Emily Shepherd
Contributing Writer
Charles Leon Owens of Paducah, Kentucky, was sworn in on Friday, Sept. 6, by Circuit Judge James Jameson to the Board of Regents after being appointed by Gov. Matt Bevin.
Owens is a Murray State alumnus and president of Swift and Staley Inc., a contracting service based in Paducah with branches located in Washington D.C. and Ohio.
Owens earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree in business administration from Murray State. His term on the Board expires in 2025.
“Everyone holds him in the highest regard,” Trey Book, Student Government Association president, said.
Owens said he has always been a part of a team and wants to take the same approach with the BOR.
“I’m honored that the governor felt me worthy of this appointment,” Owens said.
Owens’ main focuses are the students and faculty, and how the board positively impacts those involved, Melony Shemberger, faculty regent said.
“I honestly have benefitted from my two years at Murray State,” Owens said. “It was an outstanding experience. I’ve always had individuals that supported me, so I wanted to give back.”
Owens held the positions of human resource manager, operations and maintenance manager, corporate development manager and
chief operating officer before being appointed president of Swift and Staley.
“He’s a success story himself,” Sandra Wilson, president and CEO of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce, said.
The company is 100 percent employee owned and was presented with a Governor’s Safety and Health Award in May 2018 for 814,133 production hours worked without a significant injury. Swift and Staley employs 165 people.
“He has a great fondness for the University, and he’s supporting President Bob Jackson and his programs wholeheartedly,” Wilson said.
Owens serves as a board member for the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce and Paducah McCracken County Joint Sewer Agency.
Owens said he’s most excited about building relationships with faculty, advisers and students.
Owens is vice president of Portsmouth Mission Alliance and is a former member of the Paducah Citizens Advisory Board and of the presidential-appointed advisory board on Radiation and Worker Health. He is a sponsor of the athletics department’s “Shoot for Scholarships” promotion as well.
Owens was appointed to fill the vacancy after Susan Guess retired.
“He will do an amazing job,” Susan Guess, marketing director for Paducah Bank and former BOR chair said.
Guess’ term on the BOR expired in June, leaving the vacancy that Owens filled.
Owens said he has a love for Murray State and its students and he hopes the community will continue to grow.
