FORR Leadership

President's Profile

Mr. Ed Powe is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana, receiving a bachelor’s degree with a major in zoology and a minor in chemistry and physics. He received his Master of Public Administration degree from Kentucky State University.

After 24 years of service, Mr. Powe retired as the General Manager of Sears Roebuck & Co. in Frankfort, KY. After 14 ½ years, Mr. Powe retired as the Director of Educational Outreach from Kentucky State University. While at Kentucky State University, Mr. Powe submitted and received several grants ranging from $5,000 to $1,000,000. Under his leadership, the KSU Summer Transportation Institute Program was honored as “Best-In-The-Nation” for three consecutive years; the only HBCU to ever receive this honor. His Entrepreneurial Development Institute was held in eight states and received recognition and honors from the U.S. Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Division.

Mr. Powe was responsible for the naming of a campus building after Tuskegee Airman Roy M. Chappell. He was also responsible for a Historic Highway Marker being erected in Mr. Chappell’s Hometown of Williamsburg, KY. Mr. Powe was also responsible for a Historic Highway Marker being erected on the former site of “Mr. Taylor’s Barber Shop”, Frankfort’s only Black Barber Shop at the time, located directly across the street from the KSU campus.

Mr. Powe is a community activist. He was the first Black individual to be invited to join the all- white Frankfort Country Club and was instrumental in the Club eliminating its blackballing of member applicants procedure. He has served Frankfort in many positions including: Co-Founder/ President of the Focus On Race Relations organization, the mission of the organization is to initiate and encourage open, honest, face to face conversations about race and race related issues in Frankfort, KY: President of the Frankfort/Franklin County Community Council; Past President of the Board of Directors, Frankfort Chamber of Commerce; Recipient of the Chamber’s Program of the Year award; Kentucky State Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; Appointed by the Mayor of Lexington to the Lexington Urban County Government’s LEXTRAN Board of Directors; Recipient of the NAACP Man of the Year award; Board of Directors, Lexington Diocese Newman Foundation, Chairman of the 1986 United Way Campaign, where he introduced Leadership Giving into the campaign and a host of other honors, too many to mention.

Currently, Mr. Powe is a member of the Frankfort Kiwanis Club, and is the owner and CEO of E. L. Powe & Associates, a consulting company in the area of public speaking, grant writing and entrepreneurial business development. 

Mr. Powe has managed candidates in fourteen political campaigns. His candidates had never lost an election. In 2020, as the campaign manager for Tommy Haynes, he was planning on giving Frankfort its first Black Mayor. However, his candidate came up short by 113 votes out of 12,600: less than one percent.

On July 5th, 2019, Mr. Powe and his wife Jan celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Ed lost his wife on the morning of January 26th, 2020. They have one daughter, Kristafer Lynne, who lives in Frankfort.