Ron Kitchens

Ron Kitchens is an American writer, executive, and economic development advisor from Ozark, Missouri. He has served three terms on the city council in Ozark, Missouri. Kitchens was also a former staff person to Senator John Danforth of Missouri. He currently the chief executive of Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce / Forward Wichita Falls.^[1]

Ron Kitchens
Born	Missouri, United States
Nationality	American
Education	Missouri State University University of Oklahoma
Occupation(s)	Writer, executive
Notable work	Community Capitalism (2008) Uniquely You (2019)
Board member of	Western Michigan University (Trustee Emeritus)
Website	www.ronkitchens.com

Kitchens has written books such as Community Capitalism: Lessons from Kalamazoo and Beyond (2008) and Uniquely You (2019).^[2][3] Kitchens led the Kalamazoo-based economic development organization Southwest Michigan First and was also the president of the Birmingham Business Alliance from 2021 to 2022.^[4][5][6]

Education

Kitchens earned a bachelor's degree in public administration from Missouri State University, graduating in 1989. He then attended the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute from 1994 to 1996. Afterwards, he completed executive-education programs, including a negotiation and decision-making program at Harvard Business School (2003–2005) and a certification program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management (2015).^[7]

Career

Earlier in his career, Kitchens held economic development roles in Texas and Missouri. He founded Leaderfest, the largest annual leadership gathering in North Texas. Kitchens has served on the city council of Ozark, Missouri.^[1] Kitchens was also Mayor Pro-Tem for the City of Ozark, Missouri when he was 24 years old. Kitchens has served various boards, including the Board of Trustees of Western Michigan University, of which he is currently Trustee Emeritus.^[8]

Kitchens spent much of his career in Southwest Michigan as the chief executive of Southwest Michigan First, an economic development group headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan.^[4] During his tenure, the organization launched programs such as leadership events and funding efforts linked to the region's economic development activities.^[9]

In January 2021, Kitchens left Southwest Michigan First to become the president and chief executive of the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) in Alabama.^[4][10][11] He led the BBA until March 2022.^[6] As of 2025, he is the chief executive of Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce / Forward Wichita Falls in Texas.

Publications and media

Kitchens' book Community Capitalism: Lessons from Kalamazoo and Beyond (2008) discusses public–private collaboration and regional development in Kalamazoo.^[12] His subsequent book, Uniquely You (2019), covers leadership and organizational culture.^[3] He also hosts the Always Forward Leadership podcast.^[13]

Selected bibliography

• Kitchens, Ron; with Daniel Gross and Heather Smith (2008). Community Capitalism: Lessons from Kalamazoo and Beyond. Bloomington, IN. ISBN 978-1434381736.^[14]
• Kitchens, Ron. (2019). Uniquely You: Transform Your Organization by Becoming the Leader Only You Can Be. Ada, MI: Baker Books. ISBN 978-0801093746.^[15]