Bevin nominates Republican activist, lawyer and dentist to UK Board of Trustees

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin addressed the Commonwealth with his budget for the next two years on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Capitol building in Frankfort. The budget included a $110 million cut from UK’s state general funding over the next two years.

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On Friday, Gov. Matt Bevin appointed three new members to UK’s Board of Trustees.

The new trustees are Jennifer Yue Barber, Kelly Knight Craft and Michael A. Christian. Their terms will end on June 30, 2022, a press release from the governor’s office said. 

Barber is replacing William S. Farish. Craft is replacing Oliver K. Gannon. Christian is replacing Terry Mobley, the press release said. 

Barber is a lawyer with Frost Brown Todd LLC in Louisville, according to the firm’s website. She earned an undergraduate degree from UK in 2005 and graduated from the UK College of Law in 2008, the website said. A press release said Barber serves on the Kentucky State Fair Board and U.S. Bank’s Advisory Board.

Craft, wife of Joe Craft, is a local Republican activist, Ballotpedia said. She has fund-raised for former Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher, Sen. Mitch McConnell and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, the website said. A press release from Bevin’s office said Craft is a graduate of UK and former President George W. Bush appointed her in 2007 to the United Nations and the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination. The press release also said Craft is on the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army of Lexington.   

Christian is a dentist who owns a practice in Ashland, according the practice’s website. He received an undergraduate degree in Zoology from the university in 1976 and a Doctor of Dental Medicine in 1980, the site said. The university is “one of his passions,” the website said. A press release said he has been the chair of the Kentucky Dental Association for about 15 years. 

Bevin also nominated members to board of regents or directors at eight other Kentucky higher education institutions, including Western Kentucky University, Eastern Kentucky University and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.