Governor’s Office
(1) Larry Hayes
Secretary of Executive Office of the Cabinet
Governor Beshear has reached out into Kentucky state and local government for the “best and brightest “ of talent and experience. Early into the reign of ex-governor Ernie Fletcher, the long respected Democratic sage from Lexington, Ky. Terry McBrayer remarked that “ the problem with Fletcher was that there were no gray hairs in his office to run things.”
Of course, Terry was proven right as the Fletcher Administration did a complete melt down within the first 10 months of getting into office.
Governor Beshear is making the right decisions about his people. Larry Hayes is one of those good decisions . Hayes has served before in state government. From 1983 through 1987, Hayes was Secretary of the Executive Cabinet and State Budget Director. This was the years of Governor Martha Layne Collins administration. Before that he was the Executive Assistant to the Kentucky State Senate President for six years.
Hayes cut his governmental experience within the Area Development Wars of the 1970’s.
Larry Hayes succeeded Jim Peel as the second Executive Director of the Lincoln Trail Area Development District from 1976 through 1978.
The decade of the 1970’s witness the formation of Kentucky Regionalism in which the Area Development Districts beat out the University of Kentucky for control over the flow of federal funds into Kentucky.
Hayes' last job was as of Deputy Mayor and Secretary of Finance and Administration Cabinet in the City of Louisville, Kentucky.
In his position as Secretary of the Executive Cabinet for the Beshear Administration, Larry Hayes will be one of those individuals well grounded in the art of problem solving for complex issues of intergovernmental relations and budget concerns. Kentucky will be well served by having this type of individual within the Governor’s inner circle.
(2) Jonathan Miller
Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet
Miller most recently served as the Chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party. He also was elected two terms as the Kentucky State Treasurer. Miller is a graduate of Harvard College and Law School.
Miller was one of the major driving forces to establish the Kentucky Affordable Prepaid tuition program.
(3) Mary Lassiter
Kentucky Budget Director
Lassiter is, yet again, one of Frankfort’s government experts at making the day-to-day operations of state government function without problems. She is well known within the small circle of state budget experts.
Most recently she served as Deputy Executive Director of the governor’s Office for Policy Research. In 2002-2003 she served as the Acting State Budget Director for Governor Paul Patton. Before this position, from 1999-2002, she served as the Executive Director of the Office of Policy Research. From 1998-1999 she served as Special Assistant to the State Budget director.
(4) Vicki Glass
Deputy Communications Officer and Spokesperson
Glass has more than 17 years experience in marketing, media and public relations. Most recently she served as the Director of Communications for the Beshear/Mongiardo Campaign. From 2004-2007 she served as Director of Communications and Executive Adviser for State Attorney General Greg Stumbo.
Before that position, she served as the Director of Communications for David Armstrong. In this capacity, she also was the spokesperson and media liaison for the City of Louisville. She was a television news reporter in Nashville, Buffalo, and Louisville.
Glass has a Masters of Arts degree in Corporate Communications with emphasis in crisis management, image development and organizational dynamics.
(5) Jim Cauley
Chief of Staff
Cauley is a veteran of the 21st Century trench warfare we call modern politics. Having fought 20 different campaigns in the past few years, Cauley is highly regarded a one of the best fund raisers in the business.
In 2004, Jim Cauley served as campaign manager for Barack Obama’s successful bid for the U.S. Senate. In this race, Obama won a 7 way primary with 53 % of the vote while raising $ 6 million in the primary. He raised a total of $ 15 million for both the primary and general election.
Cauley is a Pikeville native but lives in Louisville.
(6) Vince Gabbert
Deputy Chief of Staff
Gabbert is 32. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville and the Brandeis School of Law. His experience includes being the State Senate Caucus Director from 1999-2002. In 2003, Gabbert managed the successful 2003 re-election campaign of Jonathan Miller.
Gabbert worked for three years with the firm of Ross, Sinclaire & Associates where he was manager of the Kentucky Local Government Division. Since July 2007, Gabbert has served as the Political Director for the Democratic Party.
(7) Joe Meyer
Senior Policy Advisor
Meyer, 59, is no stranger to Kentucky state government. Meyer worked as Senior Policy Advisor for the State Auditor of Public Accounts since 2004. His principal work at this agency was (1) Kentucky Jails, A Financial Overview and (2) the Auditor’s briefing report on the impact of raising college tuition.
In 2004, Meyer served as Chief of Staff for the Chair of the House Majority Caucus. Before this, he practiced law in Covington, Kentucky. Meyer also worked with the Kentucky Association of Counties during this time.
From 1982 through 1996, Meyer served in the Kentucky Legislature as House of Representative from 1982-1988. He was elected to the Senate for the years of 1988-1996.
His education includes a law degree ate from Northern Kentucky University and a Master of Arts in Urban Affairs from Bellarmine College and a Bachelor of Arts from Covington Latin School.
(8) Katie Allison
Deputy Policy Advisor
Allison is 33. She served as the in-house issue expert and policy coordinator for the Beshear campaign. Her title was Policy and Research Director for the Beshear/Mongiardo campaign.
She has had extensive experience in state operations. Allison also served as Chief Speech-writer for the Office of the Governor of Alabama. She also worked as Policy Director for the Office of the Public Advocate in New York city.
Allison is a Louisville native having also graduated from DuPont Manual High School in Louisville. She received a Bachelor’s Degree from Oberlin College in Ohio.
(9) Virginia L. Woodward
Director of Boards and Commissions
Woodward is 56. She has served as president of the Louisville Metro Women’s Network. She is the past president of the Kentucky Woman’s Political Caucus. Also, in her work as a strong womens' rights advocate, Woodward served as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Commission on Women from 1996 through 1998.
Her professional background is based upon being a dental hygienist for three decades. She served two terms as President of the Kentucky Dental Hygienists’ Association and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.
(10) Mike Haydon
Legislative Liaison
Haydon is 57. With over 30 years in Kentucky state and local government involvement, Haydon is one of the most qualified players in Beshear’s inner circle. Most recently he has served as Chief of Staff for the House Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adams.
One of three outstanding individuals from Springfield to have worked in Kentucky State Government, (Sally Hamilton and Earl Campbell, Jr. being the other two) Haydon has had an important track in modern Kentucky.
Haydon has been (1) Deputy Secretary of the Governor’s Cabinet, under Patton, where he helped to design the Governor’s legislative agenda, (2) Secretary of the Revenue cabinet (3) Deputy Secretary of the Revenue Cabinet (4) Commissioner of the Department of Local Government (5) Director of Public Administration for both Lincoln Trail Area Development District and Buffalo Trace ADD, and (6) Mayor of Springfield, Kentucky.
(11) Eddie Jacobs
Special Advisor to the Governor
Jacobs is 52. During the recent race for governor, Jacobs served as Deputy Campaign Manager for the Beshear/Mongiardo Campaign. In 2004 he served as Executive Director of the Kentucky Democratic Party. He also served as Chairman of the Fayette County Democratic Party from 1999 through 2005. He served in the Kentucky Labor Cabinet from 1996 to 2003 as Deputy Secretary.
Jacobs is retired from Verizon/GTE and was Vice President of Communications Workers Local 3372 from 1991 to 1996.
(12) Courtney French
Scheduler
French is 23. French's background includes (1) intern to the 2003 Chandler/Owen gubernatorial campaign (2)legislative intern to State Senator Daniel Mongiardo in the 2003 General Assembly (3) in 2004 did advance work for Dr. Mongiardo U.S. Senate Campaign (4) served as the Kentucky Young Democrats National Committeewoman.
French graduated with honors from University of Kentucky in 2005.
(13) Colman Elridge
Executive Assistant to the Governor
Elridge is 25. He has worked as the Central Kentucky Director for the Kentucky Education Association. He also was the Outreach Director for the Kentucky Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee.
In 2007, Elridge served as the President of Fayette County Young Democrats.
(14) Jeff Derouen
Chief of Staff and Director of Communications
Office of Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo
Derouen is 39. He worked in the Jefferson County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office for seven years. During this time, he was Assistant Commonwealth Attorney and Communications Director. More recently, Derouen became Deputy General Counsel and Director of Communications for State Auditor Crit Luallen ‘s Office.
He graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a law degree. |
