Leadership Kentucky will host its 21st Annual Alumni Luncheon on February 9 at Keeneland Entertainment Center and Keen Barn in Lexington. There, the Flame of Excellence Award will be presented to former Governor Paul Patton and First Lady Judy Patton.
The Flame of Excellence Award honors outstanding Kentuckians who bravely light the way for others. LEADERSHIP Kentucky alumni, board members, and guests are invited to an 11:00 a.m. networking session, followed by lunch and a Flame of Excellence Award presentation. Tickets are $80 per person for him and can be purchased on her website at Leadership Kentucky or by emailing lky@leaderky.org.
Leadership Kentucky President Janice Way said, “Leadership Kentucky honors former Governor Paul Patton and First Lady Judy Patton with the Flame of Excellence Award for their continued commitment to improving Kentucky’s people. “Influential leadership comes from people making a conscious effort to support their communities. It proves what it means.”
Former Governor Paul Patton was born in eastern Kentucky, the son of a teacher and a school cafeteria worker who instilled in him the values of education and hard work. A graduate of the University of Kentucky in 1959 with a degree in mechanical engineering, he ran a successful coal business for his 20 years before turning to public service. He served as Governor of Kentucky from 1995 until he served three terms as Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of Economic Development, Lieutenant Secretary of Transportation, and Pike County Judge. Patton was named Chancellor of Pikeville University in 2013 after serving as president from 2009 until 2013.
Former Kentucky First Lady Judy Conway Patton spent her eight-year tenure advocating for the safety, health and well-being of women and children. As First Lady, she founded the Office of Child Abuse and Domestic Violence. She has worked tirelessly to ensure appropriate treatment and response for victims of sexual assault and to help women and children who have been mentally and physically abused.
Past Leadership Kentucky Flame of Excellence Winners:
• 2002 – Dr. Thomas D. Clarke, Kentucky Honorary Historian
• 2003 – Edward T. “Ned” Breathitt, Former Governor
• 2004 – John R. Hall, former Chairman and CEO, Ashland Inc.
• 2005 – Martha Layne Collins, former governor.Chairman/CEO Kentucky World Trade Center
• 2006 – Wendell H. Ford, US Senator, Retired, Wendell H. Ford Center for Government Education
• 2007 – Albert P. Smith, Jr. retires as host of “Comment on Kentucky”
• 2008 – David A. Jones, Founder and former Chairman of the Board of Humana, Inc.
• 2009 – Eura Hall, founder of Mud Creek Clinic
• 2010 – Ausley Brown Frazier, Founder and Chairman of the Frazier Museum of International History
• 2011 – Dr. T. Pearse Lyons, Founder and CEO of Alltech
• 2012 – William T. Samuels Jr., Chairman Emeritus, Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc.
• 2013 – Dr. Lee T. Todd, Jr., former president, University of Kentucky
• 2014 – Bill Goodman, former host, KET
• 2015 – John A. Williams Sr., Computer Services, Inc.
• 2016 – Helen Carroll, Toyota, retired
• 2017 – William (Bill) Jones, US Bank
• 2018 – Kentucky Chamber of Commerce David Adkisson Retires
• 2019 – Myra Ball, Ball Homes, Donamir Farm
• 2020 – Alice and Wade Houston, HJI Supply Chain Solutions
• 2021 – Porter G. Peoples Sr., Lexington Fayette County Urban League
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