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Bevin names Himes to NKU board of regents, Finan to the KCTCS panel; others to various positions


Gov. Matt Bevin has appointed a pair of Northern Kentucky residents to positions on Kentucky public university boards.

Ashley Himes has been appointed to the Northern Kentucky University Board of Regents.

• Himes, of California, is assistant principal for Northern Elementary School in Pendleton County and a part-time farmer. Himes and her husband hold multiple degrees from NKU and are involved with various education and community-related organizations. She will serve for a term expiring June 30, 2023.

Karen Finan has been appointed to the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Regents.

Gov. Matt Bevin

• Karen Finan, of Ft. Mitchell, is a partner at Gilman Partners and former senior vice president of Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation. Finan also serves as chairwoman of Aviatra Accelerators and the Northern Kentucky Education Council. She will serve for a term expiring July 21, 2023.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) Board of Regents is composed of eight members appointed by the governor and six other members—including two members each of the teaching faculty, non-teacher personnel and student body, representing respective KCTCS institutions.

Dr. Sandra Robbin Shuffett and Derrick Ramsey have been appointed to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees.

• Shuffett, of Nicholasville, is a physician for Baptist Health a part-time farmer. Shuffett is a former graduate program instructor and has been a frequent lecturer on the subject of breast cancer, mammography and radiology. She will represent agricultural interests and serve for a term expiring June 30, 2023.

• Ramsey, of Lexington, is Secretary of the Kentucky Labor Cabinet and a former NFL player with the 1981 Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders. Ramsey is a former University of Kentucky quarterback, where he helped to lead the Wildcats to the 1976 SEC Championship and the 1976 Peach Bowl. He will serve for a term expiring June 30, 2023.

Reynolds has been appointed to the Kentucky State University Board of Regents.

• Roger Reynolds, of Louisville, is an entrepreneur and small business owner. Reynolds serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Louisville Branch Board and is a former KSU trustee. He will serve for the remainder of an unexpired term ending June 30, 2018.

Deborah Haydon Long has been appointed to the Morehead State University Board of Regents.

• Long, of Lexington, is proprietor of Dudley’s on Short restaurant and a current MSU trustee. Long is a member of the Central Bank Advisory Board, and her business was recognized by Southern Living magazine as “Best Restaurant in Kentucky” for 2017. She has been reappointed to the board and will serve for a term expiring June 30, 2023.

Don Irvin Tharpe has been appointed to the Murray State University Board of Regents.

• Tharpe, of Nicholasville, is a past president of the Pan American Health and Education Foundation and former executive director of the Association of School Business Officials International. Tharpe is a “Distinguished Alumnus” of MSU, where he earned multiple degrees in industrial education. He will serve for a term expiring June 30, 2023.

George Nichols III has been appointed to the Western Kentucky University Board of Regents.

• Nichols III, of Potomac, Maryland, is executive vice president of governmental affairs for New York Life Insurance Company and a former Kentucky Commissioner of Insurance. Nichols currently serves on the Alice Lloyd College Board of Trustees and was a past chairman of the National Organization of Life and Health Guaranty Associations. He will serve for a term expiring June 30, 2023.

Juan Carlos Castro and Christopher Pace have been appointed to the Eastern Kentucky University Board of Regents.

• Castro, of Lexington, is managing partner of JCC Accounting Solutions and chairman of the Lexington Hispanic Education Association. Castro is currently an instructor with the Latino Tax Preparers Association and board member of Matthew 5:16 Ministries International. He will serve for a term expiring June 30, 2023.

• Pace, of Winchester, is an investor and attorney. Pace was a former student trustee on the EKU Board of Regents and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. He will serve for the remainder of an unexpired term ending June 30, 2021.

Raymond Burse has been appointed to the University of Louisville Board of Trustees.

• Burse, of Prospect, is a retired vice president and general counsel for GE Appliances and a former president of Kentucky State University. Burse has served on the boards of many non-profit and professional organizations, including the Center for Creative Leadership. He will serve for the remainder of an unexpired term ending Jan. 13, 2019.

Kentucky public university boards are composed of eight members appointed by the governor and three other members—including a teaching faculty representative, a nonteaching employee representative and the student body president.

Bevin also made the following appointments to Kentucky Boards and Commissions:

Kenneth Tim Kline has been appointed to the Executive Branch Ethics Commission.

• Kline, of Owensboro, is an attorney. He will serve for a term expiring July 14, 2021.

The mission of the Executive Branch Ethics Commission is to promote the ethical conduct of elected officials, officers and other employees in the executive branch of state government. The commission seeks to fulfill its mission through administering a program of training and education on the code of ethics, providing guidance to state employees concerning their ethical conduct, enforcing the provisions of the code of ethics, interpreting the code of ethics through the issuance of advisory opinions, registering executive agency lobbyists and recommending legislation to the General Assembly.

Carrie Blackham, Sharon Kay Fields, Deanna Sokacz, Zella Faye Wells, Michelle Bazeley, and Dorothy James Jenkins have been appointed to the Statewide Advisory Council for Vocational Rehabilitation.

• Blackham, of Whitesville, is the chief executive officer for Wendell Foster’s Campus for Developmental Disabilities. She will represent community rehab providers and serve for a term expiring May 20, 2020.

• Fields, of Salyersville, is a retired nurse. She will represent individuals with disabilities and serve for a term expiring May 20, 2020.

• Sokacz, of Louisville, is a fiscal assistant for the Center for Accessible Living. She will represent disability advocacy groups and serve for a term expiring May 20, 2020.

• Wells, of Paintsville, is retired from her position as assistant superintendent for Johnson County Schools. She will represent individuals with severe disabilities and serve for a term expiring May 20, 2020.

• Bazeley, of Louisville, is an independent contractor for DDS University Corridor. She will represent community rehab programs and serve for a term expiring May 20, 2020.

• Jenkins, of Shelbyville, is a vocational rehabilitation counselor. She will represent vocational rehabilitation and serve for a term expiring May 20, 2020.

The Statewide Advisory Council of Vocational Rehabilitation reviews, analyzes, and advises the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation on setting standards and the ability to assist Kentuckians with disabilities to achieve suitable employment and independence.

From Governor’s Office Communications


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