Meet Our Team
The Kentucky APEX Accelerator staff is made up of experienced professionals with varied backgrounds and strong ties to government agencies and contracting companies. We serve all 120 Kentucky counties from our nine regional office locations across the state.
Thanks to our team's hybrid work model, we offer both in-person and virtual client meetings. All meetings are by appointment only. This allows us to devote full attention to each client interaction.
Your success is important to us!
Statewide Staff
Nancy Brown
Executive Director
Lexington Office (Headquarters)
Nancy Brown currently serves as the Executive Director of the Kentucky APEX Accelerator, the primary program for government contracting assistance in Kentucky, where she oversees seven offices across the commonwealth to help businesses with government contracting readiness.
Prior to being involved in government contracting, Nancy was able to advance the lives of many disadvantaged women by leading a program focused on workforce development and self-sufficiency. Additionally, Nancy facilitated multi-million-dollar communications and marketing initiatives for Valvoline Headquarters and the University of Kentucky HealthCare.
Early in her career, Nancy worked at Queen Rania of Jordan’s Public Relations office to establish new press and communications processes for the queen. In this role, Nancy communicated important press releases and news to the queen daily and conducted research on microloan programs for women-owned startups in the Middle East.
Nancy’s academic and training achievements include a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Media Studies from the University of Kentucky, a Leadership Principals Certificate from Harvard Business School, a Financial Management Certificate from Cornell University and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate from the Project Management Institute. Nancy is also fluent in written and spoken Arabic.
Madeline Gabhart
Intern
Lexington Office (Headquarters)
Madeline currently serves as the intern for the Kentucky APEX Accelerator. Prior to joining the Kentucky APEX Accelerator team in 2025, she interned in multiple different finance and tax capacities.
Madeline is from central Kentucky and currently resides in Lexington as she attends the University of Kentucky. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Kentucky and is currently a MSACC Candidate there, with plans to graduate July 3, 2026. She is also studying for the CPA exam and plans to become CPA certified following her master's graduation.
Anna Leigh O'Brien
Senior Communications Coordinator
Lexington Office (Headquarters)
Anna Leigh currently serves as the Senior Communications Coordinator for the Kentucky APEX Accelerator. Prior to joining the Kentucky APEX Accelerator team in 2022, she worked in the world of higher education enrollment for four years, where she honed skills in communication, public relations and recruitment strategy.
Anna Leigh is a lifelong resident of the Bluegrass region of central Kentucky. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Spanish from Asbury University and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification through the Project Management Institute.
Heather Watson
Procurement Communications Strategist
Lexington Office (Headquarters)
Heather brings more than 15 years of leadership expertise in communications, PR, storytelling, data-driven marketing and program management for brands including Costco, Uber, Staples and Valvoline Instant Oil Change. She supports the Kentucky APEX Accelerator’s mission to empower Kentucky-owned businesses to successfully sell their products and services within government markets by continuing to elevate program visibility, partner engagement and direct impact across the Commonwealth.
Heather joined the Kentucky APEX Accelerator team from Valvoline Inc. where she served in leadership roles in corporate communications and marketing that supported daily operational excellence for 2,000+ retail locations, 13,000+ team members and 40+ franchise systems operating under the Valvoline Instant Oil Change and Great Canadian Oil Change brands. She also managed Valvoline’s commercial fleet programs that delivered automotive preventive maintenance services to help thousands of small business-owned, municipal, state and federal fleets keep their vehicles on the road including partnering with General Services Administration (GSA) to meet annual federal Executive Orders.
A Bluegrass native and proud daughter of an agricultural small business owner, Heather has a deep personal connection with Kentucky’s people and a genuine passion for helping home-grown entrepreneurs thrive. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Eastern Kentucky University and a master’s in organizational development from University of Georgia.
Regional Procurement Consultants
Douglas Brent
Procurement Consultant
Louisville Office
Doug has been a trusted advisor to businesses for more than thirty years. Before joining the Kentucky APEX Accelerator team, Doug was counsel at a prominent Kentucky law firm where he advised regulated businesses. Before his private practice, he was Director of Regulatory Affairs for a national telecommunications provider. He has served as a board member for several Kentucky nonprofits.
Doug earned both Business Administration and Law degrees at the University of Kentucky.
Eric Byrd
Senior Procurement Consultant
London, Pikeville & Somerset Offices
Eric brings almost 20 years of experience in business management to the Kentucky APEX Accelerator team. Prior to joining the APEX Accelerator, Eric’s most recent experience includes five years of management and accounting as a part of a fast-growing small manufacturing business and six years of service for the Commonwealth of Kentucky helping Eastern Kentucky secure funds to reclaim lands that were affected by the abandonment of coal mining facilities.
Eric earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Finance from Georgetown College.
Reigh Kemp
Procurement Consultant
Murray & Paducah Offices
Reigh brings a strong foundation in program coordination, research administration and strategic communication to her role as a Procurement Consultant with the Kentucky APEX Accelerator. Passionate about fostering economic growth across western Kentucky and the broader Commonwealth, she is dedicated to helping small businesses navigate the government contracting process and expand their opportunities in the public sector.
Before joining the Kentucky APEX Accelerator team, Reigh served as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) Coordinator at Murray State University, where she oversaw research compliance and supported faculty and student researchers across a variety of disciplines. She also coordinated the National Science Foundation ADVANCE Grant at the university, leading initiatives to promote professional development within STEM fields. Over her six years at Murray State, Reigh developed a reputation for cross-functional collaboration and a commitment to organizational excellence.
Reigh holds a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Sciences and a master’s degree in Organizational Communication from Murray State University. She is currently completing her MBA with a concentration in Business Analytics, further strengthening her ability to support data-driven decision-making and strategic procurement guidance.
Lynn Louis
Procurement Consultant
Covington Office
Lynn brings more than 10 years of experience in small business supplier diversity and coaching to her role. Before joining the Kentucky APEX Accelerator team, she worked with small business owners to obtain a national minority business certification, and once certified, provided the necessary coaching that business owners needed to help secure corporate procurement opportunities.
A native of Kentucky, Lynn is a former SCORE Mentor and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Southern Indiana.
Shawn Rogers
Procurement Consultant
Lexington Office
Shawn brings nearly 20 years of experience in small business and economic development to her role.
Shawn's previous experience before joining the Kentucky APEX Accelerator team included serving as the Director of Operations for the Council on Licensure, Enforcement & Regulation. She was also the Center Director and Management Consultant for the Bluegrass SBDC, where she worked across multiple industries to assist existing and new businesses with capital formation and business planning.
From Shawn's work for the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and Community Ventures, she gained experience in community development financing, including Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and New Markets Tax Credit.
Shawn earned bachelor's degrees in Management and Accounting from the University of Kentucky.
J.C. Watkins
Procurement Consultant
Bowling Green & Radcliff/Fort Knox Offices
Prior to joining the Kentucky APEX Accelerator team, J.C. worked at Western Kentucky University’s Department of Training and Technical Assistance, where he served the last seven years as Department Head and twenty years as a Financial and Management Specialist assisting organizations holding grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
J.C. holds a master’s degree in Developmental Economics from The American University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Western Kentucky University and a bachelor’s degree in Government from Western Kentucky University.
