Leadership Kentucky has announced Gina Winchester as chair of the 2025 board of directors.
“It is an honor and privilege to serve as Chair of the Leadership Kentucky Board in 2025, an organization that has been so pivotal in developing leaders across Kentucky,” said Winchester. “I look forward to building on the momentum we’ve created and working with our exceptional alumni, board, and staff to shape the next chapter of Leadership Kentucky’s impact.”
Winchester serves as Calloway County Deputy Judge Executive and is an alum of the Leadership Kentucky Class of 2011. She is a lifetime resident of Kentucky and currently resides in Murray with her husband.
2025 Leadership Kentucky executive committee
• 2025 Board Chair: Gina Winchester (deputy judge executive, Calloway County)
• 2026 Board Chair-Elect: Melissa Knight (president, Farmers National Bank)
• Immediate Past Chair: Ron Wilson (associate vice president, philanthropy and alumni engagement, Western Kentucky University)
• Secretary: Trey Grayson (Partner, Frost Brown Todd LLP)
• Treasurer: Daniel P. Bork (retired, Kentucky Commissioner of Revenue)
• BRIGHT Liaison/Committee Member: Elmer K. Whitaker (chairman of the board and CEO, Whitaker Bank, Inc.)
• Leslie Buddeke Smart, CFRE (CEO, Louisville Ballet)
• Leslie A. Fugate (vice president, director of public affairs, Brown-Forman)
• Charles Session (retired, Duke Energy)
• Chrisandrea Turner (Partner, Stites & Harbison, PLLC)
• Committee Member-Ex-Officio: Perry Allen (Retired, U.S. Bank)
• Committee Member-Ex-Officio: Barbara Dickens (General Counsel, Kentucky Finance & Administration Cabinet)
• Committee Member-Ex-Officio: Regina A. Jackson (Partner, English Lucas Priest & Owsley, LLP)
2025 Board of Directors
• Tiffany Benjamin (CEO, Humana Foundation)
• Daniel Carmack (realtor, Sallie Davidson Realtors)
• Carolle Jones Clay (president, Republic Bank Foundation, senior VP/managing director, Republic Bank & Trust)
• Betsy Clemons (executive director, Hazard Perry County Chamber of Commerce)
• Aaron Crum (assistant CEO, Chief Medical Officer, Pikeville Medical Center)
• Gary Gerdemann (co-founder, partner, RunSwitch Public Relations)
• Robert Heil (executive director of strategic relationships and community engagement, KLH Engineers)
• Alan Keck (mayor, City of Somerset)
• Roy Lowdenback (system vice president, Baptist Health)
• Janie McKenzie-Wells (retired, Circuit Judge)
• Shannon Montgomery (vice president, LGE-KU)
• Aaron Poynter (director, Kentucky Office of Adult Education and Education and Labor Cabinet)
• Rhonda Whitaker-Hurtt (director, government and community relations, Duke Energy)
• Cindy Wiseman (president and COO, AEP/Kentucky Power)
• John Yanes (fresident for Saint Joseph London and Saint Joseph Berea, CHI-Saint Joseph Health)
• Debbie Zuerner (director of community engagement, Owensboro Health)
Leadership Kentucky