Leadership Institute for School Principals Celebrates 10 Years of Success and Announces the Deirdre Lyons Scholarship Fund

Leadership Institute for School Principals Celebrates 10 Years of Success and Announces the Deirdre Lyons Scholarship Fund

LEXINGTON, Ky.--Celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the Leadership Institute for School Principals program, the Kentucky Chamber Foundation held a luncheon, hosted by Deirdre Lyons and Alltech Research Farm, to commemorate the program’s success, thank sponsors and contributors, and recognize principals that have completed the program. The event also included a graduation ceremony for the Leadership Institute Class of 2022.

At the event, attendees heard from the following speakers:

  • Deirdre Lyons- Co-Founder & Director of Corporate Image and Design of Alltech, Co-Chair of the Leadership Institute for School Principals

  • Joe Craft - President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P.

  • Rocky Adkins - Senior Advisor to the Governor of Kentucky

  • Dave Adkisson - Former President and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

  • Dr. Houston Barber, incoming Deputy Superintendent of Fayette County Public Schools, Co-Chair of the Leadership Institute for School Principals, and alumnus of the program

Proceeds from the event will be dedicated to the newly-created Deirdre Lyons Scholarship Fund, which will be used to support executive training for future participants of the Leadership Institute program. All funds raised at and after the event will generously be matched by Joe and Kelly Craft for up to $50,000. To give to this fund, please visit https://kychamber.wufoo.com/forms/deirdre-lyons-scholarship-endowment-donation/.

“I am honored at the announcement of the scholarship fund,” said Deirdre Lyons. “Alltech became involved in the Leadership Institute for School Principals because we feel that it is important to uplift our school principals. In many ways, the principal is the CEO of their school. The training they receive allows them to better lead their students and have a greater impact on their communities.”

The Kentucky Chamber Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals offers public- and private-school principals in Kentucky an opportunity to receive powerful individual leadership training through the Truist Leadership Institute. This year-long program, usually reserved for the nation’s top CEOs, is customized to meet the specific leadership development needs of school administrators.

Over the ten years of the program, the Kentucky Chamber Foundation’s Leadership Institute for School Principals has invested over $3.5 million to train over 500 elementary, middle, and high school principals, which has impacted over 250,000 students and 104 counties across Kentucky.

The Leadership Institute for School Principals is provided at no cost to principals. This $17,500 training is provided to the participants through an in-kind donation of $12,000 per principal from the Truist Leadership Institute. The remaining $5,500 per principal is provided through match donations from members of Kentucky’s business community.

Below are the principals who have graduated from the Leadership Institute for School Principals Class of 2022:

  • Angela Sloan, Clinton County Middle School, Clinton County

  • Anastasia Quirk, DeSales High School, Jefferson County

  • Angela Parsons, J. Graham Brown School, Jefferson County

  • Anne Cox, Reidland Elementary School, McCracken County

  • April Brooks, Johnson Traditional Middle School, Jefferson County

  • Brandy Carver, Rowan County Senior High School, Rowan County

  • Carla Kolodey, Dann C. Byck Elementary School, Jefferson County

  • Carolyn Smith, Farnsley Middle School, Jefferson County

  • Cassie House, Peaks Mill Elementary School, Franklin County

  • Charita Kimbrough, Maupin Elementary School, Jefferson County

  • Diane Blankenship, Jamestown Elementary School, Russell County

  • Hunter Gary, Morgantown Elementary School, Butler County

  • Jennifer Jacobs, Rise STEM Academy for Girls, Fayette County

  • Jenna Daulton, North Oldham Middle School, Oldham County

  • Jeremy Kidd, South Laurel High School, Laurel County

  • Joseph Norman, Warren Central High School, Warren County

  • Julie Rubemeyer, Southgate Public School, Campbell County

  • Kendra Glenn, Calvert City Elementary School, Marshall County

  • Leslie Lancaster, Sinking Fork Elementary School, Christian County

  • Matthew Jacobson, Oldham County Middle School, Oldham County

  • Matthew Knight, Walnut Hill Elementary School, Casey County

  • Matthew Shafer, Larry A. Ryle High School, Boone County

  • Nekita Johnson, Mercer County Elementary School, Mercer County

  • Nicholas Eastham, Henderson County North Middle School, Henderson County

  • Philip West, Green County Middle School, Green County

  • Phillip Watts, Breathitt County Schools, Breathitt County

  • Renikka Owens, Millbrooke Elementary School, Christian County

  • Renisha Elam, Freedom Elementary School, Christian County

  • Sara Greene, Shelby County Area Technology Center, Shelby County

  • Sara Tucker, Taylor County High School, Taylor County

  • Stephanie Harmon, Paris Middle School, Bourbon County

  • Stephen Queen, Graves County Central Elementary School, Graves County

  • Tiffany Austin, Paintsville High School, Johnson County

  • Tony Jarvis, Murray High School, Calloway County

  • Travis Marcum, Conkwright Elementary School, Clark County

For more information about the program or about becoming a donor and supporting a leader in your area, contact Jordan Deschamp-Young at [email protected].

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