Lee Crume

Lee Crume is President & CEO of BE NKY Growth Partnership (BE NKY), the economic development company that works to attract, retain, and grow businesses and the economy in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties.

In 2025, BE NKY won 15 projects, announcing 1,914 new jobs and $425.5M in capital investment, with the advanced manufacturing sector leading each of these metrics. In alignment with BE NKY’s efforts to develop a comprehensive roadmap for workforce development, the organization announced $440,000 in funding for three local Northern Kentucky education non-profit organizations: Adopt A Class, TradesNKY, and Learning Grove’s NaviGo College and Career Prep. Through “In the Room with Manufacturers,” Lee and other BE NKY leaders also met with many advanced manufacturing companies to specifically address obstacles in this industry, including developing necessary skills to meet workforce needs.

Throughout 2024, Lee led BE NKY’s Community Competitive Initiative to identify risks and challenges to Northern Kentucky’s prosperity, align stakeholders on desired outcomes, and identify actions to achieve those outcomes. BE NKY leaders and board members met with more than 100 business executives at over 40 local companies to ascertain their opinion on the local economy and the outlook for their business.

Since Lee was appointed CEO in April 2019, he has led the growth of the BE NKY team, with a new position added in 2026, and the number of employees growing to 16. The company was named a Best Places to Work finalist by the Cincinnati Business Courier in 2023 and 2021.

Lee graduated as a member of the Leadership Kentucky Class of 2023 and was named a NewsMaker by the Northern Kentucky Tribune in 2021. The economic development industry recognized Lee’s leadership with:

• 2023 Top 50 North America Economic Developer by Consultant Connect
• 2018 Top 50 North America Economic Developer by Consultant Connect
• 2017 Top 50 North America Economic Developer by Consultant Connect

Lee is a member of the Board of Directors for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Northern Kentucky Port Authority, and LifeSciKY. He has a Master of Arts degree in Communication and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Corporate and Organizational Communication from Western Kentucky University.

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