Carl L. Swope, Vice Chair

Hometown: Elizabethtown, KY.

Education: Indiana University (Bloomington, IN).

Community Support: Carl works with the Elizabethtown Airport Board and the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau. His past civic service includes the Noon Rotary of Elizabethtown, the Elizabethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation and President of the Hardin County affiliate of Habitat For Humanity International, which he helped found. He is also a member of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethtown and is an ordained deacon.

Occupation: President and CEO of Swope Family of Dealerships

Family: Carl and his wife Anne have three children and four grandchildren.

Why are you volunteering your time to serve as Vice Chair on the Baptist Health Foundation Hardin Board? I am volunteering on the Baptist Health Foundation Hardin Board because I believe bringing world class healthcare to Central Kentucky is one of the most important things we can be doing at this pivotal time for the region. 

Why is supporting community organizations and initiatives important for you? Supporting our community and the quality of life here is important to me because Anne and I plan to live out our days in Elizabethtown and Hardin County.  We also have two of our children in the family business and hope that one day all our children and grandchildren will live in the area.  So, selfishly, I want the “quality of place” to continually improve in Elizabethtown to a point where we are a magnet for doctors and other professionals, entrepreneurs, and skilled labor to come here to live, work, and play.

What does gratitude mean to you and what are you grateful for? For me, gratitude is understanding that this life, with all its ups and downs, successes and failures, is a gift  endowed by the God of Creation. The difficult part for me is accepting this amazing gift and realizing it is freely given, not because of something I did. I am grateful for the opportunity and wherewithal to respond to this amazing gift.