Kim Baker, Kentucky Performing Arts President and CEO

Kim is in her 12th year as President and CEO of Kentucky Performing Arts and is the first woman and first Kentuckian to hold the role. A strong and dynamic leader in the arts community, she is widely recognized for using the arts to drive economic development, strengthen community engagement, and expand access to extraordinary arts experiences. Her lifelong passion for the arts began as a teen in the first class of Kentucky Performing Arts’ Governor’s School for the Arts. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kentucky’s Arts Administration Program as a first-generation college graduate and later completed an executive certificate in non-profit leadership from Duke University.

During her tenure, Kim developed and implemented a visionary strategic plan that expanded KPA into a family of venues, including The Kentucky Center, the historic Brown Theatre, and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall. She also led the organization through the complex reconstruction of The Kentucky Center following the 2018 construction fire. Her honors include the 2019 Arts Innovation Award, Today’s Woman Most Admired Woman in the Arts, recognition as one of Louisville’s most admired CEOs by Louisville Business First, participation in the Community Foundation of Louisville’s Alden Fellows, graduation from Leadership Kentucky’s Class of 2023, and recognition as a Kentucky Colonel.

Kim is a connected local, regional, and national leader in the performing arts. She serves as Chair of PAVA (Performing Arts Venues Alliance), Interim Chair of the Arts and Cultural Alliance, Vice-Chair of the Kentucky Performing Arts Foundation Board of Directors, and holds a seat on the Commonwealth’s Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. She represents Kentucky Performing Arts through the Broadway League, the Performing Arts Consortium, IAVM, and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, and is one of two Tony Awards voters representing Kentucky.