Keith Gabbard Selected to Chair Eastern Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board

The Eastern Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board (EKWIB) elected new leadership during its regular meeting on March 13 as Keith Gabbard was selected to chair Eastern Kentucky’s workforce development board representing the EKCEP service area.

Keith Gabbard

The EKWIB is composed of 24 volunteer members who work to prepare, advance, and expand the workforce of Eastern Kentucky. The board brings together leaders from across 23 counties with policymakers from the education, economic development, and public arenas. 

Gabbard, who was elected by a unanimous vote, thanked his fellow members for their confidence in his chairmanship. He is the CEO of Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative (PRTC) in McKee, KY, a position in which he has served since 1996. He is also a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and a lifelong resident of Jackson County. He has served as a member of the EKWIB since 2015.

EKWIB member Frank Dawahare will remain as the board’s vice chair, representing the business/industry sector. He is the technology account manager for Eastern Telephone and Technologies and has also served on the EKWIB since 2015. 

EKWIB meetings are held quarterly and are open to the public. For more information on the board’s activities, visit ekcep.org/workforce-innovation-board.

EKCEP, a nonprofit workforce development agency headquartered in Hazard, Ky., serves the citizens of 23 Appalachian coalfield counties. The agency provides an array of workforce development services and operates the Kentucky Career Center JobSight network of workforce centers, which provide access to more than a dozen state and federal programs that offer employment and training assistance for job seekers and employers all under one roof. Learn more about us at