The Kentucky 4-H Foundation recently named Melissa Miller as executive director and Benjamin Carr as director of advancement.

Miller is responsible for the oversight and management of the foundation, and Carr is the organization’s chief fundraising officer.

Miller, of Elizabethtown, had served as the foundation’s interim executive director for the past year and is no stranger to Kentucky agriculture or 4-H. She grew up on a second-generation dairy and tobacco farm in Allen County and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Prior to joining the foundation, she worked as the executive director for the Kentucky Poultry Federation. In this position, she helped with the Kentucky 4-H Egg Demonstration Contest and served as co-chair of the national contest. She also worked with the 4-H’s poultry judging competition, avian bowl and barbeque competitions for chicken and turkey.

She is currently president of the Hardin County Cattlemen’s Association and a member of the Hardin County Farm Bureau board of directors.

While Carr was an undergraduate at Judson University, he volunteered as a mentor for at-risk youth. In the process, the Montgomery County native developed a passion for improving the lives of young people, particularly those most vulnerable.

After graduation, Carr worked extensively in various development roles for nonprofits in the Chicago area including HandsOn Suburban Chicago and the Boys and Girls Club of Lake County.

The Kentucky 4-H Foundation is an independent, non-profit partner and supporter of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service’s 4-H Youth Development Program, which is housed in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.