Minton joins economic development organization

SOMERSET — A Casey County woman is the newest addition to the Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation (SKED) staff.

Veteran banking executive Karen Minton of Windsor brings 30 years of lending experience to the nonprofit economic development organization as its new small business loan specialist. She joined the 10-member staff earlier this month.

Minton says coming to work for SKED presents her with new challenges and a fresh outlook on banking in the region.

“Nonprofit lending is a whole new direction in my life,” Minton said. “This new position will be challenging and rewarding for me. I’m excited to get to know the people SKED is helping grow their businesses through its loan programs.”

Minton has worked at several local banks over the years in a number of capacities. She brings experience in commercial lending, loan processing and expertise in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Veteran’s Administration, Federal Housing Administration and conventional loans. She work most recently at the Casey County Bank in Liberty.

SKED Executive Director Brett Traver says Minton comes to SKED at a time when the organization is ramping up its lending in the region.

“Karen’s expertise in loan processing will give our lending department the boost it needs to close loans at a faster rate, giving our clients the money they need in a more timely and competitive fashion,” Traver said. “We are always happy to bring more local talent into our pool of professionals. I look forward to working with Karen.”

She is married to Mike Minton. They have one daughter, Jessica Minton of Lexington.

Minton can be reached at the SKED offices, located in the Center for Rural Development, by phone at (606) 677-6136 or email at kminton@centertech.com.

SKED is a nonprofit economic development organization and has been designated a CDC by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The organization was formed 32 years ago by U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers to create jobs in southeast Kentucky.

Its corporate office is based in Somerset and serves a 45-county service region. Its staff of ten professionals works with business owners to identify financing solutions to fund their location, expansion and working capital needs, and provide technical assistance and training.

For more information, visit southeastkentucky.com.

Horn receives promotion

Joni Horn, SRNA, was promoted to community liaison for Signature HeathCARE. She has been at

Signature of Harrodsburg for seven years, where she was the admission and marketing director. Joni will be working closely with hospitals in Danville, Harrodsburg and Frankfort to transition patients to skilled nursing care for short term rehab.

Joni and her husband Josh live in Harrodsburg with their three children. In her spare time, Joni enjoys watching her children play sports and enjoys boating at their home away from home at Lake Cumberland.

Joni will be working for the Harrodsburg and Lawrenceburg Signature locations. For questions about short-term skilled nursing rehab options, email her at jhorn@signaturehealthcarellc.com or call her at (859) 388-0268.

Jones hired as Bluegrass director for Lifeline Homecare

Lifeline Homecare, Inc. has hired Teresa Jones as Regional Director of the Bluegrass Region. In this role, Teresa will manage the day-to-day operations of non-medical homecare services provided to clients in the Bluegrass Region, which serve the following counties:  Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Estill, Fayette, Franklin, Garrard, Harrison, Jackson, Jessamine, Lee, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, Montgomery, Nicholas, Owsley, Powell and Scott.

Before joining Lifeline Homecare, Jones served for over (11) eleven years, as a program director for two different programs-both serving the needs of the aging population within a 10-county district. She comes to us with extensive knowledge and working expertise in the areas of adult protection services, elder abuse and the Office of the Inspector General regulations.

Jones served as president of the Barren River Elder Abuse Coalition, and was a council member of Hosparus. She holds a master’s degree in social work and is a certified social worker.

Lifeline Homecare’s Lexington office, servicing the Bluegrass Region, is currently at 3130 Custer Drive, Suite 230, Lexington, but will be relocated to a larger office space July 1, due to providing services in 10 additional counties in the Bluegrass Region. The new location will be 2216 Young Drive, Suite 5, Lexington. For more information, call (859) 273-2708 or email care@lifelinehomecare.org.