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Bevin appoints Brinkman interim secretary of CHFS after Glisson steps down to run for Congress


NKyTribune staff

Gov. Matt Bevin has appointed Scott Brinkman interim secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Brinkman

Brinkman currently serves as secretary of the governor’s executive Cabinet where he oversees the various Cabinets and implements the governor’s policies and programs.

He replaces Vickie Yates Brown Glisson, who resigned and is seeking a Congressional seat in Kentucky’s 3rd district.

Bevin said he has no immediate plans to name a permanent successor for Glisson, who he praised for her service.

“I’ve got outstanding folks who are doing the work,” he said. “While we are sorry to see her go, the cabinet is strong.”

Glisson will attempt to unseat six-term Democratic U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth.

Yarmuth is expected to receive strong support in heavily-Democratic Louisville, where he was born and raised.

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services has an annual budget of $13.6 billion, which includes federal funding, and employs 7,500 people, making it the state’s largest agency.

There was speculation in Frankfort, and in Northern Kentucky, that State Rep. Addia Wuchner, R-Florence, was going to be named to the post when she withdrew her candidacy for re-election just before the filing deadline.

Wuchner serves on House committees focused on health and welfare and family services, but she has denied rumors that she is in line for the post and Bevin said he is in no hurry to fill the position.

Gov. Bevin

Brinkman represented the 32nd legislative district in eastern Jefferson County in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2001 to 2010. He was a member of the Health and Welfare Committee during his entire tenure in the House of Representatives as well as a member of the Appropriations and Revenue Committee during his last eight years as a state representative.

Before his appointment as the secretary of the executive Cabinet, Brinkman practiced law in Louisville for 35 years, most recently with the law firm Stoll Keenon Ogdon. He specialized in corporate, real estate and public finance law during his legal career.

Brinkman also has been involved in a number of civic and charitable activities including serving as the chair of the Kentucky Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders. He currently serves on the Applied Behavior Analyst Licensure Board as well as the board of the Waterfront Development Corporation.

Brinkman and his wife Donna reside in Louisville. They have three children.


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