Melissa Bond is the Community Arts Extension Program Leader for the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. The Community Arts Extension program provides arts engagement, education, and economic development support to communities across Kentucky. UK's Community Arts program is the largest modern-day program in the country with 10 field staff in a variety of arts disciplines.

Melissa also oversees the Community & Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK)'s First Impressions program, the Creative Economy program, arts partnerships with other colleges within UK and other universities across the country, and arts-based professional development offerings for Extension Agents.

Most recently, Melissa was the project director for the Rural America Placemaking Toolkit and the Placemaking in Small & Rural Communities Conference, a partnership with USDA Rural Development to provide access to placemaking resources, programs, and information for rural communities across states, tribal nations, and territories.

Melissa is currently pursuing a PhD in Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. She holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration/Social Responsibility & Sustainable Communities from Western Kentucky University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from University of the Cumberlands.

Rural Placemaking  Community Arts  Kentucky Arts Extension