Leadership Kentucky today announced that the Class of 2023 graduated on Friday, December 15 and participants chose classmate Carlos E. Sanchez to receive the 2023 Lisa Murrell Award.

Since 1985, Leadership Kentucky graduates have brought an enlightened and informed perspective to their communities and companies, serving as important catalysts in the unified effort to Improve our State.

At the graduation ceremony, Leadership Kentucky announced Carlos E. Sanchez as the recipient of the 2023 Lisa Murrell Award. Sanchez is President of AT&T Kentucky.

The Lisa Murrell Award is presented annually in honor and loving memory of Lisa Murrell, a member the Leadership Kentucky Class of 2008. The recipient of the award is a current class member who embodies the spirit of Lisa: Courage, Compassion, Dedication, and Selflessness. The recipient is chosen by fellow classmates.

In choosing Sanchez, his classmates described him as…“A friend to everyone and thoughtful in all he does. Having lived in Kentucky for just slightly over a year, he has taken significant steps to get to know our state, learn about our issues, and engage with stakeholders. May we all be a little more like Carlos - kind, helpful, hopeful, and grateful.”

“I have had the pleasure to spend the last seven months with these leaders and have been so impressed with their engagement, leadership skills, and interest in learning about our Commonwealth with its numerous opportunities as well as challenges,” says Janice Way, president.  “Through the Leadership Kentucky program, they have gained tremendous insight, experienced Kentucky in a unique way, and built lasting relationships that will serve them well for many years to come. And, this year, we had the opportunity to recognize one of our state’s leaders, Carlos, and we look forward to witnessing his impact in the years to come.”

The class of 2023 included 52 participants representing a variety of public and private sectors. Leadership Kentucky congratulates the following:

1. Kim Baker - Jefferson County - Kentucky Performing Arts
2. John Bevington- Franklin County - LGE-KU
3. Heather Campbell - Jefferson County - Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
4. Colleen Chaney - Madison County - Eastern Kentucky University
5. John Cox - Fayette County - Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
6. Douglas Craddock, Jr. - Jefferson County - University of Louisville
7. Tiffany Craft - Letcher County - City of Whitesburg
8. Darrin Croucher - Woodford County - Thoroughbred Engineering
9. Lee Crume - Kenton County - BE NKY
10. Tokwiny Da-Thong - Jefferson County - Amazon
11. William Downey - Jessamine County - R. J. Corman Railroad Group
12. Jennifer Fraker - Oldham County - Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
13. Chris Francis - Boone County - KY/WV YMCA State Alliance
14. Heather Gate - Warren County - Connected Nation
15. Abbie Gilbert - Jefferson County - Humana
16. John Hampton - Fayette County - Acrisure, LLC dba GCH Insurance Group
17. Dalton Hatfield - Fayette County - Appalachian Regional Healthcare
18. Ben Haydon - Fayette County - Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
19. Amanda Henson - Oldham County - Healthcare Executive
20. Debra Hess - Pike County – Community Trust Bank, Inc.
21. Jill Horn - Jefferson County - Brown-Forman
22. Ashley Ireland - Calloway County - Murray State University
23. Jeremy Jarvi - Jefferson County - LouCity & Racing Foundation
24. Timothy Johnson - Fayette County - United Way of the Bluegrass
25. Kandi Justice - Pike County - Pikeville Medical Center
26. Julie Kirkpatrick - Boone County - meetNKY| Northern Kentucky CVB
27. Justin Lane - Montgomery County - Kentucky American Water
28. Blake Layfield - Marion County - Maker's Mark
29. Dorothy Lockhart - Fayette County - CHI - Joseph Health Partners
30. Daniel Maloney - Jefferson County - Louisville Zoo
31. Jeremy Mattox - Scott County - Kentucky Court of Justice
32. Haley McCoy - Madison County - Kentucky Association for Economic Development
33. Stephanie McMahan - Madison County - US Bank
34. Anne-Tyler Morgan - Fayette County - McBrayer PLLC
35. Ben Mudd - Marion County - Pharmacists' Association
36. Jennifer Nachreiner - Jefferson County - Aetna Better Health of Kentucky
37. Chris Nation - Jefferson County - RunSwitch PR
38. Katherine North - Jefferson County - Kentucky Association of Health Plans
39. Steven Phillips - McCreary County - Lumber King, Inc.
40. Aaron Poynter - Russell County - Putting Kentuckians First and Reentry with the Kentucky Office of Adult Education and the Education and Labor Cabinet
41. Chris Purvis - Oldham County - Cherry Bekaert LLP
42. Janet Ratliff - Rowan County - Morehead State University
43. Carlos Sanchez - Oldham County - AT&T Kentucky
44. Robert Simmons - Kenton County - EGC Construction
45. Camden Skidmore - Fayette County - South Central Bank
46. Jared Smith - Fayette County - Piper-Smith
47. Megan Stith - Meade County - Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
48. Amy Stroud - Pulaski County - Forcht Broadcasting Radio & Digital
49. Judy Vaughn - Estill County - Estill County Cooperative Extension
50. Mackenzie Wallace - Jefferson County - Alzheimer's Association
51. Jeremy Whitmore - Calloway County - Calloway County Tourism Commission
52. John Willoughby - Floyd County - East Kentucky Network, LLC

Leadership Kentucky joins together a diverse group of leaders, with a variety of career accomplishments and volunteer activities, to gain insight into complex issues facing the state. In a series of seven monthly, three-day sessions held at various locations throughout the state, participants meet with Kentucky leaders and explore the state’s resources and opportunities. The leadership curriculum educates participants on Kentucky’s rich cultural heritage and unique diversity.

The year’s program ran June through December and took the class across the state: Berea in June, Louisville in July, Paducah/Eddyville in August, Somerset in September, Bowling Green in October, Northern Kentucky in November, and Central Kentucky in December. The sessions covered topics ranging from business and economic development, racial equity and social justice, arts and tourism, natural resources and the environment, education, healthcare, agriculture, and government.

Nominations and applications for the Leadership Kentucky Class of 2024 will be available online at leadershipky.org in January 2024.

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About Leadership Kentucky:

Leadership Kentucky, created in 1984 as a non-profit educational organization, brings together a select group of people who possess a broad variety of leadership abilities, career accomplishments, and volunteer activities to gain insight into complex issues facing the state. By fostering understanding of how the state’s issues are interconnected, and by forging new relationships among community and regional leaders, Leadership Kentucky graduates bring a fresh and informed perspective to their communities and companies, serving as important participants in the unified effort to shape Kentucky’s future. The Leadership Kentucky Foundation offers four unique programs: Leadership Kentucky, ELEVATE Kentucky (for young professionals), BRIGHT Kentucky (for Eastern Kentuckians) and New Executives to Kentucky (for senior level executives who have lived in the state for less than two years). For more information, please visit leadershipky.org or email lky@leadershipky.org.