Gov. Matt Bevin has announced that Danny R. Ison has been appointed as County Judge/Executive of Shelby County, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
Ison, of Simpsonville, is a senior consultant with Kentucky public relations firm Guthrie/Mayes. He will replace outgoing Shelby County Judge/Executive Rob Rothenburger, who is resigning his post following election to the state House of Representatives (District 58).
Shelby County is located east of Louisville and is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Ison has served on the Guthrie/Mayes Public Relations team since 1998, and has been instrumental in major projects such as London-based Diageo PLC’s location of their $115 million Bulleit Distillery to Shelby County. Prior to his time with Guthrie/Mayes, he worked 28 years for Philip Morris USA — overseeing community relations for the company’s three manufacturing plants (in Louisville, Richmond, Va., and Cabarrus County N.C.).
He attended Bellarmine University and Virginia Commonwealth University and is a veteran of the United States Air Force, seeing combat in Vietnam.
Ison is a prominent civic leader who has served on numerous community organizations, including: Greater Louisville Inc. (board member), Simpsonville Volunteer Fire Department (board member), Agribusiness Industry Network (executive committee), Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (vice chairman), Operation Brightside (chairman), and Kentucky Derby Festival (executive committee).
Gov. Bevin made this appointment in accordance with Section 67.705 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes and under Section 152 of the Kentucky Constitution.
Commonwealth of Kentucky Governor’s Office