FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 8, 2012) — Dozens of business leaders from across Kentucky have come together to push for dramatic school improvement and to support educators and students as they work toward that goal.
The Business Leader Champions for Education is chaired by James R. Allen of Louisville, CEO of Hilliard Lyons, and is a joint initiative of the Kentucky Chamber Foundation and the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. The group is made up of corporate executives and other business leaders from across the commonwealth who will serve as the employer voice in urging the state to provide an education of the highest possible quality for Kentucky’s citizens.
The group’s initial focus will be support for the new, tougher academic standards now being taught in Kentucky’s classrooms. These internationally benchmarked standards are focused on better preparing students for college and the workplace, something of critical importance to the state’s employers.
Business Leader Champions for Education will communicate to educators, students, parents, policy leaders and other Kentuckians about the vital importance of staying the course with the new standards – and the challenging work they require – to build a world-class education system in the state.
Business support for education has always been essential for Kentucky, Allen noted, citing the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act and the postsecondary education reforms of 1997.
“The state is once again at a critical place in its quest for educational excellence, and the need for a strong employer voice is greater than ever,” he said. “Kentucky’s business leaders can make a positive difference for schools, students and the state’s future if we join together and share our expectations for Kentucky education and our support for the people and institutions that make the right things happen.”
The Business Leader Champions effort is part of an initiative of the Chamber Foundation, working in partnership with the Prichard Committee, to raise employer awareness of and support for the new standards. The initiative has the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
“The changes now under way in Kentucky’s schools hold great promise for creating a more highly skilled workforce that is better equipped to meet the needs of employers,” said Dave Adkisson, president and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. “To compete in a knowledge-based, global economy, we must improve the academic performance of our students.”
“Employer support for the new standards is critical to ensuring they guide the state toward achieving its goals for better schools,” said Stu Silberman, executive director of the Prichard Committee. “This is hard and challenging work, but it is work that must be done if we are to make significant and sustainable progress.”
The Business Leader Champions group plans to speak up publicly about developments in Kentucky’s schools that it believes will help, or hinder, the progression toward excellence, Allen added.
“We believe it is time for Kentucky’s employers to make ourselves heard, in an organized, positive and constructive way, about what we need our schools to be to ensure a prosperous future for the state and all of its citizens,” he said. “We plan to be vocal in our support for schools, students and teachers as they work to make that stronger future a reality.”
Business Leader Champions for Education
Dave Adkisson, President & CEO, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Frankfort
James R. Allen, CEO, Hilliard Lyons, Louisville
Bobby Arnold, Chief Operating Officer Commercial Lending, Republic Bancorp Inc., Louisville
Rodney Bohannon, Plant Manager, Briggs & Stratton, Murray
Tony Bohn, Systems Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, Norton Healthcare Inc., Louisville
Jeff Bringardner, President, Humana Inc., Louisville
Dave Calzi, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young, Louisville
Kevin Canafax, Vice President Midwest Public Affairs, Fidelity Investments, Covington
Sam Corbett, Partner, Sam Meyers, Louisville
Paul Costel, Kentucky President, Chase Kentucky, Louisville
John Crockett, Chairman, Frost Brown Todd, Louisville
Charles Denny, Kentucky President, PNC Bank, Louisville
Vince Gabbert, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Keeneland Association, Lexington
John Gant, General Manager, Carbide Industries, Louisville
Ed Glasscock, Chairman Emeritus, Frost Brown Todd, Louisville
Jean Hale, Chairman, President & CEO, Community Trust Bancorp, Inc., Pikeville
Paula Hanson, Director of Tax Services, Dean Dorton Allen Ford, PLLC, Lexington
Billy Harper, CEO, Harper Industries, Paducah
Dennis Heishman, Regional CEO, Old National Bancorp, Evansville, IN
Audwin Helton, President, Spatial Data Integrations, Inc., Louisville
Henry Heuser, CEO, Unistar/Vogt, Louisville
Debra Hoffer, President, Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana, Inc., Louisville
Bill Hollander, Managing Partner, Wyatt Tarrant & Combs LLP, Louisville
Joel Hopper, President, Brenntag Mid-South, Inc., Henderson
Alice Houston, President, Houston-Johnson, Inc., Louisville
Franklin Jelsma, Partner, Wyatt Tarrant & Combs LLP, Louisville
David Jones Jr., Chairman, Chrysalis Venures, LLC, Louisville
Jeff Kosse, Chief Financial Officer, Fifth Third Bank, Kentucky
Pete Mahurin, Senior Vice President/Financial Consultant, Hilliard Lyons, Bowling Green
Deb Moessner, President & General Manager, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kentucky, Louisville
Jerry Morris, President & CEO, Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc., Owensboro
Michael Mountjoy, Partner, Mountjoy Chilton Medley LLP, Louisville
Pat Mulloy, President & CEO, Elmcroft Senior Living, Louisville
Nick Nicholson, President, Keeneland Association, Lexington
Cheryl Norton, President, Kentucky American Water, Lexington
Tom Partridge, President & CEO of Louisville/Lexington, Fifth Third Bank, Lexington
Eileen Pickett, Executive Vice President, Greater Louisville Inc., Louisville
Mary Pat Regan, President, AT&T Kentucky, Louisville
Kevin Riddett, President, Invensys Rail, Louisville
Paul Rooke, Chairman of the Board & CEO, Lexmark International Inc., Lexington
Steve Rudolf, Vice President/Human Resources, Baptist Hospital East, Louisville
Ken Selvaggi, Vice President & General Manager, WAVE 3-TV, Louisville
Mark Shirkness, General Manager of Distribution Services, General Electric, Louisville
Stu Silberman, Executive Director, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Lexington
Barbara Sexton Smith, President & CEO, Fund for the Arts, Louisville
Victor Staffieri, President & CEO, LG&E and KU Energy LLC, Louisville
Steve Tarver, President/CEO, YMCA of Greater Louisville, Louisville
Carl Thomas, President/Treasurer, Gheens Foundation, Louisville
Jeff Uligian, Director/Site Manager, Genentech, Louisville
Tina Walters, Vice President, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Louisville
John Williams, Chairman, CSI, Paducah
Stephen Williams, President & CEO, Norton Healthcare Inc., Louisville
Kathy Zandona, Vice President Education, Greater Louisville Inc., Louisville
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