according to a news release, will “expand the impact and magnitude of projects in Northern Kentucky.”
The board of directors, local business leaders, and members of the Northern Kentucky CEO Roundtable have been exploring a new organizational structure.
“Skyward’s original purpose to make Northern Kentucky thrive by connecting education, wellness, business and culture in innovative, inclusive, and productive ways – is not changing. What will change is the significance and scope of the initiatives we engage in, and the commitment of business leadership to make things happen,” said Candace McGraw, CEO of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and chair of the Skyward Board of Directors.
The goal of the new structure is to better align leaders and resources for optimal results – greater influence and larger scale projects leading to significant, transformational outcomes in the community, the announcement said. Initial changes to the structure will include refocusing the leadership base and launching a community impact fund for investment in key initiatives identified by group members.
Skyward’s current portfolio of projects, which are hands-on in nature, will be passed on to trusted community partners for day-to-day oversight.
Before re-branding as Vision 2015, the organization was originally known as Forward Quest.
“Northern Kentucky has a history of coming together around common goals. Derived from these goals are visible success: Covington’s skyline, the Urban Learning Center (now Gateway’s Urban Campus), Legacy and the Riverfront Murals, the Catalytic Fund, and UpTech to name a few,” said Jim Henning, President of Duke Energy, who was identified in the announcement as “convener of The Alliance”. “In order to continue this legacy, leaders from Northern Kentucky’s most recognizable corporations and organizations will be personally active in the creation of The Alliance and driving impactful community change.”
Details of the new operating model are being refined and will be provided at a later date, the announcement pledged.
-Staff report