Jim King

For thirty years, Jim King has worked to advance opportunity for the people and communities of Appalachia. In 1990 he moved to Appalachia to become one of the first staff members at Fahe. Since becoming President in 2000, Mr. King has led Fahe through a period of unprecedented growth in impact, lending, and territory. He pioneered a collaborative model, the Berea Performance Compacts, bringing scale and performance to nonprofits serving rural and remote communities. He established Fahe’s reputation as a national authority on Appalachia and as an influential facilitator of regional collaboration among local leaders, economic development experts, and community stakeholders .

In the past year, Fahe accounted for over $320 million of impact in Appalachia, resulting in the ability to serve over 80,000 people. Under Mr. King’s leadership, Fahe has received numerous awards, including the Wachovia Wells Fargo NEXT Award for Opportunity Finance, and has been highlighted in multiple books and publications, including “Forces for Good.”

Mr. King serves on many national boards of directors and is currently the board chair of the Opportunity Finance Network. He is a 2006 alumnus of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Achieving Excellence program and a 2014 alumnus of the Harvard Business School’s three-year owner/president management (OPM) program. He holds an MBA from Eastern University, and a BA from Bluffton University.