Karen Hudson, local business owner and East Central University alumna, has been named East Central University’s 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year. As per tradition, she will deliver the annual Limes Lecture to college and visiting high school students Nov. 17.
Hudson, a fifth-generation Adan, has a long history of leading and contributing to the Ada community. Most recently, she developed The Lot, Ada’s first open-air and pet-friendly dining and entertainment venue in 2019. The venue hosts various events, such as the annual LOToberfest event, The Lot’s Fence Art Mural collection, and has collaborated with area small business owners and non-profits. Another startup is Hudson Advancement Strategies, a business marketing company she founded in 2010.
Hudson graduated from Ada High School before completing her bachelor degree in Business Administration and master degree in Human Resources Administration at ECU.
Hudson was the first public relations and marketing director at People’s Electric Cooperative and organized the first PEC Day in Ada. Her leadership doesn’t stop there, however. Hudson served as president and CEO of the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce where she developed Young Professionals of Ada and Leadership YOUniversity, and created the Ada Area Chamber Foundation and the Trail of Lights committee. She also has extensive community service.
The annual Limes Lecture is named for Leonard Limes, who attended ECU in the post-war 1940s. Limes was a successful geologist, attorney and entrepreneur from Konawa, Oklahoma, who established the lectureship in 2000 with a $25,000 gift to the ECU Foundation.
As always, this lecture is open to the public. Please 580-559-5274 for registration information. The deadline to register is Oct. 31.