Sylvia L. Lovely
Sylvia Lovely jokes about how she was born in city hall—but she’s only half kidding. The small hospital in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky where she was born was, indeed, transformed years later into the city hall of Frenchburg, Ky., her hometown.
Nobody is better suited to have such a symbolic birthplace. Sylvia grew up in Appalachia, fueled by a drive to improve her life and community. She has risen to become a nationally recognized champion of cities and the power of people to create positive change.
Ms. Lovely has been actively involved with cities since 1988, when she started as a staff attorney with the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC), a membership organization of more than 380 cities across the commonwealth. Since 1990, Lovely has been executive director and CEO of KLC. Her commitment to the wellbeing and safety of our cities and the people that call them home was also shown in her work as interim Executive Director of Kentucky’s Office of Drug Control Policy. She currently serves the on the board of the National League of Cities and as chair of the Morehead State Board of Regents.
In addition to her work at the Kentucky League of Cities, Ms. Lovely is also president of the NewCities Institute. The NewCities Institute is a national nonprofit organization that encourages citizens to get involved in helping their communities thrive in the rapid technological change and global challenges of the 21st century.
Ms. Lovely’s work for cities and civic engagement come full circle as she maps out the NewCities 12 Principles of Community Building in her first book, “New Cities in America: The Little Blue Book of Big Ideas,” published by Minerva Publishing and Butler Books. In her second book, “New Cities in America: The Little Red Book of Everyday Heroes” published by Clark Publishing, Lovely writes about ordinary people who become community patriots through their efforts to improve their communities.
Her passion for civic engagement began long before she graduated from law school. Now Ms. Lovely speaks and instructs across the country, encouraging citizens to take similar action in building the kind of world and future they seek. Sylvia wants to know what people think about issues in their communities so she blogs at http://sylvia.newcities.org/ and is also linked by other sites, including Joel Kotkin, a noted futurist, at New Geography (www.newgeography.com) as well as with the popular Policito.com website (www.politico.com/arena), the nation's leading web and print publication devoted exclusively to politics and policy. Sylvia Lovely believes in the power of people, no matter who they are or where they live. She inspires others with this simple but powerful message: Ideas that transform the world can begin locally with people who care.
Lovely is a regular contributor to newspapers and publications and a featured commentator on various TV and radio programs. She has appeared on the “Lou Dobbs Tonight” show on CNN, offering solutions to increase voter participation and is a regular contributor for National Public Radio.
Her efforts in civic engagement has led to numerous awards and recognitions. She was named one of Kentucky’s Top Women of Influence, Communicator of the Year and Appalachian Woman of the Year. In 2006 she was awarded Kentucky’s highest honor for public service, the Vic Hellard Award.
Lovely currently serves on numerous boards and commissions and is a sought after opinion leader in Kentucky, nationally and abroad.
Sylvia and her husband Bernie live in Lexington, Kentucky. They have been married for more than 30 years and have two sons, Ross and David. Sylvia is a graduate of Morehead State University. She graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law and is an Adjunct Faculty Member of the UK Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
Sylvia Lovely jokes about how she was born in city hall—but she’s only half kidding. The small hospital in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky where she was born was, indeed, transformed years later into the city hall of Frenchburg, Ky., her hometown.
Nobody is better suited to have such a symbolic birthplace. Sylvia grew up in Appalachia, fueled by a drive to improve her life and community. She has risen to become a nationally recognized champion of cities and the power of people to create positive change.
Ms. Lovely has been actively involved with cities since 1988, when she started as a staff attorney with the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC), a membership organization of more than 380 cities across the commonwealth. Since 1990, Lovely has been executive director and CEO of KLC. Her commitment to the wellbeing and safety of our cities and the people that call them home was also shown in her work as interim Executive Director of Kentucky’s Office of Drug Control Policy. She currently serves the on the board of the National League of Cities and as chair of the Morehead State Board of Regents.
In addition to her work at the Kentucky League of Cities, Ms. Lovely is also president of the NewCities Institute. The NewCities Institute is a national nonprofit organization that encourages citizens to get involved in helping their communities thrive in the rapid technological change and global challenges of the 21st century.
Ms. Lovely’s work for cities and civic engagement come full circle as she maps out the NewCities 12 Principles of Community Building in her first book, “New Cities in America: The Little Blue Book of Big Ideas,” published by Minerva Publishing and Butler Books. In her second book, “New Cities in America: The Little Red Book of Everyday Heroes” published by Clark Publishing, Lovely writes about ordinary people who become community patriots through their efforts to improve their communities.
Her passion for civic engagement began long before she graduated from law school. Now Ms. Lovely speaks and instructs across the country, encouraging citizens to take similar action in building the kind of world and future they seek. Sylvia wants to know what people think about issues in their communities so she blogs at http://sylvia.newcities.org/ and is also linked by other sites, including Joel Kotkin, a noted futurist, at New Geography (www.newgeography.com) as well as with the popular Policito.com website (www.politico.com/arena), the nation's leading web and print publication devoted exclusively to politics and policy. Sylvia Lovely believes in the power of people, no matter who they are or where they live. She inspires others with this simple but powerful message: Ideas that transform the world can begin locally with people who care.
Lovely is a regular contributor to newspapers and publications and a featured commentator on various TV and radio programs. She has appeared on the “Lou Dobbs Tonight” show on CNN, offering solutions to increase voter participation and is a regular contributor for National Public Radio.
Her efforts in civic engagement has led to numerous awards and recognitions. She was named one of Kentucky’s Top Women of Influence, Communicator of the Year and Appalachian Woman of the Year. In 2006 she was awarded Kentucky’s highest honor for public service, the Vic Hellard Award.
Lovely currently serves on numerous boards and commissions and is a sought after opinion leader in Kentucky, nationally and abroad.
Sylvia and her husband Bernie live in Lexington, Kentucky. They have been married for more than 30 years and have two sons, Ross and David. Sylvia is a graduate of Morehead State University. She graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law and is an Adjunct Faculty Member of the UK Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
