Starting in 2023, the Top Speaker Award at the Run for the Roses will be named in honor of Paul J. Skiermont.
Paul was a member of the Kentucky debate program where he received the prestigious Distinguished Student Award. In 1993 Paul was top speaker and champion of the Round Robin. He was one of only three individuals to be named top speaker twice at the National Debate Tournament. He was a Copeland Award winner in 1994 and runner-up in 1995.
Paul graduated from Kentucky cum laude with a B.A. in political science. He went on to earn a JD with high honors from the University of Chicago.
