Kenton County Fiscal Court regularly honors distinguished citizens of the county with its Pioneer Award for contributions to the community. Terry Foster and Steve Hensley have recently been honored with the award.
Terry Foster
Terry Foster graduated from Booth Memorial Hospital School of Practical Nursing in 1977 as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). After working for four years as an LPN in both the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit, he received his registered nurse (RN) diploma from The Christ Hospital School of Nursing and, in 1997, received his Master’s Degree in Critical-Care and Trauma Nursing from the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing and Health.
Terry Foster
He has held positions of volunteer, ward clerk, staff nurse, charge nurse, critical-care instructor, clinical director and night supervisor, at both the Mercy Hospitals of Cincinnati, Ohio, and at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Northern Kentucky. He has four national certifications in critical-care nursing, emergency nursing, pediatric emergency nursing, and trauma nursing.
Foster was elected in 2018 to a three-year term on the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) Board of Directors and, in 2021, served as the Secretary/Treasurer. He is the 2023 President-Elect of the ENA. He has been featured in ten episodes of The Learning Channels’ (TLC) national TV program Untold Stories of the ER, and he is the first RN to ever be featured on this physician-only based television show.
Terry Foster has been the recipient of the Judith Kelleher Award, which is the highest award given by the Emergency Nurses Association and he was inducted as a Fellow into the Academy of Emergency Nursing, an internationally appointed group of accomplished emergency nursing leaders from around the world. He has devoted his entire life to the people of Kenton County.
Steve Hensley
Steve Hensley, Director of Kenton County Homeland Security & Emergency Management (KCHSEM), has contributed immeasurably to fostering a culture of continuous cooperation, collaboration, coordination and open communications among the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati emergency planning and response community. His initiatives have enriched and sustained close inter/intra-agency working relationships and have enhanced the response and planning missions in Kenton County.
Steve Hensley
Hensley organized a new Emergency Operations Center, which also serves as a Continuity of Operations site for major responses within Kenton County. Following federal guidelines and further fostering a sense of unity, he utilized the Incident Command System as the basis for a resource-sharing effort among Federal, State, and local entities, helping lay the foundation for successful events and casualty responses including: Cincinnati’s annual Riverfest, the COVID-19 response, the closure of the Ohio River and Interstate 71/75 following the commercial motor vehicle collision and massive fire on the Brent Spence Bridge, and many others.
He previously served as Police Chief and City Administrator for the City of Fort Mitchell, and he currently also serves as a Special Deputy for the Kenton County Sheriff’s Office. Hensley is a widely admired family man, husband to a great wife, father of two wonderful children and grandfather to four beautiful girls. Hensley is the recipient of numerous awards in his career, and lives committed to his simple principle of “Serving the People.”
The Pioneer Award
The Pioneer Award is bestowed on residents of Kenton County who provided outstanding service to the community and exemplify the highest standards of personal integrity. It honors those who demonstrate servant leadership combined with awareness of the needs of fellow residents.
The Kenton County Ethics Commission reviews nominations, identifies four deserving individuals, and forwards their names to the Kenton County Fiscal Court.
The other 2022 Kenton County Pioneer Award honorees are Alecia Webb-Edgington, and Larry Maxey. The 2021 Pioneer Award recipients were Wilbert Ziegler, Ray Hebert, Ken Harper, and Mark Guilfoyle. The 2020 Pioneer Award recipients were Bill Goetz, Burr Travis, William Funke, Garren Colvin, and Arnold Simpson. The 2019 Pioneer Award recipients were Jim Claypool, Rick and Mary Hulefeld, and John Salyers. The 2018 Pioneer Award recipients were Ralph Drees, Mer Grayson, Robert Hoffer, Kim Kitchen, Ed Schroeder, and Parker Willman.
