Major:
Communication
Year Graduated:
1994
Hometown:
Henderson, Ky
Current City:
Midway, Ky
Current Employer:
President, Kentucky Distillers’ Association
Top played song on your playlist?:
Bruce Springsteen – Thunder Road
Where has your CI degree taken you?:
To places I never imagined. As a reporter, I wrote about drug dealers and murder victims, college presidents and education reform, University of Kentucky basketball, country music stars, the Kentucky General Assembly, Pearl Harbor and Hawaii’s five-day festival celebrating Spam. I left newspapers for public relations, which soon evolved into political consulting and lobbying. That involved educating legislators on controversial energy issues from power lines to propane, coordinating grassroots and research efforts to protect our Bluegrass farmland, developing media campaigns from coroners to Congressional candidates and fighting zoning battles on both sides of the fence (literally). So my communications degree led to jobs that were a perfect fit when the Kentucky Distillers’ Association announced it was looking for a new President with media, public relations and governmental affairs experience.
What is your favorite thing about your job?:
The people. Kentucky’s Bourbon industry is special because of the camaraderie and friendship among the distillers. They’re about as authentic as you can get – true Kentuckians. And we get to promote Bourbon all day, which is nice.
What¹s the most valuable thing you learned in CI?:
Two things come to mind: the value of internships and the lasting value of friendships. I got my start in newspapers through the Kentucky Kernel, which ultimately led to a UK Fellowship and a full-time job at the Lexington Herald-Leader. A lot of my college friends are still in my close circle of contacts today – either lobbyists or public relations executives, speech writers, lawyers and journalists. We were all in the trenches together at UK. It helps to maintain those connections, and we all look out for each other.
What advice would you give to current CI students?:
Don’t try this at home! Seriously, don’t be afraid to take chances and follow your instincts. A lot of people – family included – told me I was making a huge mistake when I left newspapers. Others couldn’t believe I gave up a great public relations job to start lobbying for electric utilities during the uncertain era of deregulation. But those experiences gave me the skills for my current job. Trust me – no one questioned me for making the leap to KDA to spread the gospel of Kentucky Bourbon.